The Presence of Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (ghrelin receptor) in Metabolic Tissues of Beef Cattle with Differences in Composition of Gain

Beef steers (n = 72) of similar age, weight (651 ± 3.1 lb), and genetic (Angus crossbred) background were used to determine the effects of growing diet composition (high‐forage vs. high‐concentrate) on the abundance of growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS‐R or ghrelin receptor) in metabolically important tissues of beef cattle. At trial initiation (d 0), 8 steers were harvested for initial carcass composition. The remaining 64 steers were allotted, by weight, to pen and treatment was assigned randomly. Treatments were 1) a high‐forage diet fed during the growing period (116 d) followed by a high‐concentrate diet during the finishing period (117‐209 d; GRW‐FNSH) or 2) a high‐concentrate diet fed for the duration of the trial (0‐209 d; FNSH‐FNSH). Steers were allowed ad libitum consumption regardless of dietary treatment. Eight steers per treatment were harvested on d 88, 116, 165, and 209. Immediately following harvest, liver, muscle (sternomandibularis), and subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were collected from each steer and immersed in liquid nitrogen. Longissimus dorsi samples were collected following a 48 h chill to establish a preliminary analysis of GHS‐R abundance within an economically important muscle tissue. Protein separation and quantification was determined using SDSPAGE and Western blotting techniques. Protein abundance was detected using the LI‐COR® system and standardized to β‐Actin. Protein abundance data were analyzed statistically using the GLM procedure of SAS comparing diet, harvest date, and their interaction. Protein abundance of GHS‐R in longissimus dorsi tissue fluctuated relative to serial harvest date (P \u3c 0.001), and was highest on d 88 in both treatment groups. The FNSH‐FNSH steers had increased abundance of GHS‐R in longissimus dorsi on d 88 and 116 compared with the GRW‐FNSH steers. A dietary treatment by serial harvest day interaction (P \u3c 0.05) occurred for protein abundance of GHS‐R in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Abundance of GHS‐R in subcutaneous adipose tissue of the GRW‐FNSH was greatest on d 88, whereas abundance for the FNSHFNSH treatment was greatest at the end of the finishing period (d 209). An interaction of dietary treatment and serial harvest day resulted (P \u3c 0.05) for GHS‐R abundance in liver tissue. The GRW‐FNSH steers had increased liver GHS‐R abundance following realimentation compared with the FNSH‐FNSH steers which were on a continuous plane of nutrition. Protein abundance for liver GHS‐R in both dietary treatments increased quadraticly (P \u3c 0.001) throughout the feeding period. The GHS‐R was not detected in sternomandibularis tissue. Overall liver GHS‐R abundance increased in both dietary treatments following realimentation which is inconsistent with our hypothesis. Increased GHS‐R abundance in various tissues of beef cattle while ghrelin concentrations are high and excess fat deposition is occurring warrants further investigation

Enough is not enough: Medical students’ knowledge of early warning signs of childhood cancer

Background. The reported incidence of childhood cancer in upper-middle-income South Africa (SA) is much lower than in high-income countries, partly due to under-diagnosis and under-reporting. Documented survival rates are disturbingly low, prompting an analysis of potential factors that may be responsible.Objectives. To determine final-year medical students’ level of knowledge of early warning signs of childhood cancer and whether a correlation existed between test scores and participants’ age, gender and previous exposure to a person with cancer.Methods. A two-part questionnaire based on the Saint Siluan mnemonic, testing both recall and recognition of early warning signs of childhood cancer, was administered. The Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test was used to assess differences in continuous and count variables between demographic data, experience and responses, and Fisher’s exact test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used to determine correlations between demographic data, previous contact with persons with cancer and test scores. A novel equality ratio was calculated to compare the recall and recognition sections and allowed analysis of recall v. recognition.Results. The 84 participants recalled a median of six signs each (interquartile range 4 - 7) and correctly recognised a median of 70% in the recognition section, considered a pass mark. There was no correlation between participants’ age, gender, previous contact with a person with cancer and recognition scores. Students with previous exposure to a person with cancer had higher scores in the recall section, but this did not achieve statistical significance. Students were able to recognise more signs of haematological malignancies than central nervous system (CNS) malignancies.Conclusion. The study demonstrated a marked inconsistency between recall and recognition of signs of childhood cancer, with signs of CNS malignancies being least recognised. However, the majority of students could recognise enough early warning signs to meet the university pass standard. Although this study demonstrated acceptable recognition of early warning signs of childhood cancer at one university, we suggest that long-term recall in medical practitioners is poor, as reflected in the low age-standardised ratios of childhood cancer in SA. We recommend increased ongoing exposure to paediatric oncology in medical school and improved awareness programmes to increase early referrals

Geomorphology of Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctica

This study presents a 1:25,000 geomorphological map of the northern sector of Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula. The map covers an area of c. 250 km2, and documents the landforms and surficial sediments of one of the largest ice-free areas in Antarctica, based on remote sensing and field-based mapping. The large-scale landscape features are determined by the underlying Cretaceous sedimentary and Neogene volcanic geology, which has been sculpted by overlying ice masses during glacial periods. Paraglacial and periglacial features are superimposed upon remnant glacial features, reflecting the post-glacial evolution of the landscape. The study area can be broadly separated into three geomorphological sectors, according to the dominant contemporary Earth-surface processes; specifically, a glacierised southern sector, a paraglacial-dominated eastern sector, and a periglacial-dominated central/northern sector. This map provides a basis for further interdisciplinary research, and insight into the potential future landscape evolution of other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula as the climate warms

Genome-Wide Association Mapping of Correlated Traits in Cassava: Dry Matter and Total Carotenoid Content

Article purchased; Published online: 3 August 2017Cassava (Manihot esculenta (L.) Crantz) is a starchy root crop cultivated in the tropics for fresh consumption and commercial processing. Dry matter content and micronutrient density, particularly of provitamin A, traits that are negatively correlated, are among the primary selection objectives in cassava breeding. This study aimed at identifying genetic markers associated with these traits and uncovering the potential underlying cause of their negative correlation - whether linkage and/or pleiotropy. A genome-wide association mapping using 672 clones genotyped at 72,279 SNP loci was carried out. Root yellowness was used indirectly to assess variation in carotenoid content. Two major loci for root yellowness was identified on chromosome 1 at positions 24.1 and 30.5 Mbp. A single locus for dry matter content that co-located with the 24.1 Mbp peak for carotenoid content was identified. Haplotypes at these loci explained a large proportion of the phenotypic variability. Evidence of mega-base-scale linkage disequilibrium around the major loci of the two traits and detection of the major dry matter locus in independent analysis for the white- and yellow-root subpopulations suggests that physical linkage rather that pleiotropy is more likely to be the cause of the negative correlation between the target traits. Moreover, candidate genes for carotenoid (phytoene synthase) and starch biosynthesis (UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and sucrose synthase) occurred in the vicinity of the identified locus at 24.1 Mbp. These findings elucidate on the genetic architecture of carotenoids and dry matter in cassava and provides an opportunity to accelerate genetic improvement of these traits

Determinants of disease penetrance in PRPF31-associated retinopathy

Retinitis pigmentosa 11 (RP11) is caused by dominant mutations in PRPF31, however a significant proportion of mutation carriers do not develop retinopathy. Here, we investigated the relationship between CNOT3 polymorphism, MSR1 repeat copy number and disease penetrance in RP11 patients and non-penetrant carriers (NPCs). We further characterized PRPF31 and CNOT3 expression in fibroblasts from eight RP11 patients and one NPC from a family carrying the c.1205C>T variant. Retinal organoids (ROs) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) were differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from RP11 patients, an NPC and a control subject. All RP11 patients were homozygous for the 3-copy MSR1 repeat in the PRPF31 promoter, while 3/5 NPCs carried a 4-copy MSR1 repeat. The CNOT3 rs4806718 genotype did not correlate with disease penetrance. PRFP31 expression declined with age in adult cadaveric retina. PRPF31 and CNOT3 expression was reduced in RP11 fibroblasts, RO and RPE compared with controls. Both RP11 and NPC RPE displayed shortened primary cilia compared with controls, however a subpopulation of cells with normal cilia lengths was present in NPC RPE monolayers. Our results indicate that RP11 non-penetrance is associated with the inheritance of a 4-copy MSR1 repeat, but not with CNOT3 polymorphisms

A SLUGGS and Gemini/GMOS combined study of the elliptical galaxy M60: wide-field photometry and kinematics of the globular cluster system

We present new wide-field photometry and spectroscopy of the globular clusters (GCs) around NGC 4649 (M60), the third brightest galaxy in the Virgo cluster. Imaging of NGC 4649 was assembled from a recently obtained Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys mosaic, and new Subaru/Suprime-Cam and archival Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope/MegaCam data. About 1200 sources were followed up spectroscopically using combined observations from three multi-object spectrographs: Keck/Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph, Gemini/Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph and Multiple Mirror Telescope/Hectospec. We confirm 431 unique GCs belonging to NGC 4649, a factor of 3.5 larger than previous data sets and with a factor of 3 improvement in velocity precision. We confirm significant GC colour bimodality and find that the red GCs are more centrally concentrated, while the blue GCs are more spatially extended. We infer negative GC colour gradients in the innermost 20 kpc and flat gradients out to large radii. Rotation is detected along the galaxy major axis for all tracers: blue GCs, red GCs, galaxy stars and planetary nebulae. We compare the observed properties of NGC 4649 with galaxy formation models. We find that formation via a major merger between two gas-poor galaxies, followed by satellite accretion, can consistently reproduce the observations of NGC 4649 at different radii. We find no strong evidence to support an interaction between NGC 4649 and the neighbouring spiral galaxy NGC 4647. We identify interesting GC kinematic features in our data, such as counter-rotating subgroups and bumpy kinematic profiles, which encode more clues about the formation history of NGC 4649

Detectability of Medication Errors With a STOPP/START-Based Medication Review in Older People Prior to a Potentially Preventable Drug-Related Hospital Admission.

INTRODUCTION Multimorbidity and polypharmacy are risk factors for drug-related hospital admissions (DRAs) in the ageing population. DRAs caused by medication errors (MEs) are considered potentially preventable. The STOPP/START criteria were developed to detect potential MEs in older people. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the detectability of MEs with a STOPP/START-based in-hospital medication review in older people with polypharmacy and multimorbidity prior to a potentially preventable DRA. METHODS Hospitalised older patients (n = 963) with polypharmacy and multimorbidity from the intervention arm of the OPERAM trial received a STOPP/START-based in-hospital medication review by a pharmacotherapy team. Readmissions within 1 year after the in-hospital medication review were adjudicated for drug-relatedness. A retrospective assessment was performed to determine whether MEs identified at the first DRA were detectable during the in-hospital medication review. RESULTS In total, 84 of 963 OPERAM intervention patients (8.7%) were readmitted with a potentially preventable DRA, of which 72 patients (n = 77 MEs) were eligible for analysis. About half (48%, n = 37/77) of the MEs were not present during the in-hospital medication review and therefore were not detectable at that time. The pharmacotherapy team recommended a change in medication regimen in 50% (n = 20/40) of present MEs, which corresponds to 26% (n = 20/77) of the total identified MEs at readmission. However, these recommendations were not implemented. CONCLUSION MEs identified at readmission were not addressed by a prior single in-hospital medication review because either these MEs occurred after the medication review (~50%), or no recommendation was given during the medication review (~25%), or the recommendation was not implemented (~25%). Future research should focus on optimisation of the timing and frequency of medication review and the implementation of proposed medication recommendations. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02986425. December 8, 2016. FUNDING European Union HORIZON 2020, Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)