Comparative expression of five Lea genes during wheat seed development and in response to abiotic stresses by real-time quantitative RT-PCR

61 ref.International audienceGene expression profiles of group 2 (dehydrins) and group 4 Late embryogenesis abundant (Lea) genes in developing seeds of Triticum durum and T. aestivum and in coleoptiles and coleorhizae of T. durum seedlings were monitored by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. The five genes exhibited clear differences in their accumulation pattern in wheat seed and in response to dehydration, low temperature, salinity and ABA. Td29b, Td16 and Td27e gene transcripts accumulate late in embryogenesis as expected for Lea genes, Td11 gene transcripts were present throughout seed development whereas no Td25a gene transcripts were detected in seeds. Drastic changes in the relative levels of Td29b, Td16, Td27e and Td11 transcripts occurred at the shift between the cell expansion and desiccation phases. All genes except the Td11 gene are more highly induced by dehydration in coleorhizae than in coleoptiles. In contrast, response to low temperature, salinity or ABA is higher in coleoptiles than in coleorhizae. Depending on both the gene and on the type of stress, a wide range of induction levels (8- to 100,000-fold) was observed

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran