Ethylene supports colonization of plant roots by the mutualistic fungus Piriformospora indica

The mutualistic basidiomycete Piriformospora indica colonizes roots of mono- and dicotyledonous plants, and thereby improves plant health and yield. Given the capability of P. indica to colonize a broad range of hosts, it must be anticipated that the fungus has evolved efficient strategies to overcome plant immunity and to establish a proper environment for nutrient acquisition and reproduction. Global gene expression studies in barley identified various ethylene synthesis and signaling components that were differentially regulated in P. indica-colonized roots. Based on these findings we examined the impact of ethylene in the symbiotic association. The data presented here suggest that P. indica induces ethylene synthesis in barley and Arabidopsis roots during colonization. Moreover, impaired ethylene signaling resulted in reduced root colonization, Arabidopsis mutants exhibiting constitutive ethylene signaling, -synthesis or ethylene-related defense were hyper-susceptible to P. indica. Our data suggest that ethylene signaling is required for symbiotic root colonization by P. indica

Who Is Responsible? The Role of Family Physicians in the Provision of Supportive Cancer Care

Many family physicians do not view coordinating patients' supportive cancer care as a primary responsibility and do not wish to assume this role. Models involving them as team members in care coordination are more feasible for reducing patient need

Psychometric properties of cancer survivors' unmet needs survey

Purpose: This study aims to develop a psychometrically rigorous instrument to measure the unmet needs of adult cancer survivors who are 1 to 5 years post-cancer diagnosis. “Unmet needs” distinguishes between problems which survivors experience and problems which they desire help in managing. Methods: The survey was developed from a comprehensive literature review, qualitative analysis of the six most important unmet needs of 71 cancer Survivors, review of the domains and items by survivors and experts, cognitive interviews and a pilot test of 100 survivors. A stratified random sample of 550 cancer survivors, selected from a population-based Cancer Registry, completed a mailed survey to establish reliability and validity. Results: The final 89-item Survivors Unmet Needs Survey (SUNS) has high acceptability, item test–retest reliability and internal consistency (Chronbach’s alpha 0.990), face, content and construct validity. Five subscales measure Emotional Health needs (33 items, 19.4% of variance), Access and Continuity of Care (22 items, 15.1%), Relationships (15 items, 12.1%), Financial Concerns (11 items, 10.3%) and Information needs (eight items, 8.1% of the variance). Conclusions: This instrument has strong psychometric properties and is useful for determining the prevalence and predictors of cancer survivors’ unmet needs across types of cancer, length of survivorship and sociodemographic characteristics. Use of the SUNS will enable more effective targeting of programmes and services and guide policy and health planning decisions. Relevance: This study is an important step toward evidencebased planning and management of problems which the growing survivor population requires assistance in managing