Sugarcane (Saccharum X officinarum): A Reference Study for the Regulation of Genetically Modified Cultivars in Brazil

Global interest in sugarcane has increased significantly in recent years due to its economic impact on sustainable energy production. Sugarcane breeding and better agronomic practices have contributed to a huge increase in sugarcane yield in the last 30 years. Additional increases in sugarcane yield are expected to result from the use of biotechnology tools in the near future. Genetically modified (GM) sugarcane that incorporates genes to increase resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses could play a major role in achieving this goal. However, to bring GM sugarcane to the market, it is necessary to follow a regulatory process that will evaluate the environmental and health impacts of this crop. The regulatory review process is usually accomplished through a comparison of the biology and composition of the GM cultivar and a non-GM counterpart. This review intends to provide information on non-GM sugarcane biology, genetics, breeding, agronomic management, processing, products and byproducts, as well as the current technologies used to develop GM sugarcane, with the aim of assisting regulators in the decision-making process regarding the commercial release of GM sugarcane cultivars

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Comparison of plants used for skin and stomach problems in Trinidad and Tobago with Asian ethnomedicine

RefereedThis paper provides a preliminary evaluation of fifty-eight ethnomedicinal plants used in Trinidad and Tobago for skin problems, stomach problems, pain and internal parasites for safety and possible efficacy. Thirty respondents, ten of whom were male were interviewed from September 1996 to September 2000 on medicinal plant use for health problems. The respondents were obtained by snowball sampling, and were found in thirteen different sites, 12 in Trinidad and one in Tobago. The uses are compared to those current in Asia. Bambusa vulgaris, Bidens alba, Jatropha curcas, Neurolaena lobata, Peperomia rotundifolia and Phyllanthus urinaria are possibly efficacous for stomach problems, pain and internal parasites. Further scientific study of these plants is warranted

Serologic Diagnosis of Human Taenia solium Cysticercosis by Using Recombinant and Synthetic Antigens in QuickELISA™

Diagnosis of Taenia solium cysticercosis is an important component in the control and elimination of cysticercosis and taeniasis. New detection assays using recombinant and synthetic antigens originating from the lentil lectin-purified glycoproteins (LLGPs) of T. solium cysticerci were developed in a QuickELISA™ format. We analyzed a panel of 474 serum samples composed of 108 serum samples from donors with two or more viable cysts, 252 serum samples from persons with other parasitic infections, and 114 serum samples from persons with no documented illnesses. The sensitivities and specificities of T24H QuickELISA™, GP50 QuickELISA™, and Ts18var1 QuickELISA™ were 96.3% and 99.2%, 93.5% and 98.6%, and 89.8% and 96.4%, respectively, for detecting cases with multiple, viable cysts. T24H QuickELISA™ performs best among the three assays, and has sensitivity and specificity values comparable to those of the LLGP enzyme-linked immunosorbent blot. The QuickELISA™ are simple, rapid quantitative methods for detecting antibodies specific for T. solium cysticerci antigens

Exclusion of chromosomal abnormalities and microdeletions 22q11 and 10p13 in algerian patients with isolated conotruncal malformation

The chromosomal abnormalities of number and structure or the 22q11.2 and 10p13-14 microdeletions are considered the main causes of congenital heart disease. In our best knowledge, cytogenetics studies on congenital heart diseases (CHD) have not been performed in Algeria. In this study, we will screen for chromosomal abnormalities and microdeletions of 22q11.2 and 10p13 in a cohort of Algerian patients. G-banded by trypsin Giemsa (GTG) and Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) techniques have been performed to screen for chromosomal abnormalities and a critical regions 22q11.2 and 10p13-14 respectively in seventy patients with non syndromic congenital heart. GTG technique visualized no chromosomal abnormalities of number and structure in our patients. Moreover, FISH visualizing critical regions 22q11.2 and 10p13-14 respectively did not detect any microdeletion in the chromosomes 10 and 22 respectively of our patients. Our study could suggest that congenital heart defects observed in Algerian patients are not due to chromosomal abnormalities of number and structure nor the 22q11.2 and 10p13-14 microdeletions. For the fist time, we report here cytogenetics analysis of chromosomal abnormalities and the 22q11.2 and 10p13-14 microdeletions in Algerian patients with congenital heart disease. Genetic testing for screening for deletion 22q11.2 and 10p13-14 is not indicated in all patients with isolated conotruncal defects. In addition, conotruncal heart diseases have a multifactorial background like consanguinity and recessive mutations in some genes involved in cardiac morphogenesis. A genetic study to screen for the role of consanguineous marriages and some genes linked to CHD in Algerian population is on going. This study will focus also on health education for the families at risk about the importance of pre-marital genetic counseling.Хромосомные аномалии числа и структуры или микроделеции 22q11.2 и 10p13-14 считаются главными причинами врожденного порока сердца. Насколько нам известно, цитогенетические исследования врожденного порока сердца (CHD) в Алжире не проводились. В настоящей работе проведен скрининг хромосомных аномалий и микроделеций 22q11.2 и 10p13-14 в группе алжирских пациентов. Методы окраски по Гимза (GTG) и FISH были использованы для скрининга хромосомных аномалий и критичных участков 22q11.2 и 10p13-14 соответственно у 70 пациентов с несиндромным врожденным пороком сердца. GTG не выявило хромосомных аномалий по числу и структуре. Более того, изучение участков 22q11.2 и 10p13-14 не показало никаких микроделеций в хромосомах 10 и 22. Наши исследования позволяют сделать вывод, что дефекты, вызванные врожденным пороком сердца у алжирских пациентов, не связаны ни с хромосомными аномалиями числа и структуры, ни с микроделециями 22q11.2 и 10p13-14. Впервые проведен цитогенетический анализ хромосомных аномалий и микроделеций 22q11.2 и 10p13-14 у алжирских пациентов с врожденным пороком сердца. Генетическое тестирование скрининга на наличие делеций 22q11.2 и 10p13-14 не показано у всех пациентов с врожденным пороком сердца. Кроме того, конотрункальные болезни сердца имеют многофакторную основу, такую как генетическое родство и рецессивные мутации некоторых генов, вовлеченных в кардиальный морфогенез. Проводится генетическое исследование роли близкородственных браков и некоторых генов, связанных с врожденным пороком сердца, в алжирской популяции. Это исследование будет также сфокусировано на профилактической работе в семьях с факторами риска и на важности генетического консультирования перед вступлением в брак