The Role of Gibberellin, Abscisic Acid, and Sucrose in the Regulation of Potato Tuber Formation in Vitro

The effects of plant hormones and sucrose (Suc) on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuberization were studied using in vitro cultured single-node cuttings. Tuber-inducing (high Suc) and -noninducing (low Suc or high Suc plus gibberellin [GA]) media were tested. Tuberization frequencies, tuber widths, and stolon lengths were measured during successive stages of development. Endogenous GAs and abscisic acid (ABA) were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Exogenous GA(4/7) promoted stolon elongation and inhibited tuber formation, whereas exogenous ABA stimulated tuberization and reduced stolon length. Indoleacetic acid-containing media severely inhibited elongation of stolons and smaller sessile tubers were formed. Exogenous cytokinins did not affect stolon elongation and tuber formation. Endogenous GA(1) level was high during stolon elongation and decreased when stolon tips started to swell under inducing conditions, whereas it remained high under noninducing conditions. GA(1) levels were negatively correlated with Suc concentration in the medium. We conclude that GA(1) is likely to be the active GA during tuber formation. Endogenous ABA levels decreased during stolon and tuber development, and ABA levels were similar under inducing and noninducing conditions. Our results indicate that GA is a dominant regulator in tuber formation: ABA stimulates tuberization by counteracting GA, and Suc regulates tuber formation by influencing GA levels

Injectable Bulking Agent to Treat Postprostatectomy Urinary Incontinence: A Safety and Effectiveness Pilot Study

Objectives. To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the injectable bulking agent Opsys® (Promedon, Cordoba, Argentina) for treating minimal postprostatectomy stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Patients and Methods. Single-centre, pilot study on ten male patients with SUI, < 30 g urine loss/ 24 h, more than 1 year after radical prostatectomy. Patients were treated by endoscopic transurethral injections of bulking agent in the presphincteric zone of the urethral submucosa. The results were evaluated using a pad weight test to quantify the differences in urine loss at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention. Subsequently, the results of treatment were also evaluated by International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF), Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7), Urogenital Distress Inventory Short Form (UDI-6-SF), and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention. Results. The primary outcome was the absolute result of the 24-hour pad weight test after treatment. Treatment success was defined as <3 g urine loss/24 h, improvement as ≥50% decrease in urine loss/ 24h, failure as <50% decrease in urine loss/24 h, or worsening of urine loss. Success was demonstrated in one, improvement in one, and failure in eight patients one month after treatment. One patient improved and 9 failed 3 and 6 months after treatment. The median 24-hour pad weight test was higher at all three moments of follow-up (1, 3, and 6 months after treatment). The median 24-hour pad weight test was before treatment 17.3g (6.4-20.9) and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment, respectively, 40.3g (5.9-130.6) p= 0.038, 38.3g (18.3-202.1) p= 0.014, 55.0g (16.5-314.6) p= 0.028. The ICIQ-SF was significantly higher at 3 and 6 months, respectively 15.0 (12.0-18.5) p= 0.007 and 16.0 (12.5-17.5) p=0.012 versus 10.0 (9.0-12.0) before injection. No significant differences were found between IIQ-7, UDI-6-SF, and PGI-I before and after injection. Complications occurred in four patients: two patients reported spontaneously resolved haematuria and two patients reported urinary frequency. All complications were classified as Clavien–Dindo 1. Conclusion. Injection therapy with Opsys® bulking agent is not an effective treatment option for male SUI after radical prostatectomy. It is not a safe treatment option, due to worsening urine loss after treatment

Vitamin insufficiency after surgery for oesophagogastric neoplasms: a study protocol for a prospective intervention study

Introduction Oesophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC) are among the top 10 cancers worldwide. Both diseases impact the nutritional status of patients and their Quality of Life (QoL). Preoperative malnutrition is reported in 42%–80%. However, studies investigating postoperative nutritional status are limited, and postoperative identification and treatment of micronutrient and macronutrient deficiencies are currently lacking in (inter-)national guidelines. The aim of this study is to identify and target micronutrient deficiencies after surgery for oesophagogastric neoplasms.Methods This is a single-centre prospective intervention trial performed in Zuyderland Medical Centre. 248 patients who underwent oesophagectomy (n=124) or (sub)total gastrectomy (n=124) from 2011 until 2022 will be included. Both groups will receive Calcium Soft Chew D3 and a multivitamin supplement (MVS) specifically developed according to the type of operation patients underwent; the oesophagectomy group will receive Multi-E and the gastrectomy group will receive Multi-G. The MVSs will be taken once daily and Calcium Soft Chew D3 two times per day. Supplementation will start after baseline measurements. At baseline (T0), blood withdrawal for micronutrient analysis and faecal elastase-1 analysis for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) will be performed. Additionally, patients will receive questionnaires regarding QoL and dietary behaviour. After 180 days of supplementation (T1), baseline measurements will be repeated, and the supplement tolerance questionnaire will be completed. Measurements will also be conducted after 360 days (T2) and after 720 days (T3) of supplementation. The main study parameter is micronutrient deficiency (yes/no) for all measurements. Secondary parameters include occurrence of EPI (n, %), diarrhoea (n, %), steatorrhoea (n, %) or bloating (n, %), time between surgery and start of supplementation (mean in months), and QoL at all time points.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Zuyderland Medical Centre Ethics Committee, Heerlen, the Netherlands. The findings will be disseminated through scientific congresses and in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number NCT05281380

Simulating migrated and inverted seismic data by filtering a geologic model

The simulation of migrated and inverted data is hampered by the high computational cost of generating 3D synthetic data, followed by processes of migration and inversion. For example, simulating the migrated seismic signature of subtle stratigraphic traps demands the expensive exercise of 3D forward modeling, followed by 3D migration of the synthetic seismograms. This computational cost can be overcome using a strategy for simulating migrated and inverted data by filtering a geologic model with 3D spatial-resolution and angle filters, respectively. A key property of the approach is this: The geologic model that describes a target zone is decoupled from the macrovelocity model used to compute the filters. The process enables a target-orientedapproach, by which a geologically detailed earth model describing a reservoir is adjusted without having to recalculate the filters. Because a spatial-resolution filter combines the results of the modeling and migration operators, the simulated images can be compared directly to a real migration image. We decompose the spatial-resolution filter into two parts and show that applying one of those parts produces output directly comparable to 1D inverted real data. Two-dimensional synthetic examples that include seismic uncertainties demonstrate the usefulness of the approach. Results from a real data example show that horizontal smearing, which is not simulated by the 1D convolution model result, is essential to understand the seismic expression of the deformation related to sulfate dissolution and karst collapse.GeotechnologyCivil Engineering and Geoscience