Quality characteristics and phenolic compounds of European pear cultivars

Background: Pear fruits are an important source of plant secondary metabolites and one of the major sources of dietary phenolic compounds.Materials and Methods: The aim of this study was to determine the individual phenolic compounds and some quality characteristics of the flesh and peel of the fruit in four pear cultivars. The phenolic  composition of these pear cultivars was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD).Results: The fruit flesh firmness ranged from 35.2 to 85.8 N in the pear cultivars. The soluble solids content was higher in the flesh, while titrate-able acidity, vitamin C, individual phenolic compounds and total phenolics were generally higher in the peel. Arbutin, chlorogenic acid and epicatechin were detected as major phenolic compounds in the peel and flesh of pear fruits. Arbutin, chlorogenic acid and epicatechin of the flesh and peel ranged from 834.8 to 937.9 mg kg-1; from 332.1 to 460.7 mg kg-1; and from 77.2 to 104.0 mg kg-1 for ‘Seckel’ pear fruits, respectively. The highest total phenolics were found to be in the peel and flesh of the ‘Flemish Beauty’ pear fruits.Conclusion: Because of the higher level of antioxidant components in the peel of pear fruits (all phenolic compounds and vitamin C) consumption of unpeeled pears, after proper washing, is recommended to maximize the dietary benefit.Key words: Arbutin, Chlorogenic acid, Flesh and Peel, HPLC, Pear cultivars, Vitamin

Thrombospondin-1 and VEGF in inflammatory bowel disease

Background and aim: Angiogenesis is an important process in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation. We aimed to study the angiogeneic balance in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by evaluating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) on colonic epithelial cells, together with the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Methods: Twenty-one ulcerative colitis (UC), 14 Crohn’s disease (CD), 11 colorectal cancer patients, and 11 healthy controls colonic biopsy samples were evaluated immunohistochemically. Results: The expressions of TSP-1, VEGF, and iNOS in UC and CD groups were higher than expression in healthy control group, all with statistical significance. However, in colorectal cancer group, VEGF and iNOS expressions were increased importantly, but TSP-1 expression was not statistically different from healthy control group’s expression. Both TSP-1 and VEGF expressions were correlated with iNOS expression distinctly but did not correlate with each other. Conclusions: Both pro-angiogeneic VEGF and antiangiogeneic TSP-1 expressions were found increased in our IBD groups, but in colorectal cancer group, only VEGF expression was increased. TSP-1 increases in IBD patients as a response to inflammatory condition, but this increase was not enough to suppress pathologic angiogenesis and inflammation in IBD.Keywords: inflammatory bowel disease; thrombospondin-1; VEGF; iNOS; colon cance

High-sensitivity microsatellite instability assessment for the detection of mismatch repair defects in normal tissue of biallelic germline mismatch repair mutation carriers

Introduction: Lynch syndrome (LS) and constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) are hereditary cancer syndromes associated with mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency. Tumours show microsatellite instability (MSI), also reported at low levels in non-neoplastic tissues. Our aim was to evaluate the performance of high-sensitivity MSI (hs-MSI) assessment for the identification of LS and CMMRD in non-neoplastic tissues. Materials and methods: Blood DNA samples from 131 individuals were grouped into three cohorts: baseline (22 controls), training (11 CMMRD, 48 LS and 15 controls) and validation (18 CMMRD and 18 controls). Custom next generation sequencing panel and bioinformatics pipeline were used to detect insertions and deletions in microsatellite markers. An hs-MSI score was calculated representing the percentage of unstable markers. Results: The hs-MSI score was significantly higher in CMMRD blood samples when compared with controls in the training cohort (p<0.001). This finding was confirmed in the validation set, reaching 100% specificity and sensitivity. Higher hs-MSI scores were detected in biallelic MSH2 carriers (n=5) compared with MSH6 carriers (n=15). The hs-MSI analysis did not detect a difference between LS and control blood samples (p=0.564). Conclusions: The hs-MSI approach is a valuable tool for CMMRD diagnosis, especially in suspected patients harbouring MMR variants of unknown significance or non-detected biallelic germline mutations. Keywords: constitutional mismatch repair deficiency; highly sensitive methodologies; lynch syndrome; microsatellite instability; next generation sequencing

Perspectives on care and communication involving incurably ill Turkish and Moroccan patients, relatives and professionals: a systematic literature review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our aim was to obtain a clearer picture of the relevant care experiences and care perceptions of incurably ill Turkish and Moroccan patients, their relatives and professional care providers, as well as of communication and decision-making patterns at the end of life. The ultimate objective is to improve palliative care for Turkish and Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands, by taking account of socio-cultural factors in the guidelines for palliative care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature review was undertaken. The data sources were seventeen national and international literature databases, four Dutch journals dedicated to palliative care and 37 websites of relevant national and international organizations. All the references found were checked to see whether they met the structured inclusion criteria. Inclusion was limited to publications dealing with primary empirical research on the relationship between socio-cultural factors and the health or care situation of Turkish or Moroccan patients with an oncological or incurable disease. The selection was made by first reading the titles and abstracts and subsequently the full texts. The process of deciding which studies to include was carried out by two reviewers independently. A generic appraisal instrument was applied to assess the methodological quality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifty-seven studies were found that reported findings for the countries of origin (mainly Turkey) and the immigrant host countries (mainly the Netherlands). The central themes were experiences and perceptions of family care, professional care, end-of-life care and communication. Family care is considered a duty, even when such care becomes a severe burden for the main female family caregiver in particular. Professional hospital care is preferred by many of the patients and relatives because they are looking for a cure and security. End-of-life care is strongly influenced by the continuing hope for recovery. Relatives are often quite influential in end-of-life decisions, such as the decision to withdraw or withhold treatments. The diagnosis, prognosis and end-of-life decisions are seldom discussed with the patient, and communication about pain and mental problems is often limited. Language barriers and the dominance of the family may exacerbate communication problems.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This review confirms the view that family members of patients with a Turkish or Moroccan background have a central role in care, communication and decision making at the end of life. This, in combination with their continuing hope for the patient’s recovery may inhibit open communication between patients, relatives and professionals as partners in palliative care. This implies that organizations and professionals involved in palliative care should take patients’ socio-cultural characteristics into account and incorporate cultural sensitivity into care standards and care practices<it>.</it></p

Constitutional Microsatellite Instability, Genotype, and Phenotype Correlations in Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency

Background &amp; aims: Constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD) is a rare recessive childhood cancer predisposition syndrome caused by germline mismatch repair variants. Constitutional microsatellite instability (cMSI) is a CMMRD diagnostic hallmark and may associate with cancer risk. We quantified cMSI in a large CMMRD patient cohort to explore genotype-phenotype correlations using novel MSI markers selected for instability in blood.Methods: Three CMMRD, 1 Lynch syndrome, and 2 control blood samples were genome sequenced to &gt;120 7 depth. A pilot cohort of 8 CMMRD and 38 control blood samples and a blinded cohort of 56 CMMRD, 8 suspected CMMRD, 40 Lynch syndrome, and 43 control blood samples were amplicon sequenced to 5000 7 depth. Sample cMSI score was calculated using a published method comparing microsatellite reference allele frequencies with 80 controls.Results: Thirty-two mononucleotide repeats were selected from blood genome and pilot amplicon sequencing data. cMSI scoring using these MSI markers achieved 100% sensitivity (95% CI, 93.6%-100.0%) and specificity (95% CI 97.9%-100.0%), was reproducible, and was superior to an established tumor MSI marker panel. Lower cMSI scores were found in patients with CMMRD with MSH6 deficiency and patients with at least 1 mismatch repair missense variant, and patients with biallelic truncating/copy number variants had higher scores. cMSI score did not correlate with age at first tumor.Conclusions: We present an inexpensive and scalable cMSI assay that enhances CMMRD detection relative to existing methods. cMSI score is associated with mismatch repair genotype but not phenotype, suggesting it is not a useful predictor of cancer risk

Comunicación corta.Validación de un modelo de estimación del área foliar para cerezo

A leaf area (LA) estimation model developed in a temperate climate for sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) was tested for validation on 'Regina' trees on two rootstocks of varying vigor, 'Gisela 5' (Gi5) and 'Gisela 6' (Gi6), in a cool temperate climate (the Great Lakes region of North America). To determine the degree of accuracy of the model, actual LA values measured by digital planimeter were plotted against predicted LAs calculated by the model. The relationships (r2 values) were very high and varied little between rootstocks (r2 = 0.9886 for Regina/Gi6 and r2 = 0.9849 for Regina/Gi5). This study demonstrates that the model is valid for use by cherry researchers in different growing regions and for rootstocks that impart different levels of vigor scion, such as 'Regina'.Se ha probado para validación un modelo de estimación del área foliar (LA), desarrollado en un clima templado para el cerezo dulce (Prunus avium L.), en árboles 'Regina' sobre dos portainjertos de distinto vigor, 'Gisela 5' (Gi5) y 'Gisela 6' (Gi6), en un clima frío templado (la región de los Grandes Lagos de América del Norte). Para determinar el grado de precisión del modelo, se graficaron los valores reales de LA obtenidos mediante un planímetro digital contra LAs teóricos calculados mediante el modelo. Las relaciones (valores r2) fueron muy altas y variaron poco entre los portainjertos (r2 = 0,9886 para 'Regina'/Gi6 y r2 = 0,9849 para Regina/Gi5. Este estudio demuestra que el modelo es válido para ser usado por investigadores de cerezo en diferentes regiones de cultivo y para portainjertos que proporcionan diferentes niveles de vigor del injerto, tales como 'Regina'

Identification of some sweet cherry cultivars grown in Amasya by RAPD markers

Uludag University;Ataturk Central Horticultural Research Institute of Turkey;International Society for Horticultural Science;Turkish Society for Horticultural Science;Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey5th International Cherry Symposium --6 June 2005 through 10 June 2005 -- Bursa --In this study, 14 sweet cherry cultivars grown in Amasya were identified by RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) markers and the genetic relationships among the cultivars were determined. Twenty-one RAPD primers were screened and eleven primers produced useful amplification for PCR. A total of 68 bands (43 polymorphic) were obtained, with varied band size from 350 to 2800 bp. Using the 43 markers, a similarity index and dendogram were constructed, with the latter divided into two major groups. Thirteen of the sweet cherry cultivars were placed in the first group, while 'Honey Heart' was placed on the second group. Although '0900 Ziraat' was placed in the first group, genetically it was not very similar to others in that group; however, '0900 Ziraat' and 'Honey Heart' displayed a similarity of 50%. The highest similarity in the first group was for 'Haci Ali' and 'Camgöz'

Short communication: Validation of a leaf area estimation model for sweet cherry

A leaf area (LA) estimation model developed in a temperate climate for sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) was tested for validation on �Regina� trees on two rootstocks of varying vigor, �Gisela 5� (Gi5) and �Gisela 6� (Gi6), in a cool temperate climate (the Great Lakes region of North America). To determine the degree of accuracy of the model, actual LA values measured by digital planimeter were plotted against predicted LAs calculated by the model. The relationships (r2 values) were very high and varied little between rootstocks (r2 = 0.9886 for Regina/Gi6 and r2 = 0.9849 for Regina/Gi5). This study demonstrates that the model is valid for use by cherry researchers in different growing regions and for rootstocks that impart different levels of vigor scion, such as �Regina�.Se ha probado para validación un modelo de estimación del área foliar (LA), desarrollado en un clima templado para el cerezo dulce (Prunus avium L.), en árboles �Regina� sobre dos portainjertos de distinto vigor, �Gisela 5� (Gi5) y �Gisela 6� (Gi6), en un clima frío templado (la región de los Grandes Lagos de América del Norte). Para determinar el grado de precisión del modelo, se graficaron los valores reales de LA obtenidos mediante un planímetro digital contra LAs teóricos calculados mediante el modelo. Las relaciones (valores r2) fueron muy altas y variaron poco entre los portainjertos (r2 = 0,9886 para �Regina�/Gi6 y r2 = 0,9849 para Regina/Gi5. Este estudio demuestra que el modelo es válido para ser usado por investigadores de cerezo en diferentes regiones de cultivo y para portainjertos que proporcionan diferentes niveles de vigor del injerto, tales como �Regina�