Genomic Evidence That Governmentally Produced Cannabis sativa Poorly Represents Genetic Variation Available in State Markets

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the sole producer of Cannabis for research purposes in the United States, including medical investigation. Previous research established that cannabinoid profiles in the NIDA varieties lacked diversity and potency relative to the Cannabis produced commercially. Additionally, microsatellite marker analyses have established that the NIDA varieties are genetically divergent form varieties produced in the private legal market. Here, we analyzed the genomes of multiple Cannabis varieties from diverse lineages including two produced by NIDA, and we provide further support that NIDA&rsquo;s varieties differ from widely available medical, recreational, or industrial Cannabis. Furthermore, our results suggest that NIDA&rsquo;s varieties lack diversity in the single-copy portion of the genome, the maternally inherited genomes, the cannabinoid genes, and in the repetitive content of the genome. Therefore, results based on NIDA&rsquo;s varieties are not generalizable regarding the effects of Cannabis after consumption. For medical research to be relevant, material that is more widely used would have to be studied. Clearly, having research to date dominated by a single, non-representative source of Cannabis has hindered scientific investigation. &nbsp;</p

Connecting bimaximal neutrino mixing to a light sterile neutrino

It is shown that if small neutrino masses owe their origin to the conventional seesaw mechanism and the MNS mixing matrix is in the exact bimaximal form, then there exist symmetries in the theory that allow one of the righthanded neutrinos to become naturally massless, making it a candidate for the sterile neutrino discussed in the literature. Departures from the exact bimaximal limit leads to tiny mass for the sterile neutrino as well as its mixing to the active neutrinos. This provides a minimal theoretical framework where a simultaneous explanation of the solar, atmospheric and LSND observations within the so-called 3+1 scenario may be possible.Comment: new references added; paper accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D.(rapid communications); note adde

Sterile Neutrinos in E_6 and a Natural Understanding of Vacuum Oscillation Solution to the Solar Neutrino Puzzle

If Nature has chosen the vacuum oscillation solution to the Solar neutrino puzzle, a key theoretical challenge is to understand the extreme smallness of the $\Delta m^2_{\nu_e-\nu_X}$ ($\sim 10^{-10} eV^2$) required for the purpose. We find that in a class of models such as [SU(3)]^3 or its parent group E_6, which contain one sterile neutrino, $\nu_{is}$ for each family, the $\Delta m^2_{\nu_i-\nu_{is}}$ is proportional to the cube of the lepton Yukawa coupling. Therefore fitting the atmospheric neutrino data then predicts the $\nu_e-\nu_{es}$ mass difference square to be $\sim (\frac{m_e}{m_{\mu}})^3 \Delta m^2_{atmos}$, where the atmospheric neutrino data is assumed to be solved via the $\nu_{\mu}-\nu_{\mu s}$ oscillation. This provides a natural explanation of the vacuum oscillation solution to the solar neutrino problem.Comment: 7 pages, UMD-PP-99-109; new references added; no other chang

Asymmetrical Gene Flow in a Hybrid Zone of Hawaiian Schiedea (Caryophyllaceae) Species with Contrasting Mating Systems

Asymmetrical gene flow, which has frequently been documented in naturally occurring hybrid zones, can result from various genetic and demographic factors. Understanding these factors is important for determining the ecological conditions that permitted hybridization and the evolutionary potential inherent in hybrids. Here, we characterized morphological, nuclear, and chloroplast variation in a putative hybrid zone between Schiedea menziesii and S. salicaria, endemic Hawaiian species with contrasting breeding systems. Schiedea menziesii is hermaphroditic with moderate selfing; S. salicaria is gynodioecious and wind-pollinated, with partially selfing hermaphrodites and largely outcrossed females. We tested three hypotheses: 1) putative hybrids were derived from natural crosses between S. menziesii and S. salicaria, 2) gene flow via pollen is unidirectional from S. salicaria to S. menziesii and 3) in the hybrid zone, traits associated with wind pollination would be favored as a result of pollen-swamping by S. salicaria. Schiedea menziesii and S. salicaria have distinct morphologies and chloroplast genomes but are less differentiated at the nuclear loci. Hybrids are most similar to S. menziesii at chloroplast loci, exhibit nuclear allele frequencies in common with both parental species, and resemble S. salicaria in pollen production and pollen size, traits important to wind pollination. Additionally, unlike S. menziesii, the hybrid zone contains many females, suggesting that the nuclear gene responsible for male sterility in S. salicaria has been transferred to hybrid plants. Continued selection of nuclear genes in the hybrid zone may result in a population that resembles S. salicaria, but retains chloroplast lineage(s) of S. menziesii

Three-dimensional computed tomography cephalometry of plagiocephaly: Asymmetry and shape analysis

Copyright © 2006 The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial AssociationObjectiveTo investigate facial asymmetry associated with both deformational and synostotic plagiocephaly and to identify variables based on skeletal landmarks that distinguish the conditions and quantify severity.DesignRetrospective, cross sectional.SettingAustralian Craniofacial Unit, Adelaide.Main outcome measuresProportional differences between bilateral distances and principal component (PC) analysis of the skeletal landmarks.PatientsThe three-dimensional positions of 78 osseous landmarks were determined from computed tomography (CT) scans of 21 patients with deformational plagiocephaly (DP), 20 patients with unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS), and 2 patients with unilateral lambdoid synostosis (ULS).ResultsFor both DP and UCS, significant asymmetry was found for the orbital depths, mandibular lengths, maxillary depths, zygomatic arch lengths, lateral base of the parietal bone, and the angle between the anterior and the posterior cranial base projected onto the axial plane. The small sample size for ULS precluded definitive statistical statements but allowed some useful comparisons with the other conditions. The first three PC scores were able to distinguish among the three conditions and which side was affected.ConclusionsThe asymmetry of the cranial base and facial structures, arising from localized abnormality or deformational forces in either the frontal or the occipital regions, can be quantified by a plethora of bilateral features or summarized by PC analysis.D.J. Netherway, A.H. Abbott, N. Gulamhuseinwala, K.L. McGlaughlin, P.J. Anderson, G.C. Townsend, D.J. Davi

Relationship between infarct artery location, epicardial flow, and myocardial perfusion after primary percutaneous revascularization in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The association between infarct artery location, reperfusion success, and clinical outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been characterized. We examined the infarct artery-specific impact of epicardial and myocardial flow and reperfusion after primary PCI for acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Among 2082 patients undergoing primary PCI in the CADILLAC trial, myocardial blush grade, TIMI flow grade, ST-segment resolution, and clinical outcomes were analyzed according to the infarct artery. RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics did not significantly differ between patients experiencing infarction in the left anterior descending (LAD, 37%) versus left circumflex (18%) and right coronary artery (46%) distributions. Baseline left ventricular function was reduced, and collateral flow was less commonly present in patients with infarction involving the LAD. Achievement of final TIMI-3 flow, grade 3 myocardial blush, and ST-segment resolution \u3e70% was also significantly less common in anterior infarction. Patients with anterior versus nonanterior infarction had significantly higher mortality at 30 days (3.4% vs 1.3%, P = .0006) and 1 year (6.5% vs 2.9%, P \u3c .0001) and had increased 1-year rates of reinfarction (3.6% vs 1.7%, P = .009) and ischemic target vessel revascularization (16.1% vs 11.7%, P = .006). By multivariate analysis, LAD infarction was a powerful independent predictor of 1-year mortality (odds ratio 2.45, P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Acute myocardial infarction involving the LAD distribution is associated with reduced left ventricular function, less frequent collateral flow, impaired myocardial perfusion and decreased reperfusion success, findings associated with reduced survival, and increased major adverse cardiac events compared with other vascular territories. These data provide mechanistic insights to the adverse prognosis of patients with anterior infarction