Effect of Heat and Drought Stress on Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor).I.Panicle Development and Leaf Appearance

Seven sorghum lines, flowering from 50 to 87 days after sowing, were subjected to early drought stress, late stress, and both early and late stress in the field during the dry season in India. Panicle initiation was delayed by 2–25 days and flowering by 1–59 days by the drought stress treatments, the greatest effect being in the treatment subjected to both early and late stress. Stress increased the period between panicle initiation and flowering by retarding the rate of panicle development; when stress was severe panicle development stopped. Upon relief of stress following irrigation, panicle development resumed at rates comparable to those in a fully irrigated control. The rate of leaf appearance was affected in a similar manner to panicle development soon after water was withheld. Rate of leaf appearance and panicle development decreased as pre-dawn leaf water potential decreased and ceased at water potentials of −0.55 and −0.7 MPa, respectivel

Progression of motor subtypes in Huntington’s disease. a 6-year follow-up study

The objective of this study is to investigate the progression of predominantly choreatic and hypokinetic-rigid signs in Huntington's disease (HD) and their relationship with cognitive and general functioning over time. The motor signs in HD can be divided into predominantly choreatic and hypokinetic-rigid subtypes. It has been reported in cross-sectional studies that predominantly choreatic HD patients perform better on functional and cognitive assessments compared to predominantly hypokinetic-rigid HD patients. The course of these motor subtypes and their clinical profiles has not been investigated longitudinally. A total of 4135 subjects who participated in the European HD Network REGISTRY study were included and classified at baseline as either predominantly choreatic (n = 891), hypokinetic-rigid (n = 916), or mixed-motor (n = 2328), based on a previously used method. The maximum follow-up period was 6 years. The mixed-motor group was not included in the analyses. Linear mixed models were constructed to investigate changes in motor subtypes over time and their relationship with cognitive and functional decline. Over the 6-year follow-up period, the predominantly choreatic group showed a significant decrease in chorea, while hypokinetic-rigid symptoms slightly increased in the hypokinetic-rigid group. On the Total Functional Capacity, Stroop test, and Verbal fluency task the rate of change over time was significantly faster in the predominantly choreatic group, while on all other clinical assessments the decline was comparable for both groups. Our results suggest that choreatic symptoms decrease over time, whereas hypokinetic-rigid symptoms slightly increase in a large cohort of HD patients. Moreover, different motor subtypes can be related to different clinical profiles

Genetic testing of children for adult-onset conditions: opinions of the British adult population and implications for clinical practice

This study set out to explore the attitudes of a representative sample of the British public towards genetic testing in children to predict disease in the future. We sought opinions about genetic testing for adult-onset conditions for which no prevention/treatment is available during childhood, and about genetic 'carrier' status to assess future reproductive risks. The study also examined participants' level of agreement with the reasons professional organisations give in favour of deferring such testing. Participants (n=2998) completed a specially designed questionnaire, distributed by email. Nearly half of the sample (47%) agreed that parents should be able to test their child for adult-onset conditions, even if there is no treatment or prevention at time of testing. This runs contrary to professional guidance about genetic testing in children. Testing for carrier status was supported by a larger proportion (60%). A child's future ability to decide for her/himself if and when to be tested was the least supported argument in favour of deferring testing.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 5 November 2014; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2014.221

NMDA receptor gene variations as modifiers in Huntington disease: a replication study.

Several candidate modifier genes which, in addition to the pathogenic CAG repeat expansion, influence the age at onset (AO) in Huntington disease (HD) have already been described. The aim of this study was to replicate association of variations in the N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subtype genes GRIN2A and GRIN2B in the "REGISTRY" cohort from the European Huntington Disease Network (EHDN). The analyses did replicate the association reported between the GRIN2A rs2650427 variation and AO in the entire cohort. Yet, when subjects were stratified by AO subtypes, we found nominally significant evidence for an association of the GRIN2A rs1969060 variation and the GRIN2B rs1806201 variation. These findings further implicate the N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subtype genes as loci containing variation associated with AO in HD

Health-related quality of life in Huntington’s Disease patients: a comparison of proxy assessment and patient self-rating using the disease-specific Huntington’s Disease health-related quality of life questionnaire (HDQoL)

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease for which there is no known cure. Proxy evaluation is relevant for HD as its manifestation might limit the ability of persons to report their health-related quality of life (HrQoL). This study explored patient–proxy ratings of HrQoL of persons at different stages of HD, and examined factors that may affect proxy ratings. A total of 105 patient–proxy pairs completed the Huntington’s disease health-related quality of life questionnaire (HDQoL) and other established HrQoL measures (EQ-5D and SF-12v2). Proxy–patient agreement was assessed in terms of absolute level (mean ratings) and intraclass correlation. Proxies’ ratings were at a similar level to patients’ self-ratings on an overall Summary Score and on most of the six Specific Scales of the HDQoL. On the Specific Hopes and Worries Scale, proxies on average rated HrQoL as better than patients’ self-ratings, while on both the Specific Cognitive Scale and Specific Physical and Functional Scale proxies tended to rate HrQoL more poorly than patients themselves. The patient’s disease stage and mental wellbeing (SF-12 Mental Component scale) were the two factors that primarily affected proxy assessment. Proxy scores were strongly correlated with patients’ self-ratings of HrQoL, on the Summary Scale and all Specific Scales. The patient–proxy correlation was lower for patients at moderate stages of HD compared to patients at early and advanced stages. The proxy report version of the HDQoL is a useful complementary tool to self-assessment, and a promising alternative when individual patients with advanced HD are unable to self-report

Insensitivity to loss predicts apathy in Huntington's disease

Background Apathy is a deficit in goal‐directed behavior that significantly affects quality of life and function. It is common in Huntington's disease and other disorders affecting corticostriatal pathways. Deficits in processing of reward, altered effort, and executive dysfunction are associated with apathy in other disorders, but the cognitive processes leading to apathy in Huntington's disease remain largely unknown. A previously reported deficit in learning from losses in Huntington's disease raises the possibility of a hitherto unrecognized mechanism leading to apathy. This study's objective was to delineate the cognitive processes associated with apathy in HD. Methods We tested 51 Huntington's disease participants and 26 controls on a battery of novel and established measures to assess the contribution to apathy in Huntington's disease of executive function, reward value, reward‐effort calculations, instrumental learning, and response to reward and loss. Results Huntington's disase participants had deficits in instrumental learning with impaired response to loss, but no evidence to suggest altered reward‐related behavior or effort. We also saw an executive dysfunction contribution to apathy in Huntington's disease. Discussion We report the novel finding that apathy in Huntington's disease is associated with blunted responses to losses and impaired instrumental learning. This association is consistent with the known early degeneration of the indirect pathway and amygdala involvement in apathy in Huntington's disease, but is previously unreported in any disorder. In keeping with the comparative preservation of the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex in Huntington's disease, reward valuation and reward‐effort calculations did not contribute to apathy

Cropping systems strategy for effective management of Fusarium wilt in safflower

In many parts of India intensive cultivation of safflower on Vertisols appears to have aggravated the problem of Fusarium wilt in safflower due to the soil borne fungus, Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht f. sp. carthami Klisiwiez and Houstan (FOC). In a long-term field experiment at Patancheru, India, we evaluated four diverse dryland cropping systems that each included safflower for their effectiveness in controlling Fusarium wilt in safflower. Sorghum (rainy season crop) and safflower (post-rainy season crop) were grown every alternate year as a two-year rotation with: (1) sorghum intercropped with pigeonpea (S/PP − S + SF); (2) cowpea intercropped with pigeonpea (C/PP − S + SF); (3) sorghum followed by chickpea (S + CP − S + SF); (4) sorghum followed by safflower (S + SF − S + SF). Continuous sorghum and safflower (S + SF − S + SF) had higher Fusarium wilt incidence of fully wilted safflower plants (31%) and a larger build-up of Fusarium propagules (1728 cfu g−1 of soil) than other cropping systems. The inclusion of a legume such as chickpea in the rotation (S + CP − S + SF) reduced wilt incidence (7% fully wilted plants) and the level of inoculum in the soil to about 800 cfu g−1. There was a significant increase in safflower seed yield and biomass yield (883 and 1733 kg ha−1, respectively) in the S + CP − S + SF rotation compared with the S + SF − S + SF rotation (605 and 1323 kg ha−1, respectively). Nitrogen application at rates of 0 to 120 kg N ha−1 had no effect on wilt incidence in safflower, but increased seed and biomass yield significantly. Intercrop rotations (S/PP − S + SF and C/PP − S + SF) were less effective to manage the Fusarium wilt. The Area Under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC) was almost 10 times higher in the S + SF − S + SF rotation (2842) compared with the S + CP − S + SF rotation (297). Wilt progress throughout the season in all four systems was linear, with significant differences in intercepts and rates of disease progress among cropping systems; the rate of disease progress was significantly greater in the S + SF − S + SF rotation compared with the other three systems, which were similar. There was also a strong linear relationship between wilt incidence and the number of Fusarium propagules in the soil; regressions had the same slope but different intercepts in each system. There was no relationship between wilt incidence and seed yield; nitrogen had the largest effect on yields. A break from safflower cultivation for one year in the post-rainy season by growing chickpea as a sequential crop after sorghum, or as an intercrop with pigeonpea and sorghum, combined with higher rates of nitrogen application to safflower appears to be an effective strategy for reducing Fusarium populations and sustaining safflower yield

Long-term evaluation of dryland cropping systems intensification for sustainable production in the semi-arid tropics of India

We report some of the results from a 15-year long rotational trial conducted at ICRISAT in the Southern Peninsular India that will eventually form the basis for a detailed model evaluation of Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM). This model will then be used to design crop rotations that have higher productivity and lower risks than conventional rotations like rainy fallow and post rainy sorghum or chickpea. The experimental results reported here show that this is entirely feasible. Our specific objectives were to: 1) quantify the benefits of grain legumes to non-legumes in the cropping system rotations; and 2) identify improved and sustainable cropping system options for crop productivity and intensification. Variability in the onset and distribution of monsoonal rains in June-July constitute a key risk of crop production on Vertisols. As such, fields are usually left as fallow during the rainy season (kharif) and cropped with sorghum or chickpea during only the post-rainy season (rabi) on stored soil moisture. However, due to the high water holding capacity of Vertisols, there is an opportunity to make better use of both seasons, and as such, a crop intensification approach with sequential double cropping was explored. Besides the extra crop yield gained from double -cropping, this practice may help to reduce erosion in the rainy season. Vertisols in this part of the world are generally deficient in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus. Response to N fertilization is much higher than with any other nutrient, and the response in the rainy season is greater than in the post-rainy season (Katyal, 1988). Legume-based systems have been particularly successful in providing N inputs where fertilizer is of marginal economic benefit as well as providing grain as part of the crop production system. In India, farmers remove stalks from the field for fodder, however relatively little N is removed in this process because stalks have very low N content. Legume root material and nodules remaining in the soil have shown positive residual effects on the subsequent cereal crop equivalent to 30-40 kg N ha-1(Kumar Rao et al., 1983). While this is not large enough to approach potential crop yields of rainy season crops, even a moderate N input could double the yield because the soils may supply as little as 30 kg N ha-1 to cereal crops. Such results led to the establishment of a long-term experiment at ICRISAT to examine the productivity of cropping systems with improved technologies including broad bed furrow land management, high yielding varieties, fertilizers and the inclusion of short duration legume crops in rotations

Apathy predicts rate of cognitive decline over 24 months in premanifest Huntington's disease

Background Cognitive impairment is a core feature of Huntington's disease (HD), however, the onset and rate of cognitive decline is highly variable. Apathy is the most common neuropsychiatric symptom of HD, and is associated with cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to investigate apathy as a predictor of subsequent cognitive decline over 2 years in premanifest and early HD, using a prospective, longitudinal design. Methods A total of 118 premanifest HD gene carriers, 111 early HD and 118 healthy control participants from the multi-centre TRACK-HD study were included. Apathy symptoms were assessed at baseline using the apathy severity rating from the Short Problem Behaviours Assessment. A composite of 12 outcome measures from nine cognitive tasks was used to assess cognitive function at baseline and after 24 months. Results In the premanifest group, after controlling for age, depression and motor signs, more apathy symptoms predicted faster cognitive decline over 2 years. In contrast, in the early HD group, more motor signs, but not apathy, predicted faster subsequent cognitive decline. In the control group, only older age predicted cognitive decline. Conclusions Our findings indicate that in premanifest HD, apathy is a harbinger for cognitive decline. In contrast, after motor onset, in early diagnosed HD, motor symptom severity more strongly predicts the rate of cognitive decline.Neurological Motor Disorder