Isolation and characterization of the KNAT6 homeobox gene in Arabidopsis thaliana

Class 1 KNOX genes have been demonstrated to play roles in the maintenance of the shoot apical merlstem in a variety of plant species. Although the shoot and root systems differ in the way in which lateral organs are initiated, it was proposed that KNOX genes may also function in some aspect of the regulation of the root apical or lateral root meristems. This work describes the Isolation and characterisation of KNAT6, a member of this family in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. KNAT6 cDNA was isolated from NAA-treated root tissue. Two isoforms were identified, which differ by two amino acids in the conserved MEINOX domain of the predicted protein. The KNAT6 transcript is detectable in seedlings between 3 and 12 days after germination. The KNAT6 promoter is active in the phloem poles of the main root in Arabidopsis, especially at the bases of newly emerged lateral roots. Promoter activity is downregulated by cytokinin and the pattern of expression alters on treatment with the synthetic auxin analogue NAA. Overexpression studies revealed that the shorter and more abundant KNAT6 cDNA isoform causes a lobed leaf phenotype when it is over expressed, a phenotype similar to that seen on overexpression of other class 1 KNOX genes in Arabidopsis. The longer and less abundant cDNA isoform does not cause this phenotype, indicating that there is a functional difference between the two predicted proteins. Preliminary analysis of plants carrying RNAi constructs indicates that lateral roots are initiated closer to the root tip than in wild type plants. Taken together, and in the context of the literature, these results suggest that KNAT6 may be involved In control of lateral root development and root architecture in Arabidopsis

Medication Abortion: A Sample Protocol for Increasing Access During a Pandemic and Beyond

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Treatment of mild-to-moderate pelvic inflammatory disease with a short-course azithromycin-based regimen versus ofloxacin plus metronidazole: results of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: A multicentre, randomised non-inferiority trial compared the efficacy and safety of 14 days of ofloxacin and metronidazole (standard-of-care (SoC)) versus a single dose of intramuscular ceftriaxone followed by 5 days of azithromycin and metronidazole (intervention arm (IA)) in women with mild-to-moderate pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). METHODS: Women with a clinical diagnosis of PID presenting at sexual health services were randomised to the SoC or IA arms. Treating clinicians and participants were not blinded to treatment allocation but the clinician performing the assessment of primary outcome was blinded. The primary outcome was clinical cure defined as ≥70% reduction in the modified McCormack pain score at day 14-21 after starting treatment. Secondary outcomes included adherence, tolerability and microbiological cure. RESULTS: Of the randomised population 72/153 (47.1%) reached the primary end point in the SoC arm, compared with 68/160 (42.5%) in the IA (difference in cure 4.6% (95% CI -15.6% to 6.5%). Following exclusion of 86 women who were lost to follow-up, attended outside the day 14-21 follow-up period, or withdrew consent, 72/107 (67.3%) had clinical cure in the SoC arm compared with 68/120 (56.7%) in the IA, giving a difference in cure rate of 10.6% (95% CI -23.2% to 1.9%). We were unable to demonstrate non-inferiority of the IA compared with SoC arm. Women in the IA took more treatment doses compared with the SoC group (113/124 (91%) vs 75/117 (64%), p=0.0001), but were more likely to experience diarrhoea (61% vs 24%, p<0.0001). Of 288 samples available for analysis, Mycoplasma genitalium was identified in 10% (28/288), 58% (11/19) of which had baseline antimicrobial resistance-associated mutations. CONCLUSION: A short-course azithromycin-based regimen is likely to be less effective than the standard treatment with ofloxacin plus metronidazole. The high rate of baseline antimicrobial resistance supports resistance testing in those with M. genitalium infection to guide appropriate therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: 2010-023254-36

Skateboard, BMX freestyle, and sport climbing communities’ responses to their sports’ inclusion in the Olympic Games

Research aim This study seeks to identify responses to Olympic inclusion from within the skateboarding, BMX freestyle and sport climbing communities, through the lens of Organisational Identity Theory. Research methods Using Organisational Identity Theory, this study identifies commonalities from three action sports communities through 21 responses to an online survey and nine semi-structured interviews. Results and findings The study finds themes of freedom, openness of opportunity, distinctiveness, rebelliousness, and distrust of media are central to the identity of each sport. The study highlights concern about organisational sell-out and decisions being made without respect to tradition. Furthermore, participants felt the sport’s identity challenged by an increased focus on competition. Implications The study recommends that shared attributes of organisational identity might form the basis for collaboration between action sports communities when working with large organisational structures such as the International Olympic Committee

Evaluation of the prescribing practice of guideline-directed medical therapy among ambulatory chronic heart failure patients

Background: Studies have demonstrated that heart failure (HF) patients who receive direct pharmacist input as part of multidisciplinary care have better clinical outcomes. This study evaluated/compared the difference in prescribing practices of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for chronic HF patients between two multidisciplinary clinics—with and without the direct involvement of a pharmacist. Methods: A retrospective audit of chronic HF patients, presenting to two multidisciplinary outpatient clinics between March 2005 and January 2017, was performed; a Multidisciplinary Ambulatory Consulting Service (MACS) with an integrated pharmacist model of care and a General Cardiology Heart Failure Service (GCHFS) clinic, without the active involvement of a pharmacist. Results: MACS clinic patients were significantly older (80 vs. 73 years, p <.001), more likely to be female (p <.001), and had significantly higher systolic (123 vs. 112 mmHg, p <.001) and diastolic (67 vs. 60 mmHg, p <.05) blood pressures compared to the GCHF clinic patients. Moreover, the MACS clinic patients showed more polypharmacy and higher prevalence of multiple comorbidities. Both clinics had similar prescribing rates of GDMT and achieved maximal tolerated doses of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in HFrEF. However, HFpEF patients in the MACS clinic were significantly more likely to be prescribed ACEIs/ARBs (70.5% vs. 56.2%, p = 0.0314) than the GCHFS patients. Patients with both HFrEF and HFpEF (MACS clinic) were significantly less likely to be prescribe

Health-related quality of life in children with perceived and diagnosed food hypersensitivity

The few studies measuring health-related quality of life (HRQL) in food hypersensitivity (FHS) have found significantly reduced HRQL in patients and their families, particularly in the areas of family and social activities, emotional issues and family economy. One aspect that has not been studied is the effect of suspected FHS (food allergy/intolerance) vs. diagnosed FHS [based on a food challenge or a positive skin prick test (SPT) and good clinical history] on HRQL. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the HRQL in children with a proven diagnosis of FHS vs. those with reported FHS.MethodsWe have utilized the 10-yr old follow-up cohort of the Food Allergy and Intolerance Research (FAIR) study from the Isle of Wight and assessed the child's HRQL with the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire – Parent form (FAQLQ-PF) which measures HRQL using four domains: food anxiety, emotional impact, social and dietary limitation.ResultsWhen comparing the two groups of children (proven FHS vs. perceived FHS), no difference in HRQL was found, although food anxiety showed a p-value of (p = 0.062). This was also the case when correcting for all confounding factors identified.ConclusionWe have found that having a clear diagnosis of FHS is not an independent predictor of HRQL. Future studies are required comparing two more similar groups. We also need to focus more on the effect of continuous input from the multidisciplinary team on HRQL and which particular factors of FHS management affect HRQL

Seeing the smart city on Twitter: Colour and the affective territories of becoming smart

This paper pays attention to the immense and febrile field of digital image files which picture the smart city as they circulate on the social media platform Twitter. The paper considers tweeted images as an affective field in which flow and colour are especially generative. This luminescent field is territorialised into different, emergent forms of becoming ‘smart’. The paper identifies these territorialisations in two ways: firstly, by using the data visualisation software ImagePlot to create a visualisation of 9030 tweeted images related to smart cities; and secondly, by responding to the affective pushes of the image files thus visualised. It identifies two colours and three ways of affectively becoming smart: participating in smart, learning about smart, and anticipating smart, which are enacted with different distributions of mostly orange and blue images. The paper thus argues that debates about the power relations embedded in the smart city should consider the particular affective enactment of being smart that happens via social media. More generally, the paper concludes that geographers must pay more attention to the diverse and productive vitalities of social media platforms in urban life and that this will require experiment with methods that are responsive to specific digital qualities