Indicators of nitrogen status for ornamental woody plants

Indicators of plant nitrogen (N) status adapted to woody ornamental plants are essential to adjust fertilization to plant N demand in ornamental plant nurseries. N supply influences the synthesis of both proteins and polyphenols, because their biosynthetic pathways share a common precursor

What are the contributions of cytokinins, abscisic acid and sugars in bud outgrowth regulation by light intensity in rose?

In ornamentals, particularly in rose bush, the visual quality of a plant is an important element of its quality. Bud outgrowth, which is at the origin of branching, strongly impacts plant shape and compactness, that are two traits involved in rosebush visual quality (Boumaza et al. 2009).Changes in the environmental conditions, in particular in light intensity, can impact the number of buds that grow out and change bud outgrowth gradient along a stem in various species, including rose (Leduc et al. 2014; Furet et al. 2014). Bud outgrowth is controlled by a network of interacting hormones, the principal ones are auxin, cytokinins and strigolactones, but the role of abscisic acid is also emerging. Sugars are involved in bud outgrowth regulation too and they interact with the hormonal network. A natural hypothesis is that decreasing light intensity may limit bud outgrowth via a shortage in sugars and changes in plant hormonal content. However, the mechanisms by which light intensity affects bud outgrowth, especiallythe respective role of the different hormones and sugars in this regulation, is still poorly understood.The objective of this work was to test if the control of bud outgrowth gradient along the stem by light intensity is mediated by sugars, cytokinins and/or abscisic acid and to assess which of these actors is the main limiting actor. The study was conducted on whole plants and attention was paid to the location of bud outgrowth along the shoot

Assessing the visual aspect of rotating virtual rose bushes by a labeled sorting task

Aesthetics is one of the major parameters for consumers when buying a rose bush. Therefore, managing this quality is important for agronomists. Tools are needed to assess visual characteristics and to find links with architectural plant parameters. Sensory analyses were developed using real plants and photographs as stimuli. With technology and modeling improvements, using virtual plants could presents numerous advantages. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using rotating virtual rose bush videos as stimuli for a labeled sorting task. The virtual rose bush reflected a natural within-crop variability of one cultivar based on bud breaks location and axes length. Two panels of subjects closely linked to the horticulture sector sorted and described 40 rotating virtual rose bush videos. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) results for both panels were similar and allowed us to highlight five groups of virtual rose bushes with their specific sensory characteristics and their own most representative products using a combination of the paragons and the most typical products. This approach revealed that subjects detected high visual differences between products, and that by using rotation, they were able to integrate 3D properties about variations around plant facets. Finally, a labeled sorting task is a powerful method for preliminary exploration of the visual aspect of virtual plants

Depressive mixed state: Evidence for a new form of depressive state in type I and II bipolar patients

Katia M’Bailara1, Donatienne Van den Bulke2, Nicolas Demazeau2, Jacques Demotes-Mainard3, Chantal Henry11EA4139 Laboratoire de psychologie, Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux Cedex, France; 2Centre Hospitalier Charles Perrens, Bordeaux Cedex, France; 3INSERM-DRCT, ECRIN, Paris, FranceBackground: A high proportion of unipolar and bipolar type II patients can present a depressive mixed state (DMX). This state is defined by an association of a major depressive episode with at least two specific hypomanic symptoms. This state seems underdiagnosed and this could have treatment implications. The aims of our study were: (i) to investigate the frequency of DMX in type I and II bipolar patients hospitalized for a severe or resistant depressive episode and (ii) to assess the therapeutic response in naturalistic conditions.Methods: Forty-two consecutive bipolar patients referred by psychiatrists for a severe or resistant depressive episode were assessed using the French version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0 (MINI 5.0), which assesses the suicide risk and provides DSM-IV diagnosis. The intensity of mood episodes was evaluated using the MADRS and Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale. One group of patients included patients presenting only depressive symptoms (ie, pure major depressive episode (MDE)), and the second group included patients with a major depressive episode and at least two specific hypomanic symptoms (DMX).Results: Twenty-one patients (50%) had a pure MDE and 21 patients (50%) had a DMX. The treatment leading to recovery was very different in the two groups. Antidepressants were effective (77%) in MDE patients, whereas antipsychotics were effective (81%) in DMX. 38% of patients with a MDE also received a mood stabilizer versus 86% in the group of DMX. Five MDE patients (24%) and one DMX patient required electroconvulsive therapy. The suicidal ideations did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.7).Conclusions: Some mood episodes in bipolar patients (type I and II) are characterised by depressive and hypomanic symptoms but do not meet criteria for mixed episode as defined by DSM-IV. These episodes are often diagnosed as depressive states, but are worsened by antidepressants and often considered as resistant depression. They rapidly respond to antimanic treatment. New categories of mood disorders should take into account this particular mixed state.Keywords: bipolar depression, mixed state, depressive mixed state, resistant depressio

Disclosure of investigators' Recruitment performance in multicenter clinical trials: a further step for research transparency

Transparency: A Fundamental Social Obligation for Clinical Research .After 60 years devoted to enhancing the methodology and ethics in clinical research, the last decade has been crucial to the scientific community in refining the transparency on conducting clinical trials (CTs), from their inception to the publication of results. A myriad of articles have been published on the design, conduct, conflicts of interest, reporting, and publication of CTs..

Methods for Stratification and Validation Cohorts: A Scoping Review

Personalized medicine requires large cohorts for patient stratification and validation of patient clustering. However, standards and harmonized practices on the methods and tools to be used for the design and management of cohorts in personalized medicine remain to be defined. This study aims to describe the current state-of-the-art in this area. A scoping review was conducted searching in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Psycinfo and Cochrane Library for reviews about tools and methods related to cohorts used in personalized medicine. The search focused on cancer, stroke and Alzheimer's disease and was limited to reports in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish published from 2005 to April 2020. The screening process was reported through a PRISMA flowchart. Fifty reviews were included, mostly including information about how data were generated (25/50) and about tools used for data management and analysis (24/50). No direct information was found about the quality of data and the requirements to monitor associated clinical data. A scarcity of information and standards was found in specific areas such as sample size calculation. With this information, comprehensive guidelines could be developed in the future to improve the reproducibility and robustness in the design and management of cohorts in personalized medicine studies

Typical investigational medicinal products follow relatively uniform regulations in 10 European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN) countries

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In order to facilitate multinational clinical research, regulatory requirements need to become international and harmonised. The EU introduced the Directive 2001/20/EC in 2004, regulating investigational medicinal products in Europe.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a survey in order to identify the national regulatory requirements for major categories of clinical research in ten European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN) countries-Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom-covering approximately 70% of the EU population. Here we describe the results for regulatory requirements for typical investigational medicinal products, in the ten countries.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results show that the ten countries have fairly harmonised definitions of typical investigational medicinal products. Clinical trials assessing typical investigational medicinal products require authorisation from a national competent authority in each of the countries surveyed. The opinion of the competent authorities is communicated to the trial sponsor within the same timelines, i.e., no more than 60 days, in all ten countries. The authority to which the application has to be sent to in the different countries is not fully harmonised.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Directive 2001/20/EC defined the term 'investigational medicinal product' and all regulatory requirements described therein are applicable to investigational medicinal products. Our survey showed, however, that those requirements had been adopted in ten European countries, not for investigational medicinal products overall, but rather a narrower category which we term 'typical' investigational medicinal products. The result is partial EU harmonisation of requirements and a relatively navigable landscape for the sponsor regarding typical investigational medicinal products.</p

BRANCHED1: A Key Hub of Shoot Branching

Shoot branching is a key process for plant growth and fitness. Newly produced axes result from axillary bud outgrowth, which is at least partly mediated through the regulation of BRANCHED1 gene expression (BRC1/TB1/FC1). BRC1 encodes a pivotal bud-outgrowth-inhibiting transcription factor belonging to the TCP family. As the regulation of BRC1 expression is a hub for many shoot-branching-related mechanisms, it is influenced by endogenous (phytohormones and nutrients) and exogenous (light) inputs, which involve so-far only partly identified molecular networks. This review highlights the central role of BRC1 in shoot branching and its responsiveness to different stimuli, and emphasizes the different knowledge gaps that should be addressed in the near future

Therapeutic hypothermia for acute ischaemic stroke. Results of a European multicentre, randomised, phase III clinical trial

Introduction: We assessed whether modest systemic cooling started within 6 hours of symptom onset improves functional outcome at three months in awake patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Patients and methods: In this European randomised open-label clinical trial with blinded outcome assessment, adult patients with acute ischaemic stroke were randomised to cooling to a target body temperature of 34.0–35.0°C, started within 6 h after stroke onset and maintained for 12 or 24 h , versus standard treatment. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin Scale at 91 days, as analysed with ordinal logistic regression. Results: The trial was stopped after inclusion of 98 of the originally intended 1500 patients because of slow recruitment and cessation of funding. Forty-nine patients were randomised to hypothermia versus 49 to standard treatment. Four patients were lost to follow-up. Of patients randomised to hypothermia, 15 (31%) achieved the predefined cooling targets. The primary outcome did not differ between the groups (odds ratio for good outcome, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 0.48–2.13; p = 0.97). The number of patients with one or more serious adverse events did not differ between groups (relative risk, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.65–1.94; p = 0.52). Discussion: In this trial, cooling to a target of 34.0–35.0°C and maintaining this for 12 or 24 h was not feasible in the majority of patients. The final sample was underpowered to detect clinically relevant differences in outcomes. Conclusion: Before new trials are launched, the feasibility of cooling needs to be improved