Development and Validation of Molecular Markers for \u3cem\u3ePhytophthora medicaginis\u3c/em\u3e Resistance in Lucerne

Resistance to Phytophthora medicaginis is an essential attribute to incorporate into lucerne (Medicago sativa) cultivars which are likely to be grown on heavy soils or in conditions where the soil remains excessively wet for prolonged periods. Current breeding strategies rely on recurrent phenotypic selection to maintain adequate levels of resistance in newly developed synthetic cultivars. However, little is known about the source or mechanism(s) of genetic resistance operating in the cultivar. A genetic linkage map was generated from a tetraploid M. sativa population using SSR markers anchored to existing genetic and physical maps. Large effect QTL were identified on linkage groups 2, 5, 6 and 7, each of which contributed between 11-30% of the phenotypic variation. Evaluation of the marker-trait associations in another sampling of the same population was undertaken, using a different isolate of P. medicaginis. The findings indicate that in the lucerne genotype examined in this study, a network of interactions involving at least three common loci, contribute to resistance to P. medicaginis. An alignment of the resistance loci identified in this study with those previously identified provided a framework for cataloguing the diversity of resistance loci present in lucerne, and will be used to guide future lucerne breeding efforts

Reliability of self reported smoking status by pregnant women for estimating smoking prevalence: a retrospective, cross sectional study

Objective To determine what impact reliance on self reported smoking status during pregnancy has on both the accuracy of smoking prevalence figures and access to smoking cessation services for pregnant women in Scotland

The Importance of Importance: Self-Descriptors in Dysphoria

This study examined the relationship between importance ratings of positive and negative personal attributes and depressed mood. Undergraduate psychology students (n = 115) completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II and made self-referential ratings on several adjectives. Participants subsequently indicated how important it was for them to possess or fail to exhibit each of these traits. The results demonstrated that the perceived lack of important positive traits was related to increased depressed mood whereas not exhibiting important negative traits was associated with less depressed mood. Moreover, depressed mood was related to the degree to which respondents were certain about their endorsement of the traits. The implications of these results are discussed

The Neon Abundance of Galactic Wolf-Rayet Stars

The fast, dense winds which characterize Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars obscure their underlying cores, and complicate the verification of evolving core and nucleosynthesis models. Core evolution can be probed by measuring abundances of wind-borne nuclear processed elements, partially overcoming this limitation. Using ground-based mid-infrared spectroscopy and the 12.81um [NeII] emission line measured in four Galactic WR stars, we estimate neon abundances and compare to long-standing predictions from evolved-core models. For the WC star WR121, this abundance is found to be >~11x the cosmic value, in good agreement with predictions. For the three less-evolved WN stars, little neon enhancement above cosmic values is measured, as expected. We discuss the impact of clumping in WR winds on this measurement, and the promise of using metal abundance ratios to eliminate sensitivity to wind density and ionization structure.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 9 pages, 2 color figures, 4 table

IMPROVE-DD: Integrating Multiple Phenotype Resources Optimises Variant Evaluation in genetically determined Developmental Disorders

Diagnosing rare developmental disorders using genome-wide sequencing data commonly necessitates review of multiple plausible candidate variants, often using ontologies of categorical clinical terms. We show that Integrating Multiple Phenotype Resources Optimizes Variant Evaluation in Developmental Disorders (IMPROVE-DD) by incorporating additional classes of data commonly available to clinicians and recorded in health records. In doing so, we quantify the distinct contributions of sex, growth, and development in addition to Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) terms and demonstrate added value from these readily available information sources. We use likelihood ratios for nominal and quantitative data and propose a classifier for HPO terms in this framework. This Bayesian framework results in more robust diagnoses. Using data systematically collected in the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study, we considered 77 genes with pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in ≥10 individuals. All genes showed at least a satisfactory prediction by receiver operating characteristic when testing on training data (AUC ≥ 0.6), and HPO terms were the best predictor for the majority of genes, though a minority (13/77) of genes were better predicted by other phenotypic data types. Overall, classifiers based upon multiple integrated phenotypic data sources performed better than those based upon any individual source, and importantly, integrated models produced notably fewer false positives. Finally, we show that IMPROVE-DD models with good predictive performance on cross-validation can be constructed from relatively few individuals. This suggests new strategies for candidate gene prioritization and highlights the value of systematic clinical data collection to support diagnostic programs

An immunohistochemical study of the localization and developmental expression of ghrelin and its functional receptor in the ovine placenta

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ghrelin is an orexigenic hormone principally produced by the stomach, but also by numerous peripheral tissues including the placenta. Ghrelin acts via growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHSR-1a) to alter food intake, fat utilization, and cellular proliferation, and has been suggested to play a role in the developmental growth of the fetoplacental unit. The placental expression of ghrelin and its role in ruminant species is not known. We tested the hypotheses that ghrelin and its functional receptor, GHSR-1a, are present in tissues of the ovine placenta, and that their expression is linked to the stage of development.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Antibodies raised against ghrelin and GHSR-1a were used in standard immunohistochemical protocols on placental tissues collected from pregnant ewes (n = 6 per gestational time point) at days 50, 80, 100, 128 and 135 of gestation (term ≈ day 145). Immunostaining for ghrelin and GHSR-1a was quantified using computer-aided image analysis. Image analysis data were subjected to one-way ANOVA, with differences in immunostaining between time-points determined by Fisher's least significant difference.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Positive immunostaining for ghrelin was detected in ovine placentae at all gestational time points, with staining localized to the maternal epithelium, caruncle and trophectoderm. There was a significant effect of gestational age (p < 0.001) on the placental expression of ghrelin, with maximal levels at gestational day 80. GHSR-1a immunostaining was detected in the fetal trophectoderm at all time points. In contrast to the gestational pattern of ghrelin expression, there was no effect of gestational age on placental GHSR-1a immunoexpression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Ghrelin and GHSR-1a are both present in the ovine placenta, and ghrelin displays a developmentally-related pattern of expression. Therefore, these data strongly suggest that the ghrelin system may have a role in feto-placental development in sheep.</p

Examination of the risk of reinfection with hepatitis C among injecting drug users who have been tested in Glasgow

Unsafe injecting practices put injecting drug users (IDUs) at repeat exposure to infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It has not yet been determined if spontaneously clearing one's primary infection influences the risk of reinfection; our aim was to estimate the relative risk of reinfection in IDUs who have cleared the virus. We conducted a retrospective study using a large database of HCV test results covering Greater Glasgow Health Board during 1993–2007 to calculate rates of infection and reinfection in current/former IDUs. The relative risk of (re)infection in previously infected compared with never-infected IDUs was estimated using Poisson regression, adjusting for age at study entry, sex, and calendar period of test. Although the rate of reinfection in IDUs who were HCV antibody-positive, RNA-negative at baseline was lower (7/100 person-years, 95% CI: 5–9) than the rate of acute infection in IDUs who were HCV antibody-negative at baseline (10/100 person-years, 95% CI: 9–12), the risk of reinfection was not significantly different than the risk of initial infection (adjusted rate ratio = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.57–1.08). We found only weak evidence for a reduced risk of HCV reinfection in IDUs who had cleared their previous infection. Further research among those who have cleared infection through antiviral therapy is needed to help inform decisions regarding treatment of IDUs

Peer support for the maintenance of physical activity and health in cancer survivors: the PEER trial - a study protocol of a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Despite an overwhelming body of evidence showing the benefits of physical activity (PA) and exercise for cancer survivors, few survivors meet the exercise oncology guidelines. Moreover, initiating, let alone maintaining exercise programs with cancer survivors continues to have limited success. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the influence of peer support on moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and various markers of health 12 months following a brief supervised exercise intervention in cancer survivors. METHODS: Men and women previously diagnosed with histologically-confirmed breast, colorectal or prostate cancer (n = 226), who are \u3e1-month post-treatment, will be invited to participate in this trial. Once enrolled, participants will complete 4 weeks (12 sessions) of supervised high intensity interval training (HIIT). On completion of the supervised phase, both groups will be provided with written recommendations and verbally encouraged to achieve three HIIT sessions per week, or equivalent exercise that meets the exercise oncology guidelines. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive 12 months of peer support, or no peer support (control). Primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed at baseline, after the 4-week supervised HIIT phase and at 3-, 6- and 12-months. Primary outcomes will include accelerometry-derived MVPA and prescribed HIIT session adherence; whilst secondary outcomes will include cardiorespiratory fitness ([Formula: see text]), body composition, quality of life and select cytokines, myokines and inflammatory markers. Random effects mixed modelling will be used to compare mean changes in outcomes between groups at each time point. A group x time interaction will be used to formally test for differences between groups (alpha =0.05); utilising intention-to-treat analyses. DISCUSSION: If successful, peer support may be proposed, adopted and implemented as a strategy to encourage cancer survivors to maintain exercise beyond the duration of a short-term, supervised intervention. A peer support-exercise model has the long-term potential to reduce comorbidities, improve physical and mental wellbeing, and significantly reduce the burden of disease in cancer survivors. ETHICS: Human Research Ethics Committee of Bellberry Ltd. (#2015-12-840). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry 12618001855213 . Retrospectively registered 14 November 2018. Trial registration includes all components of the WHO Trial Registration Data Set, as recommended by the ICMJE

Resummation of projectile-target multiple scatterings and parton saturation

In the framework of a toy model which possesses the main features of QCD in the high energy limit, we conduct a numerical study of scattering amplitudes constructed from parton splittings and projectile-target multiple interactions, in a way that unitarizes the amplitudes without however explicit saturation in the wavefunction of the incoming states. This calculation is performed in two different ways. One of these formulations, the closest to field theory, involves the numerical resummation of a factorially divergent series, for which we develop appropriate numerical tools. We accurately compare the properties of the resulting amplitudes with what would be expected if saturation were explicitly included in the evolution of the states. We observe that the amplitudes have similar properties in a small but finite range of rapidity in the beginning of the evolution, as expected. Some of the features of reaction-diffusion processes are already present in that range, even when saturation is left out of the model.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figure