23 research outputs found
Radionuclide Imaging of Viable Myocardium: Is it Underutilized?
Coronary artery disease is the major cause of heart failure in North America. Viability assessment is important as it aims to identify patients who stand to benefit from coronary revascularization. Radionuclide modalities currently used in the assessment of viability include 201Tl SPECT, 99mTc-based SPECT imaging, and 18F-fluorodexoyglucose (18F-FDG)-PET imaging. Different advances have been made in the last year to improve the sensitivity and specificity of these modalities. In addition, the optimum amount of viable (yet dysfunctional) myocardium is important to identify in patients, as a risk–benefit ratio must be considered. Patients with predominantly viable/hibernating myocardium can benefit from revascularization from a mortality and morbidity standpoint. However, in patients with minimal viability (predominantly scarred myocardium), revascularization risk may certainly be too high to justify revascularization without expected benefit. Understanding different radionuclide modalities and new developments in the assessment of viability in ischemic heart failure patients is the focus of this discussion
Dose-response and growth rate variation among glyphosate resistant and susceptible Conyza albida and Conyza bonariensis populations
Plant responses to glyphosate applied at different doses were examined for one glyphosate
resistant (R) and one glyphosate susceptible (S) population of Conyza albida and C. bonarienis.
Growth rates and development stages of five R C. albida and three R C. bonarienis
populations were also compared with those of their respective S counterparts to investigate
the possible impact of the glyphosate resistance trait on their fitness. The GR50 values for
C. albida R (3.94−5.22 kg a.i. · ha−1) and S (0.24−0.31 kg a.i. · ha−1) populations were higher
than those of C. bonariensis R (0.60−1.51 kg a.i. · ha−1) and S (0.10−0.13 kg a.i. · ha−1). The
growth rate (slope b) of one R C. albida population was lower than the respective S and
other R populations, while growth rates of most R and S C. bonariensis populations were
similar. Some R populations showed inconsistent differences in some development stages
when compared to those of the S ones, which cannot be attributed to the glyphosate
resistance trait
Comparative Evaluation of Tomato Hybrids and Inbred Lines for Fruit Quality Traits
Tomato is one of the most consumed fruit vegetables globally and is a high dietary source of minerals, fiber, carotenoids, and vitamin C. The tomato is also well known for its nutraceutical chemical content which strengthens human immune systems and is protective against infectious and degenerative diseases. For this reason, there has been recent emphasis on breeding new tomato cultivars with nutraceutical value. Most of the modern tomato cultivars are F1 hybrids, and many of the characteristics associated with fruit quality have additive gene action; so, in theory, inbred vigor could reach hybrid vigor. A sum of 20 recombinant lines was released from the commercial single-cross hybrids Iron, Sahara, Formula, and Elpida, through a breeding process. Those recombinant lines were evaluated during spring–summer 2015 under organic farming conditions in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) experimental design with three replications. A sum of eleven qualitative characteristics of the fruit was recorded on an individual plant basis. Results from this study indicated that the simultaneous selection of individual tomato plants, both in terms of their high yield and desired fruit quality characteristics, can lead to highly productive recombinant lines with integrated quality characteristics. So, inbred vigor can reach and even surpass hybrid vigor. The response to selection for all characteristics evaluated shows additive gene action of all characteristics measured. These recombinant lines can fulfill this role as alternatives to hybrid cultivars and those that possess high nutritional values to function as functional-protective food
Conversion to Open Repair After Endografting for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A Review of Causes, Incidence, Results, and Surgical Techniques of Reconstruction
Purpose: To review the incidence, causes, and mortality rates of early
and late conversion to open surgery after endovascular aneurysm repair
(EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Methods: A systematic search of the English-language literature from
2002 to 2009 was performed by interrogation of the PubMed, MEDLINE, and
EMBASE databases. Studies were included if they: (1) had >100 patients
treated with EVAR and (2) provided adequate data to calculate incidence
and associated mortality rates. The search yielded 13 articles with
sufficient data to analyze early conversion (12,236 patients, 178
conversions) and 15 articles with available data for late conversion
(14,298 patients, 279 conversions).
Results: The rate of early conversion among the 13 articles reviewed
ranged from 0.8% to 5.9%; more recent studies carried lower rates of
early conversion. Mortality rates of early conversion varied between 0%
and 28.5%. Overall, there were 178 (1.5%) early conversions among the
12,236 AAAs treated with EVAR, with an average mortality of 12.4%. The
rates of late conversion ranged from 0.4% to 22%. Of the 14,289 AAA
patients undergoing endovascular repair, 279 (1.9%) required late
conversion; the mortality rate was 10%.
Conclusion: Though the incidence is gradually declining, secondary
interventions persist as the Achilles’ heel of EVAR. A lifelong
follow-up strategy for AAA patients treated with EVAR is essential for
early detection and treatment of complications of the procedure.
Vascular surgeons should be familiar with the complex open conversion
procedures. J Endovasc Ther. 2010;17:694-70
Utilization of Intra-Cultivar Variation for Grain Yield and Protein Content within Durum Wheat Cultivars
This study assessed the variations in grain yield (GY) and protein content (PC) within two commercial durum wheat cultivars (Svevo and Maestrale) and evaluated their responses to intra-cultivar selection for both traits. We investigated whether the variations are exploitable and could result in concurrent GY and PC upgrading. The experiments were conducted in the IPBGR, Thessaloniki, Greece (2018–2020). The first year included two identical honeycomb design trials under ultra-low plant density (ULD) where the divergent selection was applied based on single plant yield and protein content. In the second year, progeny evaluation under typical crop density (TCD) for GY and PC occurred in a randomized complete block (RCB) and with three replications for each cultivar selected line. This revealed considerable variation within already improved commercial cultivars. Single-plant selection for GY and PC simultaneously resulted in: (a) one high-yielding line that significantly outperformed the original cultivar Svevo while maintaining high PC, and (b) two high-grain PC lines that outperformed the original cultivar Maestrale significantly while maintaining high GY. ULD allowed efficient selection for GY and PC simultaneously within narrow gene pools by maximizing phenotypic expression and differentiation among individual plants
Durum Wheat Breeding in the Mediterranean Region: Current Status and Future Prospects
This brief historical review focuses on durum wheat domestication and breeding in the Mediterranean region. Important milestones in durum wheat breeding programs across the countries of the Mediterranean basin before and after the Green Revolution are discussed. Additionally, the main achievements of the classical breeding methodology are presented using a comparison of old and new cultivars. Furthermore, current breeding goals and challenges are analyzed. An overview of classical breeding methods in combination with current molecular techniques and tools for cultivar development is presented. Important issues of seed quality are outlined, focusing on protein and characteristics that affect human health and are connected with the consumption of wheat end-products
Utilization of Intra-Cultivar Variation for Grain Yield and Protein Content within Durum Wheat Cultivars
This study assessed the variations in grain yield (GY) and protein content (PC) within two commercial durum wheat cultivars (Svevo and Maestrale) and evaluated their responses to intra-cultivar selection for both traits. We investigated whether the variations are exploitable and could result in concurrent GY and PC upgrading. The experiments were conducted in the IPBGR, Thessaloniki, Greece (2018–2020). The first year included two identical honeycomb design trials under ultra-low plant density (ULD) where the divergent selection was applied based on single plant yield and protein content. In the second year, progeny evaluation under typical crop density (TCD) for GY and PC occurred in a randomized complete block (RCB) and with three replications for each cultivar selected line. This revealed considerable variation within already improved commercial cultivars. Single-plant selection for GY and PC simultaneously resulted in: (a) one high-yielding line that significantly outperformed the original cultivar Svevo while maintaining high PC, and (b) two high-grain PC lines that outperformed the original cultivar Maestrale significantly while maintaining high GY. ULD allowed efficient selection for GY and PC simultaneously within narrow gene pools by maximizing phenotypic expression and differentiation among individual plants