Preliminary Observations on Fruit Handling, Seed Germination and Chloroplast Inheritance of an Amenotaxus Hybrid Arising at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from A. argotaenia (F) x A. formosana (M)

Seed quality of Amentotaxus species is generally considered to be poor. This paper describes some general observations on the collection, processing and germination of seeds of an Amentotaxus hybrid (A. argotaenia [F] 3x A. formosana [M]) that originated at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 2005. It also includes the details of five different methods for incubating/culturing the hybrid seeds – three of these methods resulted in almost 100% germination. DNA analysis confirmed the hybrid origin of the seeds and in common with many conifers, chloroplast inheritance was shown to be via the paternal side

Data from: Extending glacial refugia for a European tree: genetic markers show that Iberian populations of white elm are native relicts and not introductions

Conservation policies usually focus on in situ protection of native populations, a priority that requires accurate assessment of population status. Distinction between native and introduced status can be particularly difficult (and at the same time, is most important) for species whose natural habitat has become both rare and highly fragmented. Here we address the status of the white elm (Ulmus laevis Pallas), a European riparian tree species whose populations have been fragmented by human activity and is protected wherever it is considered native. Small populations of this species are located in Iberia, where they are unprotected because they are considered introductions due to their rarity. However, Iberia and neighbouring regions in south-western France have been shown to support discrete glacial refuge populations of many European trees, and the possibility remains that Iberian white elms are native relicts. We used chloroplast RFLPs and nuclear microsatellites to establish the relationship between populations in Iberia and the Central European core distribution. Bayesian approaches revealed significant spatial structure across populations. Those in Iberia and south-western France shared alleles absent from Central Europe, and showed spatial population structure within Iberia common in recognised native taxa. Iberian populations show a demographic signature of ancient population bottlenecks, while those in Central European show a signature of recent population bottlenecks. These patterns are not consistent with historical introduction of white elm to Iberia, and instead strongly support native status, arguing for immediate implementation of conservation measures for white elm populations in Spain and contiguous areas of southern France

Bevacizumab for diabetic macular oedema: one-year treatment outcomes from the Fight Retinal Blindness! Registry

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the 1-year treatment outcomes of bevacizumab for diabetic macular oedema (DMO) in routine clinical practice. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 298 eyes of 220 patients with DMO that received intra-vitreal bevacizumab between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2018 that were tracked by a prospectively designed, web-based observational registry-the Fight Retinal Blindness! Registry. RESULTS The mean visual acuity (95% confidence interval [CI]) at 1-year was 3 (2, 5) letters better than a mean (SD) of 68 (15) letters at study entry. Nearly a quarter of eyes achieved ≥20/40. Eyes presenting with better vision (≥20/40) tended to maintain that vision during the period of observation, whereas those presenting with worse vision (<20/40) gained a mean (95% CI) of 9 (5, 13) letters. A mean reduction in the macular thickness was observed over the study period with the central subfield improving by 29 µm (95% CI 17, 40) from a mean (SD) of 402 (109) µm at study entry. Eyes that completed 1 year of follow-up received a median (Q1, Q3) of 7 (4, 9) bevacizumab injections. Sixty-two eyes, ~20%, that started with bevacizumab changed to either another VEGF inhibitor or steroid (triamcinolone) during the period of observation. This did not lead to functional improvement for eyes changed to either ranibizumab or aflibercept despite a further reduction in macular thickness. An improvement in vision and reduction in macular thickness was noted in the 13 eyes that subsequently received triamcinolone. Approximately 10% of eyes dropped out over 12 months, even though their mean visual acuity had improved by seven letters from the initial visit. CONCLUSIONS Bevacizumab is an effective treatment for DMO in unselected populations

PFU_Ulaevis_Dryad_data

PFU_Ulaevis_Dryad_dat