Detection of branch retinal artery occlusions in Susac’s syndrome

BACKGROUND: We report an interesting case of asymptomatic retinal involvement in an encephalopathic patient enabling early identification of Susac’s syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old Caucasian lady with hearing loss and encephalopathy was referred for ophthalmic assessment, including screening for branch retinal artery occlusions characteristic of Susac’s syndrome. Clinical features included severe headaches, right-sided hypoacusis, dysphasia and poor memory. Routine blood tests were normal. MRI brain showed numerous hyperintense lesions mainly in corpus callosum. Although she was visually asymptomatic, dilated funduscopy detected bilateral multiple peripheral branch retinal artery occlusions which were confirmed on fluorescein angiography. She was subsequently started on intravenous steroids and pulsed cyclophosphamide which improved her symptoms within 48 hours. Full recovery was made with no new arterial occlusions on four months follow-up. CONCLUSION: The case further establishes the crucial role of a detailed ophthalmic examination supported by fluorescein angiography in the assessment of these patients, who are at risk of being misdiagnosed and undertreated

Genetics of Resistance to the Rust Fungus Coleosporium ipomoeae in Three Species of Morning Glory (Ipomoea)

We examined the genetic basis of resistance to the rust pathogen Coleosporium ipomoea in three host species: Ipomoea purpurea, I. hederacea, and I. coccinea (Convolvulaceae). In crosses between resistant and susceptible individuals, second-generation selfed offspring segregated in ratios that did not differ statistically from the 3∶1 ratio indicative of single-gene resistance with the resistant allele dominant. One out of three crosses between resistant individuals from two different populations revealed that resistance loci differed in the two populations, as evidenced by the production of susceptible individuals among the S2 generation. These results suggest that gene-for-gene interactions contribute substantially to the dynamics of coevolution in this natural pathosystem. They also suggest that evolution of resistance to the same pathogen strain may involve different loci in different Ipomoea populations

Low energy diet and intracranial pressure in women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension: prospective cohort study

Objective To observe intracranial pressure in women with idiopathic intracranial hypertension who follow a low energy diet

Role of CFTR expressed by neutrophils in modulating acute lung inflammation and injury in mice

Objective and designCystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) regulates infection and inflammation. In this study, we investigated whether a lack of functional CFTR in neutrophils would promote lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung inflammation and injury.Materials and methodsCFTR-inhibited or F508del-CFTR-mutated neutrophils were stimulated with LPS and cultured to evaluate production of cytokines and NF-κB activation. Wild-type mice were reconstituted with F508del neutrophils or bone marrow and then intratracheally challenged with LPS to observe lung inflammatory response.ResultsPharmacologic inhibition and genetic mutation of CFTR in neutrophils activated NF-κB and facilitated macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production. Wild-type mice reconstituted with F508del neutrophils and bone marrow had more severe lung inflammation and injury after LPS challenge compared to wild-type mice receiving wild-type neutrophils or bone marrow reconstitution.ConclusionsLack of functional CFTR in neutrophils can promote LPS-induced acute lung inflammation and injury

Genomic prediction in a multiploid crop: genotype by environment interaction and allele dosage effects on predictive ability in banana

Open Access Journal; Published online: 2 March 2018Improving the efficiency of selection in conventional crossbreeding is a major priority in banana (Musa spp.) breeding. Routine application of classical marker assisted selection (MAS) is lagging in banana due to limitations in MAS tools. Genomic selection (GS) based on genomic prediction models can address some limitations of classical MAS, but the use of GS in banana has not been reported to date. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive ability of six genomic prediction models for 15 traits in a multi-ploidy training population. The population consisted of 307 banana genotypes phenotyped under low and high input field management conditions for two crop cycles. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers used to fit the models were obtained from genotyping by sequencing (GBS) data. Models that account for additive genetic effects provided better predictions with 12 out of 15 traits. The performance of BayesB model was superior to other models particularly on fruit filling and fruit bunch traits. Models that included averaged environment data were more robust in trait prediction even with a reduced number of markers. Accounting for allele dosage in SNP markers (AD-SNP) reduced predictive ability relative to traditional bi-allelic SNP (BA-SNP), but the prediction trend remained the same across traits. The high predictive values (0.47– 0.75) of fruit filling and fruit bunch traits show the potential of genomic prediction to increase selection efficiency in banana breeding

Global Patterns and Controls of Nutrient Immobilization On Decomposing Cellulose In Riverine Ecosystems

Microbes play a critical role in plant litter decomposition and influence the fate of carbon in rivers and riparian zones. When decomposing low-nutrient plant litter, microbes acquire nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the environment (i.e., nutrient immobilization), and this process is potentially sensitive to nutrient loading and changing climate. Nonetheless, environmental controls on immobilization are poorly understood because rates are also influenced by plant litter chemistry, which is coupled to the same environmental factors. Here we used a standardized, low-nutrient organic matter substrate (cotton strips) to quantify nutrient immobilization at 100 paired stream and riparian sites representing 11 biomes worldwide. Immobilization rates varied by three orders of magnitude, were greater in rivers than riparian zones, and were strongly correlated to decomposition rates. In rivers, P immobilization rates were controlled by surface water phosphate concentrations, but N immobilization rates were not related to inorganic N. The N:P of immobilized nutrients was tightly constrained to a molar ratio of 10:1 despite wide variation in surface water N:P. Immobilization rates were temperature-dependent in riparian zones but not related to temperature in rivers. However, in rivers nutrient supply ultimately controlled whether microbes could achieve the maximum expected decomposition rate at a given temperature

Latitude dictates plant diversity effects on instream decomposition

Running waters contribute substantially to global carbon fluxes through decomposition of terrestrial plant litter by aquatic microorganisms and detritivores. Diversity of this litter may influence instream decomposition globally in ways that are not yet understood. We investigated latitudinal differences in decomposition of litter mixtures of low and high functional diversity in 40 streams on 6 continents and spanning 113 degrees of latitude. Despite important variability in our dataset, we found latitudinal differences in the effect of litter functional diversity on decomposition, which we explained as evolutionary adaptations of litter-consuming detritivores to resource availability. Specifically, a balanced diet effect appears to operate at lower latitudes versus a resource concentration effect at higher latitudes. The latitudinal pattern indicates that loss of plant functional diversity will have different consequences on carbon fluxes across the globe, with greater repercussions likely at low latitudes

A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution. We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10−33), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7–TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10−8). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis