An Evaluation of Prediction Equations for the 6 Minute Walk Test in Healthy European Adults Aged 50-85 Years

This study compared actual 6 minute walk test (6MWT) performance with predicted 6MWT using previously validated equations and then determined whether allometric modelling offers a sounder alternative to estimating 6MWT in adults aged 50-80 years.We compared actual 6MWT performance against predicted 6MWT in 125 adults aged 50-85 years (62 male, 63 female). In a second sample of 246 adults aged 50-85 years (74 male, 172 female), a new prediction equation for 6MWT performance was developed using allometric modelling. This equation was then cross validated using the same sample that the other prediction equations were compared with.Significant relationships were evident between 6MWT actual and 6MWT predicted using all of the commonly available prediction equations (all P<0.05 or better) with the exception of the Alameri et al prediction equation (P>0.05). A series of paired t-tests indicated significant differences between 6MWT actual and 6MWT predicted for all available prediction equations (all P<0.05 or better) with the exception of the Iwama et al equation (P = .540). The Iwama et al equation also had similar bias (79.8m) and a coefficient of variation of over 15%. Using sample 2, a log-linear model significantly predicted 6MWT from the log of body mass and height and age (P = 0.001, adjusted R2 = .526), predicting 52.6% of the variance in actual 6MWT. When this allometric equation was applied to the original sample, the relationship between 6MWT actual and 6MWT predicted was in excess of values reported for the other previously validated prediction equations (r = .706, P = 0.001). There was a significant difference between actual 6MWT and 6MWT predicted using this new equation (P = 0.001) but the bias, standard deviation of differences and coefficient of variation were all less than for the other equations.Where actual assessment of the 6MWT is not possible, the allometrically derived equation presented in the current study, offers a viable alternative which has been cross validated and has the least SD of differences and smallest coefficient of variation compared to any of the previously validated equations for the 6MWT

Multiple QTLs linked to agro-morphological and physiological traits related to drought tolerance in potato.

Dissection of the genetic architecture of adaptation and abiotic stress-related traits is highly desirable for developing drought-tolerant potatoes and enhancing the resilience of existing cultivars, particularly as agricultural production in rain-fed areas may be reduced by up to 50 % by 2020. The “DMDD” potato progeny was developed at International Potato Center (CIP) by crossing the sequenced double monoploid line DM and a diploid cultivar of the Solanum tuberosum diploid Andigenum Goniocalyx group. Recently, a high-density integrated genetic map based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), diversity array technology (DArT), simple sequence repeats (SSRs), and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers was also made available for this population. Two trials were conducted, in greenhouse and field, for drought tolerance with two treatments each, well-watered and terminal drought, in which watering was suspended 60 days after planting. The DMDD population was evaluated for agro-morphological and physiological traits before and after initiation of stress, at multiple time points. Two dense parental genetic maps were constructed using published genotypic data, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis identified 45 genomic regions associated with nine traits in well-watered and terminal drought treatments and 26 potentially associated with drought stress. In this study, the strong influence of environmental factors besides water shortage on the expression of traits and QTLs reflects the multigenic control of traits related to drought tolerance. This is the first study to our knowledge in potato identifying QTLs for drought-related traits in field and greenhouse trials, giving new insights into genetic architecture of drought-related traits. Many of the QTLs identified have the potential to be used in potato breeding programs for enhanced drought tolerance

A Novel Zinc Finger Protein Zfp277 Mediates Transcriptional Repression of the Ink4a/Arf Locus through Polycomb Repressive Complex 1

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins play a crucial role in cellular senescence as key transcriptional regulators of the Ink4a/Arf tumor suppressor gene locus. However, how PcG complexes target and contribute to stable gene silencing of the Ink4a/Arf locus remains little understood.We examined the function of Zinc finger domain-containing protein 277 (Zfp277), a novel zinc finger protein that interacts with the PcG protein Bmi1. Zfp277 binds to the Ink4a/Arf locus in a Bmi1-independent manner and interacts with polycomb repressor complex (PRC) 1 through direct interaction with Bmi1. Loss of Zfp277 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) caused dissociation of PcG proteins from the Ink4a/Arf locus, resulting in premature senescence associated with derepressed p16(Ink4a) and p19(Arf) expression. Levels of both Zfp277 and PcG proteins inversely correlated with those of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in senescing MEFs, but the treatment of Zfp277(-/-) MEFs with an antioxidant restored the binding of PRC2 but not PRC1 to the Ink4a/Arf locus. Notably, forced expression of Bmi1 in Zfp277(-/-) MEFs did not restore the binding of Bmi1 to the Ink4a/Arf locus and failed to bypass cellular senescence. A Zfp277 mutant that could not bind Bmi1 did not rescue Zfp277(-/-) MEFs from premature senescence.Our findings implicate Zfp277 in the transcriptional regulation of the Ink4a/Arf locus and suggest that the interaction of Zfp277 with Bmi1 is essential for the recruitment of PRC1 to the Ink4a/Arf locus. Our findings also highlight dynamic regulation of both Zfp277 and PcG proteins by the oxidative stress pathways

Consensus review of best practice of transanal irrigation in adults

Study design: Review article. Objectives: To provide a consensus expert review of the treatment modality for transanal irrigation (TAI). Methods: A consensus group of specialists from a range of nations and disciplines who have experience in prescribing and monitoring patients using TAI worked together assimilating both the emerging literature and rapidly accruing clinical expertise. Consensus was reached by a round table discussion process, with individual members leading the article write-up in the sections where they had particular expertise. Results: Detailed trouble-shooting tips and an algorithm of care to assist professionals with patient selection, management and follow-up was developed. Conclusion: This expert review provides a practical adjunct to training for the emerging therapeutic area of TAI. Careful patient selection, directly supervised training and sustained follow-up are key to optimise outcomes with the technique. Adopting a tailored, stepped approach to care is important in the heterogeneous patient groups to whom TAI may be applied. Sponsorship: The review was financially supported by Coloplast A/S. Spinal Cord (2013) 51, 732–738; doi:10.1038/sc.2013.86; published online 20 August 201

A comparative study on the effects of a pesticide (cypermethrin) and two metals (copper, lead) to serum biochemistry of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

The present study was designed to compare the responses in freshwater fish Oreochromis niloticus exposed to a synthetic pyrethroid, cypermethrin (CYP); an essential metal, copper (Cu); and a nonessential metal, lead (Pb). Fish were exposed to 0.05 μg/l CYP, 0.05 mg/l Cu, and 0.05 mg/l Pb for 4 and 21 days, and the alterations in serum enzyme activities, metabolite, and ion levels were determined. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities increased in response to CYP, Cu, and Pb exposures at both exposure periods. While elevations in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities and in cholesterol level were observed in pesticide-exposed fish at 4 and 21 days, they increased in Cu- and Pb-exposed fish at 21 days. Although metal-exposed fish showed increases in cortisol and glucose levels at 4 days followed by a return to control levels at the end of the exposure period, their levels elevated in pesticide-exposed fish at both exposure periods. Total protein levels decreased in Pb- and pesticide-exposed fish at 21 days. Na+ and Cl− levels decreased in pesticide-exposed fish at both exposure periods and in Cu- and Pb-exposed fish at 21 days. The exposures of pesticide and metals caused an elevation in K+ level at the end of the exposure period. The present study showed that observed alterations in all serum biochemical parameters of fish-treated pesticide were higher than those in fish exposed to metals