Genetic control of protein, oil and fatty acids content under partial drought stress and late sowing conditions in sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

The purpose of the present study was to map quantitative trait locus (QTLs) associated with percentage of seed protein, oil and fatty acids content under different conditions in a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of sunflower. Three independent field experiments were conducted with well-, partial-irrigated and late-sowing conditions in randomized complete block design with three replications. High significant variation among genotypes is observed for the studied traits in all conditions. Several specific and non-specific QTLs for the aforementioned traits were detected. Under late-sowing condition, a specific QTL of palmitic acid content on linkage group 6 (PAC-LS.6) is located between ORS1233 and SSL66_1 markers. Common chromosomic regions are observed for percentage of seed oil and stearic acid content on linkage group 10 (PSO-PI.10 and SAC-WI.10) and 15 (PSO-PI.15 and SAC-LS.15). Overlapping occurs for QTLs of oleic and linoleic acids content on linkage groups 10, 11 and 16. Seven QTLs associated with palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids content are identified on linkage group 14. These common QTLs are linked to HPPD homologue, HuCL04260C001. Coincidence of the position for some detected QTLs and candidate genes involved in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants would be useful for the function of the respective genes in fatty acid stability.Key words: Sunflower, quantitative trait locus, simple sequence repeats, oil content, protein content, fatty acids

Human papillomavirus in high- and low-risk areas of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in China

To examine the potential roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) development, we examined the presence of HPV DNA in paraffin-embedded ESCC tissues collected from two areas with different ESCC incidence rates in China, that is, Gansu (n=26) and Shandong (n=33), using PCR with SPF10 primers, or PCR with GP5+/GP6+ primers combined with Southern blot hybridisation. HPV genotype was determined by the INNO-LiPA HPV genotyping kit. HPV DNA was detected in 17 cases (65%) in Gansu, where ESCC incidence is much higher than in Shandong, where HPV was positive in two samples (6%). HPV genotypes 16 and 18 were detected in 79 and 16% of HPV-positive samples, respectively. Real-time PCR analysis suggested the presence of integrated form of HPV DNA in all the HPV-16-positive samples, but its viral load was estimated to be only <1–2 copies cell−1. We could not detect HPV 16/18 E6 protein expression by immunostaining in any of the HPV-16-positive samples. Neither p16INK4a nor p53 expression was related to HPV presence in ESCCs. Further studies seem warranted to examine the possible aetiological roles of HPV in ESCC

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) screening and detection in healthy patient saliva samples: a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a large family of non-enveloped DNA viruses, mainly associated with cervical cancers. Recent epidemiologic evidence has suggested that HPV may be an independent risk factor for oropharyngeal cancers. Evidence now suggests HPV may modulate the malignancy process in some tobacco- and alcohol-induced oropharynx tumors, but might also be the primary oncogenic factor for inducing carcinogenesis among some non-smokers. More evidence, however, is needed regarding oral HPV prevalence among healthy adults to estimate risk. The goal of this study was to perform an HPV screening of normal healthy adults to assess oral HPV prevalence.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Healthy adult patients at a US dental school were selected to participate in this pilot study. DNA was isolated from saliva samples and screened for high-risk HPV strains HPV16 and HPV18 and further processed using qPCR for quantification and to confirm analytical sensitivity and specificity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chi-square analysis revealed the patient sample was representative of the general clinic population with respect to gender, race and age (<it>p </it>< 0.05). Four patient samples were found to harbor HPV16 DNA, representing 2.6% of the total (n = 151). Three of the four HPV16-positive samples were from patients under 65 years of age and all four were female and Hispanic (non-White). No samples tested positive for HPV18.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The successful recruitment and screening of healthy adult patients revealed HPV16, but not HPV18, was present in a small subset. These results provide new information about oral HPV status, which may help to contextualize results from other studies that demonstrate oral cancer rates have risen in the US among both females and minorities and in some geographic areas that are not solely explained by rates of tobacco and alcohol use. The results of this study may be of significant value to further our understanding of oral health and disease risk, as well as to help design future studies exploring the role of other factors that influence oral HPV exposure, as well as the short- and long-term consequences of oral HPV infection.</p

Why testes are resistant to hydatidosis: Is blood-testis-barrier responsible for this resistance?

There have been reports of hydatid disease occurring in most of the vital organs such as the lungs, liver, and brain, while only 2-3% of all such cases have affected the urinary tract, with the testes being an extremely rare anatomic site for echinococcosis. Testes are extremely rare sites for echinococcosis. To our knowledge only three cases of testicular hydatid disease have been reported so far. In this laboratory animal model, we studied hydatidosis in rabbit testis. Fourteen male albino rabbits (body weight 2.5-3 kg) were randomized into two groups: Group A (study group), for testicular injection and Group B (controlled group), for intraperitoneal injection of viable protoscoleces. We directly infected the right testis of seven rabbits (Group A) with infective viable protoscoleces that were obtained from hydatid cyst of cow's liver, and we injected intraperitoneally the same fluid to another male rabbits (Group B) for control, Then, housed them under pathogen-free conditions for a ten-week period (70 days). One rabbit from Group A and three from Group B died one day after injection while the other survived during the follow-up period. At the 10th week, they were all anaesthetized with IM injection of ketamine hydrochloride (l00 mg/kg) and xylazin [Rumpon] (l0 mg/kg) and then all testes were studied with ultrasonography. In Group A, all testes were excised, and in Group B, we removed the liver, kidneys and took four biopsies from peritoneum, for histopathologic investigation. There was demonstrable hydatid cyst (protoscoleces and germinative layer) in testes of five rabbits from Group A, but in one rabbit, both testes were normal. In Group B, three out of four rabbits developed peritoneal hydatidosis. The mechanism of testicular resistance to echinococcosis could be due to blood-testis barrier because when we directly infected the testes of rabbits with protoscoleces, hydatid cyst developed. Keywords: hydatid disease, hydatidosis, testis, blood-testis-barrier, rabbit, echinoccocosis. Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 29 (2) 2008: pp. 84-8

The relation between zero-time pretransplant deceased donor renal biopsy and kidney transplant survival

Mahmoud Tavakkoli,1 Masoud Yousefi,2 Reza Mahdavi,2 Mahmoud Reza Kalantari,3 Amin Mirsani,2 Amin Korooji2 1Kidney Transplantation Complications Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; 2Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; 3Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran Introduction: There are several investigations about preimplantation biopsy results in alive donors. However, assessment of the biopsies in deceased donors&rsquo; kidney and its correlation with patient survival is limited. In this study, we evaluated the correlation between zero-time pretransplant kidney biopsy and survival of kidney in deceased donors. Patients and methods: This was a cohort study conducted at Montaserieh Hospital, Mashhad, between January 2016 and December 2017. We included all brain dead patients who were referred to Montaserieh transplantation center. After vascular anastomosis of kidneys in recipient patients, in the operation room, and de-clumping of vessels, biopsies were taken from upper pole of donated kidney. Blocks of biopsies were evaluated by expert pathologists and then reported. We followed patients for 1 year and compared the pathologic findings and renal survival in them. Results: The mean age of deceased donors was 32.32&plusmn;1.49 years and that of the recipient patients was 36.33&plusmn;1.27 years. Thirty-eight recipient patients (45.2%) were female and 46 were male (54.8%). The most pathologic pattern in our study was grade I separation, followed by blebs, dilatation, and loss of attenuation. We showed that most of the transplantations were safe after 1-year follow-up (85.7%) without any complications. We observed thrombosis in two cases (2.4%) and rejection of transplantation in ten patients (11.9%). Cox regression analysis showed that end-stage renal disease grade (HR =3.84, 95% CI =2.315&ndash;6.348; P&lt;0.0001) and gender of the deceased donors (HR =0.34, 95% CI =0.145&ndash;0.797; P=0.013) were related to graft survival rate. Conclusion: Only cast feature in pathologic exam was related to graft survival, which is a marker of tissue ischemia. There was no significant correlation between other histological findings and graft survival. Keywords: survival rate, transplant, renal biopsy, graft outcome, kidney, deceased donor

The Fauna and Bioecology of Vectors of Leishmaniasis (Phlebotominae sandflies) in Nourabad Mamassani County, Fars Province

ABSTRACT: Introduction & Objective: The incidence of human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has recently increased in the Nourabad-Mamassani district of Fars province. This study was designed to detect fauna and bioecology of Phlebotomiae sand flies which are vectors of leishmaniasis worldwide. Materials & Methods: The study was a descriptive – cross sectional which was carried out during 2004 to 2005. Sand flies were caught using CDC miniature light traps, sticky traps and aspirators. Microscopic dissection and a Leishmania species specific seminested-PCR technique using minicircle kinetoplast DNA primers were used to detect leptomonad infection. Results: A total of 12688 sand flies were caught, of them, 7040 specimens (55.48%) were male and 5648 (44.52%) were female. The fauna was identified as 25 species (14 Phlebotomus and 11 Sergentomyia species). Six species consist of four Phlebotomus species (P. ansari, P. salehi, P. eleanorae and P. bergeroti) and two Sergentomyia species (S. squamipleuris and S. africana) were reported for the first time in the Fars province. Ph. papatasi and S. dentata were the dominant species in indoor (39.2%) and outdoor (21.1%) places, respectively. Monthly activity of sand flies begins in mid Ordibehesht, lasting to mid Aban with a peak in mid Mordad. Leishmania leptomonad infection was observed in two dissected specimens of each of Ph. alexandri and Ph. papatasi species. Anthropophilic indices of these two sand flies were 32.8 and 37.3% using ELISA technique. Conclusion: Sand flies fauna is rich in this county because of high bioecological diversity. P. papatasi and P. alexandri are introduced as the vectors of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in this focus, respectively. Our findings will be used as the basis of leishmaniasis control strategies in this focus

Absolute and relative educational inequalities in obesity among adults in Tehran: Findings from the Urban HEART study-2

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity is increasing in Iran. Previous studies showed mixed results in relation to association between socioeconomic status and obesity in the country. The current study aimed to examine educational inequalities among adults in Tehran in 2011. METHOD: Data on 90,435 persons 18 years and older from Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART-2) were analyzed. The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were used for assessing educational inequalities in obesity. These measures were quantified using generalized linear models for the binomial family adjusted for sex and age. Subgroup analysis was conducted across sex, age groups and the 22 districts of Tehran. RESULTS: Both SII and RII showed substantial educational inequalities in obesity in favour of more educated adults [RII and SII (95% CI were equal to 2.91 (2.71-3.11) and 0.12 (0.12-0.13)), respectively]. These educational inequalities were persistent even after adjusting for employment, marital status and smoking. Subgroup analysis revealed that educational inequalities were more profound among women. While among men educational inequalities were generally increasing with age, an inverse trend was observed among women. Educational inequalities were observed within all 22 districts of Tehran and generally there were no statistically significant differences between districts. CONCLUSION: An inverse association between education and obesity was observed in the current study. To decrease educational inequalities in Tehran, priority should be given to younger women and older men. Further analyses are needed to explain these inequalities