Effects of transplanting and AMF inoculation on the fruit yield of African eggplants (Solanum aethiopicum and Solanum anguivi) in Tanzania

The African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L., Gilo group) is one of the most common traditional vegetables in Tanzania. The yield of the African eggplant in Tanzania is far lower than the potential yield expected, which is due primarily to biotic and abiotic stresses. We conducted experiments at two locations in Tanzania to study whether or not plant growth and the fruit yield of the Gilo group of African eggplant can be significantly improved through transplanting coupled with the inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) at sowing. Many plants, particularly for the directly sown treatment, died well before harvesting, and, in addition, many surviving plants showed symptoms of wilting. The transplanting of tray seedlings and using AMF inocula at sowing led to an overall significant increase in fruit yield by 30%–40% and 20%–25%, respectively. Increased fruit yield per experimental plot resulted primarily from a greater number of plants that survived and reached the harvesting stage. The exact effect of planting method (i.e., transplanting or direct sowing) and AMF inoculation, however, varied greatly with plant accessions. Further research is needed to understand the cause(s) for plant mortality in order to develop appropriate plant management practices

Fenfluramine treatment is associated with improvement in everyday executive function in preschool-aged children (<5 years) with Dravet syndrome: A critical period for early neurodevelopment

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether fenfluramine (FFA) is associated with improvement in everyday executive function (EF)-self-regulation-in preschool-aged children with Dravet syndrome (DS). METHODS: Children with DS received placebo or FFA in one of two phase III studies (first study: placebo, FFA 0.2 mg/kg/day, or FFA 0.7 mg/kg/day added to stiripentol-free standard-of-care regimens; second study: placebo or FFA 0.4 mg/kg/day added to stiripentol-inclusive regimens). Everyday EF was evaluated at baseline and Week 14-15 for children aged 2-4 years with parent ratings on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function®-Preschool (BRIEF®-P); raw scores were transformed to T-scores and summarized in Inhibitory Self-Control Index (ISCI), Flexibility Index (FI), Emergent Metacognition Index (EMI), and Global Executive Composite (GEC). Clinically meaningful improvement and worsening were defined using RCI ≥ 90% and RCI ≥ 80% certainty, respectively. The associations between placebo vs FFA combined (0.2, 0.4, and 0.7 mg/kg/day) or individual treatment groups and the likelihood of clinically meaningful change in BRIEF®-P indexes/composite T-scores were evaluated using Somers'd; pairwise comparisons were calculated by 2-sided Fisher's Exact tests (p ≤ 0.05) and Cramér's V. RESULTS: Data were analyzed for 61 evaluable children of median age 3 years (placebo, n = 22; FFA 0.2 mg/kg/day, n = 15; 0.4 mg/kg/day [with stiripentol], n = 10; 0.7 mg/kg/day, n = 14 [total FFA, n = 39]). Elevated or problematic T-scores (T ≥ 65) were reported in 55% to 86% of patients at baseline for ISCI, EMI, and GEC, and in ∼33% for FI. Seventeen of the 61 children (28%) showed reliable, clinically meaningful improvement (RCI ≥ 90% certainty) in at least one BRIEF®-P index/composite, including a majority of the children in the FFA 0.7 mg/kg/day group (9/14, 64%). Only 53% of these children (9/17) also experienced clinically meaningful reduction (≥50%) in monthly convulsive seizure frequency, including 6/14 patients in the FFA 0.7 mg/kg/day group. Overall, there were positive associations between the four individual treatment groups and the likelihood of reliable, clinically meaningful improvement in all BRIEF®-P indexes/composite (ISCI, p = 0.001; FI, p = 0.005; EMI, p = 0.040; GEC, p = 0.002). The FFA 0.7 mg/kg/day group showed a greater likelihood of reliable, clinically meaningful improvement than placebo in ISCI (50% vs 5%; p = 0.003), FI (36% vs 0%; p = 0.005), and GEC (36% vs 0%; p = 0.005). For EMI, the FFA 0.7 mg/kg/day group showed a greater likelihood of reliable, clinically meaningful improvement than the FFA 0.2 mg/kg/day group (29% vs 0%; p = 0.040), but did not meet the significance threshold compared with placebo (29% vs 5%; p = 0.064). There were no significant associations between treatment and the likelihood of reliable, clinically meaningful worsening (p > 0.05). SIGNIFICANCE: In this preschool-aged DS population with high baseline everyday EF impairment, FFA treatment for 14-15 weeks was associated with dose-dependent, clinically meaningful improvements in regulating behavior, emotion, cognition, and overall everyday EF. These clinically meaningful improvements in everyday EF were not entirely due to seizure frequency reduction, suggesting that FFA may have direct effects on everyday EF during the early formative years of neurodevelopment

The new global governors: Globalization, civil society, and the rise of private philanthropic foundations

One of the important drivers of change within contemporary global civil society is the growing power and influence of private philanthropic foundations (PPFs). In the analysis below, I consider the cases of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the largest and fourth largest PPFs in the world today by wealth or assets, and, especially, their founders. I consider their influence within global civil society, within the context of international development, and the consequences of their activities for a range of international actors. I do so in the context of debate within the literature on the activities of PPFs and I side with advocates of critical scrutiny. In developing my argument, I draw on a range of sources including the financial statements and audited accounts of PPFs, of other non-governmental organizations and of selected inter-governmental organizations. I argue that the BMGF and OSF are engines of neoliberalism and potent symbols of a second distinct ‘gilded age’ and that their influence must be restrained through anti-trust measures and through greater taxation and regulation

Impact of brassinosteroids and ethylene on ascorbic acid accumulation in tomato leaves

Plant steroid hormones brassinosteroids (BRs) and the gaseous hormone ethylene (ET) alter the ascorbic acid–glutathione (AA–GSH) levels in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants. The interaction of these hormones in regulating antioxidant metabolism is however unknown. The combined use of genetics (BR-mutants) and chemical application (BR/ET-related chemicals) shows that BRs and ET signalling pathways interact, to regulate leaf AA content and synthesis. BR-deficient (dx) leaves display low total AA but BR-accumulating (35S:D) leaves show normal total AA content. Leaves with either BR levels lower or higher than wild type plants showed a higher oxidised AA redox state. The activity of l-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (l-GalLDH), the mitochondrial enzyme that catalyses the last step in AA synthesis is lower in dx and higher in 35S:D plants. BR-deficient mutants show higher ET production but it is restored to normal levels when BR content is increased in 35S:D plants. Suppression of ET signalling using 1-methylcyclopropene in dx and 35S:D plants restored leaf AA content and l-GalLDH activity, to the values observed in wild type. The suppression of ET action in dx and 35S:D leaves leads to the respective decreasing and increasing respiration, indicating an opposite response compared to AA synthesis. This inverse relationship is lacking in ET suppressed dx plants in response to external BRs. The modifications in the in vivo activity of l-GalLDH activity do not correlate with changes in the level of the enzyme. Taken together, these data suggest that ET suppresses and BRs promote AA synthesis and accumulation.Instituto de Fisiología Vegeta

Differential expression of the brassinosteroid receptor-encoding BRI1 gene in Arabidopsis

Abstract Brassinosteroid (BR)-regulated growth and development in Arabidopsis depends on BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1), the BR receptor that is responsible for initiating the events of BR signalling. We analysed the temporal and spatial regulation of BRI1 expression using stable transgenic lines that carried BRI1 promoter:reporter fusions. In both seedlings and mature plants the tissues undergoing elongation or differentiation showed elevated BRI1 gene activity, and it could be demonstrated that in the hypocotyl this was accompanied by accumulation of the BRI1 transcript and its receptor protein product. In seedlings the BRI1 promoter was also found to be under diurnal regulation, determined primarily by light repression and a superimposed circadian control. To determine the functional importance of transcriptional regulation we complemented the severely BR insensitive bri1-101 mutant with a BRI1-luciferase fusion construct that was driven by promoters with contrasting specificities. Whereas the BRI1 promoter-driven transgene fully restored the wild phenotype, expression from the photosynthesisassociated CAB3 and the vasculature-specific SUC2 and ATHB8 promoters resulted in plants with varying morphogenic defects. Our results reveal complex differential regulation of BRI1 expression, and suggest that by influencing the distribution and abundance of the receptor this regulation can enhance or attenuate BR signalling

Bin mapping of tomato diversity array (DArT) markers to genomic regions of Solanum lycopersicum × Solanum pennellii introgression lines

Marker-trait association studies in tomato have progressed rapidly due to the availability of several populations developed between wild species and domesticated tomato. However, in the absence of whole genome sequences for each wild species, molecular marker methods for whole genome comparisons and fine mapping are required. We describe the development and validation of a diversity arrays technology (DArT) platform for tomato using an introgression line (IL) population consisting of wild Solanumpennellii introgressed into Solanumlycopersicum (cv. M82). A tomato diversity array consisting of 6,912 clones from domesticated tomato and twelve wild tomato/Solanaceous species was constructed. We successfully bin-mapped 990 polymorphic DArT markers together with 108 RFLP markers across the IL population, increasing the number of markers available for each S.pennellii introgression by tenfold on average. A subset of DArT markers from ILs previously associated with increased levels of lycopene and carotene were sequenced, and 44% matched protein coding genes. The bin-map position and order of sequenced DArT markers correlated well with their physical position on scaffolds of the draft tomato genome sequence (SL2.40). The utility of sequenced DArT markers was illustrated by converting several markers in both the S.pennellii and S.lycopersicum phases to cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers. Genotype scores from the CAPS markers confirmed the genotype scores from the DArT hybridizations used to construct the bin map. The tomato diversity array provides additional “sequence-characterized” markers for fine mapping of QTLs in S.pennellii ILs and wild tomato species

Amplicon sequencing identified a putative pathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina, causing wilt in African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) grown in Tanzania and Uganda

African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is one of the most common traditional vegetables in Tanzania and Uganda, but its productivity is severely affected by wilt diseases caused by a number of pathogens. Plant stem and root samples were collected in several fields from many neighboring diseased and healthy plants of the Gilo group in Tanzania and from the Shum group in Uganda to identify putative pathogens causing wilt on African eggplants. Through amplicon sequencing of sampled diseased and healthy tissues, we identified putative causal pathogens for the wilt symptoms. Wilting of S. aethiopicum in Uganda is most likely caused by the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum whereas, in Tanzania, wilt is most likely caused by the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina, infecting roots. Infection of stems by Fusarium solani may also contribute to the wilt symptoms in Tanzania. Further artificial inoculation under controlled conditions confirmed that M. phaseolina can cause typical wilting symptoms on S. aethiopcium genotypes. The discovery of different putative causal agents of wilt in the crop demonstrates the need for site specific etiological analysis of wilt before developing and implementing effective control methods. Further research is needed to confirm the results and develop appropriate management measures against specific wilt pathogens

Human Prion Diseases in The Netherlands (1998–2009): Clinical, Genetic and Molecular Aspects

Prion diseases are rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorders that can be sporadic, inherited or acquired by infection. Based on a national surveillance program in the Netherlands we describe here the clinical, neuropathological, genetic and molecular characteristics of 162 patients with neuropathologically confirmed prion disease over a 12-year period (1998–2009). Since 1998, there has been a relatively stable mortality of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in the Netherlands, ranging from 0.63 to 1.53 per million inhabitants per annum. Genetic analysis of the codon 129 methionine/valine (M/V) polymorphism in all patients with sporadic CJD (sCJD) showed a trend for under-representation of VV cases (7.0%), compared with sCJD cohorts in other Western countries, whereas the MV genotype was relatively over-represented (22,4%). Combined PrPSc and histopathological typing identified all sCJD subtypes known to date, except for the VV1 subtype. In particular, a “pure" phenotype was demonstrated in 60.1% of patients, whereas a mixed phenotype was detected in 39.9% of all sCJD cases. The relative excess of MV cases was largely accounted for by a relatively high incidence of the MV 2K subtype. Genetic analysis of the prion protein gene (PRNP) was performed in 161 patients and showed a mutation in 9 of them (5.6%), including one FFI and four GSS cases. Iatrogenic CJD was a rare phenomenon (3.1%), mainly associated with dura mater grafts. Three patients were diagnosed with new variant CJD (1.9%) and one with variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr). Post-mortem examination revealed an alternative diagnosis in 156 patients, most commonly Alzheimer's disease (21.2%) or vascular causes of dementia (19.9%). The mortality rates of sCJD in the Netherlands are similar to those in other European countries, whereas iatrogenic and genetic cases are relatively rare. The unusual incidence of the VV2 sCJD subtype compared to that reported to date in other Western countries deserves further investigation

Reduced expression of N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 in human thyroid cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>NDRG</it>2 (N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2) was initially cloned in our laboratory. Previous results have shown that <it>NDRG</it>2 expressed differentially in normal and cancer tissues. Specifically, <it>NDRG</it>2 mRNA was down-regulated or undetectable in several human cancers, and over-expression of <it>NDRG</it>2 inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells. <it>NDRG</it>2 also exerts important functions in cell differentiation and tumor suppression. However, it remains unclear whether <it>NDRG</it>2 participates in carcinogenesis of the thyroid.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, we investigated the expression profile of human <it>NDRG</it>2 in thyroid adenomas and carcinomas, by examining tissues from individuals with thyroid adenomas (n = 40) and carcinomas (n = 35), along with corresponding normal tissues. Immunohistochemistry, quantitative RT-PCR and western blot methods were utilized to determine both the protein and mRNA expression status of Ndrg2 and c-Myc.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The immunostaining analysis revealed a decrease of Ndrg2 expression in thyroid carcinomas. When comparing adenomas or carcinomas with adjacent normal tissue from the same individual, the mRNA expression level of <it>NDRG</it>2 was significantly decreased in thyroid carcinoma tissues, while there was little difference in adenoma tissues. This differential expression was confirmed at the protein level by western blotting. However, there were no significant correlations of <it>NDRG</it>2 expression with gender, age, different histotypes of thyroid cancers or distant metastases.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data indicates that <it>NDRG</it>2 may participate in thyroid carcinogenesis. This finding provides novel insight into the important role of <it>NDRG2 </it>in the development of thyroid carcinomas. Future studies are needed to address whether the down-regulation of <it>NDRG</it>2 is a cause or a consequence of the progression from a normal thyroid to a carcinoma.</p

A Customized Pigmentation SNP Array Identifies a Novel SNP Associated with Melanoma Predisposition in the SLC45A2 Gene

As the incidence of Malignant Melanoma (MM) reflects an interaction between skin colour and UV exposure, variations in genes implicated in pigmentation and tanning response to UV may be associated with susceptibility to MM. In this study, 363 SNPs in 65 gene regions belonging to the pigmentation pathway have been successfully genotyped using a SNP array. Five hundred and ninety MM cases and 507 controls were analyzed in a discovery phase I. Ten candidate SNPs based on a p-value threshold of 0.01 were identified. Two of them, rs35414 (SLC45A2) and rs2069398 (SILV/CKD2), were statistically significant after conservative Bonferroni correction. The best six SNPs were further tested in an independent Spanish series (624 MM cases and 789 controls). A novel SNP located on the SLC45A2 gene (rs35414) was found to be significantly associated with melanoma in both phase I and phase II (P<0.0001). None of the other five SNPs were replicated in this second phase of the study. However, three SNPs in TYR, SILV/CDK2 and ADAMTS20 genes (rs17793678, rs2069398 and rs1510521 respectively) had an overall p-value<0.05 when considering the whole DNA collection (1214 MM cases and 1296 controls). Both the SLC45A2 and the SILV/CDK2 variants behave as protective alleles, while the TYR and ADAMTS20 variants seem to function as risk alleles. Cumulative effects were detected when these four variants were considered together. Furthermore, individuals carrying two or more mutations in MC1R, a well-known low penetrance melanoma-predisposing gene, had a decreased MM risk if concurrently bearing the SLC45A2 protective variant. To our knowledge, this is the largest study on Spanish sporadic MM cases to date