Genome-wide identification of genes encoding DOF transcription factors in grapevine.

Resumo

Genome-wide identification of genes encoding dof transcription factors in grapevine.

Resumo

The performance of Italian hospitals and their hierarchical structure of administrative employees

Object: considering the Italian health-care system, the present study analyzes what might affect the efficiency of hospitals. Methodology: in this work, authors propose the Directional Distance Function (DDF) to analyze hospitals' performance, considering efficient each medical center which is able to maximize the production of medical treatments (good output) while complying, at the same time, with budget constraints (i.e. minimizing the expected bad output: financial loss). Results: the empirical analysis suggests that an excessive allocation of employees at the highest level of the hierarchical pyramid can affect the hospitals' performance. Conclusions: a redistribution of employees among hierarchical levels is necessary to increase the hospital's efficiency

The vaginal-PVPA: A vaginal mucosa-mimicking in vitro permeation tool for evaluation of mucoadhesive formulations

Drug administration to the vaginal site has gained increasing attention in past decades, highlighting the need for reliable in vitro methods to assess the performance of novel formulations. To optimize formulations destined for the vaginal site, it is important to evaluate the drug retention within the vagina as well as its permeation across the mucosa, particularly in the presence of vaginal fluids. Herewith, the vaginal-PVPA (Phospholipid Vesicle-based Permeation Assay) in vitro permeability model was validated as a tool to evaluate the permeation of the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen from liposomal formulations (i.e., plain and chitosan-coated liposomes). Drug permeation was assessed in the presence and absence of mucus and simulated vaginal fluid (SVF) at pH conditions mimicking both the healthy vaginal premenopausal conditions and vaginal infection/pre-puberty/post-menopause state. The permeation of ibuprofen proved to depend on the type of formulation (i.e., chitosan-coated liposomes exhibited lower drug permeation), the mucoadhesive formulation properties and pH condition. This study highlights both the importance of mucus and SVF in the vaginal model to better understand and predict the in vivo performance of formulations destined for vaginal administration, and the suitability of the vaginal-PVPA model for such investigations

Dormancy-related transcript accumulation of the dehydrin gene family in apple buds.

Resumo

Differential transcriptional profiles of dormancy-related genes in apple buds

The production of temperate fruit crops depends on plant developmental processes, primarily the shift from the juvenile phase to the reproductive phase, dormancy transitions and flowering. Apple tree (Malus ×domestica Borkh.) development is regulated by chilling temperatures, which are required for bud dormancy progression. The apple cultivar Castel Gala is a spontaneous mutation of "Gala Standard". "Castel Gala" is characterized by a 50 % decrease in the chilling requirement (CR) for dormancy release, which results in an earlier budbreak. This work explores the contrasting phenotypes of these cultivars using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). From 1,019 unigenes identified by SSH, we selected 28 candidate genes putatively associated with dormancy cycling. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the differential expression profiles and to transcriptionally characterize these genes in three distinct apple cultivars ("Castel Gala", "Royal Gala" and "Fuji Standard") during a cycle comprising growth to dormancy. Of the 28 candidate genes analyzed, 17 confirmed the differences in expression predicted by SSH. Seasonal transcript accumulation during the winter was observed for several genes, with higher steady-state mRNA levels maintained longer in cultivars with a high CR. The transcription profiles suggest that these genes may be associated with dormancy establishment and maintenance. Of the 17 candidate genes, transcripts coding for dormancy-associated MADS-box (DAM), dehydrins, GAST1, LTI65, NAC, HTA8, HTA12 and RAP2.12-like proteins displayed major differences in gene expression between cultivars through the winter. These genes were therefore considered good candidates for key roles in the dormancy process in apple trees.DOI 10.1007/s11105-013-0690-

Characterization of Eucalyptus grandis' DOF gene family of transcription factors.

Resumo

Characterization of eucalyptus grandis dof gene family of transcription factors.

Resumo