Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

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Identifying candidate genes involved in Nitric Oxide signaling during cell death

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that mediates many plant developmental and physiological processes. This small gaseous radical was first found to play a crucial role in mediating hypersensitive response induced cell death together with ROS in plant defense reactions against incompatible bacterial pathogens. Beside this it was also shown to influence numerous physiological processes throughout the entire plant life cycle. To study NO responses in plant we have developed a fumigation chamber which allows to treat plants with a precise amount of NO gas concentration in air. Arabidopsis thaliana plants of different ages were first characterized for their response to different NO treatments. In particular we showed that four weeks old Arabidopsis thaliana plants were insensitive to NO fumigation when treated 8 hours with a gas containing up to100 ppm of NO. Using higher NO gas concentrations appearance of typical cell death symptoms was observed. This NO sensitiveness was shown to be strongly dependent on light conditions. In order to identify candidate genes involved in mediating NO signaling during the cell death process we set up a screening strategy taking advantage of this facility. We fumigated a fast neutron mutant collection of Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia plants and are currently fumigating an EMS mutant collection of Arabidopsis thaliana Landsberg erecta plants. Our first screening showed that this setting was successful for the identification of mutants with an altered response to the NO treatment. We could identify 30 mutant plants (0,35%), among which 15 could be successfully propagated and 10 of them were confirmed as more resistant to NO compared to wild type plants in the following generation. Interestingly among them a candidate showing complete NO resistance as well as an altered growth phenotype was identified and is being further characterized

cGMP signaling in plant-pathogen interactions.

Description of the role of cGMP in Arabidopsis thaliana during the hypersensitive respons

Influences of Wolbachia (Rickettsiales Rickettsiaceae) on the cellular response to cold streb in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera Drosophilidae)

Wolbachia pipiensis (Hertig et Wolbach, 1924) is known to manipulate the exprebion of genes implicated in the metabolism, immunity and reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen, 1830). Under streb, cells activate the cellular streb response (CSR). The CSR is a conserved network of pathways regulating identification, check and response to streb, preserving the cellular homeostasis. The CSR involves the unfolded protein response, autophagy, the heat shock response and other subcellular pathways. How Wolbachia affects the CSR has not yet been investigated. Here, we report the influence of Wolbachia infection and cold streb on the exprebion of the Heat-shock-protein-70Aa (Hsp70Aa), Autophagy-related gene-1 (Atg1) and X box binding protein-1 (Xbp1) genes and the influence of cold streb on the Wolbachia surface protein gene (wsp). The Hsp70Aa, Atg1, and Xbp1 genes were affected by Wolbachia infection since they were found to be up-regulated in the Wolbachia-free flies. After cold streb, the Wolbachia-infected flies showed high exprebion of the Atg1 and Hsp70Aa genes in comparison to the Wolbachia-free flies. Moreover, cold streb negatively influenced the exprebion of the wsp gene

Basal divergence of Eriophyoidea (Acariformes, Eupodina) inferred from combined partial COI and 28S gene sequences and CLSM genital anatomy

Eriophyoids are an ancient group of highly miniaturized, morphologically simplified and diverse phytoparasitic mites. Their possible numerous host-switch events have been accompanied by considerable homoplastic evolution. Although several morphological cladistic and molecular phylogenetic studies attempted to reconstruct phylogeny of Eriophyoidea, the major lineages of eriophyoids, as well as the evolutionary relationships between them, are still poorly understood. New phylogenetically informative data have been provided by the recent discovery of the early derivative pentasetacine genus Loboquintus, and observations on the eriophyoid reproductive anatomy. Herein, we use COI and D1-2 rRNA data of 73 eriophyoid species (including early derivative pentasetacines) from Europe, the Americas and South Africa to reconstruct part of the phylogeny of the superfamily, and infer on the basal divergence of eriophyoid taxa. In addition, a comparative CLSM study of the female internal genitalia was undertaken in order to find putative apomorphies, which can be used to improve the taxonomy of Eriophyoidea. The following molecular clades, marked by differences in genital anatomy and prodorsal shield setation, were found in our analyses: Loboquintus(Pentasetacus((Eriophyidae + Diptilomiopidae)(Phytoptidae-1, Phytoptidae-2))). The results of this study suggest that the superfamily Eriophyoidea comprises basal paraphyletic pentasetacines (Loboquintus and Pentasetacus), and two large monophyletic groups: Eriophyidae s.l. [containing paraphyletic Eriophyidae sensu Amrine et al. 2003 (=Eriophyidae s.str.) and Diptilomiopidae sensu Amrine et al. 2003] and Phytoptidae s.l. [containing monophyletic Phytoptidae sensu Boczek et al. 1989 (=Phytoptidae s.str.) and Nalepellidae sensu Boczek et al. 1989]. Putative morphological apomorphies (including genital and gnathosomal characters) supporting the clades revealed in molecular analyses are briefly discussed