Molecular Characterization of Avna Library from the Flesh of Durian (Durio Zibethinus Murr.) Clone D24

The genus Durio is originated from Malaysia. Out of 198 registered clones, D24 is known as the best variety not only in Malaysia but also in the world. However, molecular genetic study on durian is still limited. This study was one of the initial molecular work which could contribute to the database of clone D24 durian. Firstly, we have compared three conventional methods for total RNA isolation from different types of durian tissues. The results showed that the CTAB procedure produced the best yield and high quality of total RNA from 4-month old durian flesh. The yield ranged from 75.8 pg to 272.5 pg per gram of frozen durian tissue with an average purity ratio A26dA28o0f 1.78. The RNA from 4-month old durian flesh of clone D24 was successfully used for the construction of a cDNA library. The titer of the primary cDNA library was 5.1 x106 pfulml. The percentage of recombinant plaques was 99% which indicated a sufficient cDNA library quality for full-length cDNA screening. A total of 30 randomly collected clones were generated from the cDNA library. Based on the comparison of these sequences with the GENEBANK, the sequences were classified into 7 groups according to their putative functions i.e. general metabolism (1 0 sequences); DNA and protein synthesis (4 sequences); glycosylation and transport proteins (1 sequence); respiration chain and photosynthesis (1 sequence); regulation mechanism (6 sequences); immunology (1 sequence); and novel genes (7 sequences). The initial molecular biology information of durian will also support further basic molecular work for genetic engineering and crop improvement application in the future. Consequently, two interesting clones, putative FKBP12 and quinone reductase, were subjected to further characterization. These genes were found to be present in the genome as single copy genes and expressed not only in the 4-month old durian flesh but also in other tissues such as the leaves and young flower buds. However, these genes were not found to be expressed in ripening flesh tissues. The former, FKBP12 has a main function of dissecting higher plants ca2+-dependent signal pathway. The latter, quinone reductase plays an important role in xenobiotic detoxification

The best method for isolated total RNA from durian tissues

Plant tissues, especially durian tissues contain high content of polysaccharides, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites which can co-precipitate with RNA causing problem in further transcriptomic study. In this experiment, three basic chaotic agents, CTAB, SDS and guanidine are used in three basic protocols for RNA isolation. The effectiveness of each method was determined by spectrophotometer, denaturing agarose gels analysis and northern blot hybridization. CTAB combining with additional sodium acetate precipitation step showed highest yield and best quality of isolated RNA which was free from contaminations of polysaccharides, polyphenols and other secondary metabolites. Furthermore, the total RNA from 4-month old durian flesh of clone D24 was successfully used to construct a cDNA library. In conclusion, CTAB method is effective to isolate total RNA on various types of durian tissues for further gene expression analysis

Genetic diversity of local rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta based on SSR markers and morphological characteristics

Based on target traits, use of the genetic diversity of rice is beneficial for crop improvement. In this study, 41 rice varieties local to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta were evaluated on the basis of 11 quantitative morphological traits, along with the assessment of genetic diversity according to 50 SSR markers. The actual yield had a significance level of 0.05, while plant height and panicles per square meter had a high significance level of 0.001. Cluster analysis based on 11 quantitative traits also revealed that two were the optimal number of clusters used in this study. The highest polymorphic information content (PIC) value obtained was for RM286 (0.49), with a range of 0.00 to 0.49 and an average PIC of 0.14. Both structure and phylogenetic tree analyses as inferred from 50 SSR markers by the unweighted pair‐group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) also indicated that the 41 local rice varieties could be divided into two major groups. This study provides a useful information for Mot bui do cao CM, and Mot bui five varieties for improvements in the yield and intermediate amylose content of local rice‐breeding programs in future, especially for the Mekong Delta region

Alcohol Use Disorder is Associated with an Increased Risk for Respiratory Failure among Patients with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: While takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) was initially considered a benign disease, recent studies have demonstrated poor cardiovascular outcomes. It is important to determine the predictors of these outcomes for appropriate risk stratification and to decrease the overall disease burden. Physical stressors (e.g., acute neurologic disorder and lung disorder) and pre-existing heart failure have been associated with worse outcomes. Alcohol abuse has been associated with cardiomyopathy and may also exacerbate pre-existing heart conditions. AIM: We aimed to determine the impact of alcohol abuse on patients with TCM. METHODS: We identified 11,221 patients from the 2009 to 2012 National Inpatient Sample, of which 10,622 had TCM alone and 599 had TCM and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Our outcomes of interest were overall mortality, need for mechanical hemodynamic support (MHS), acute respiratory failure, sudden cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, stroke, and atrial fibrillation. All clinical characteristics were defined per the International Classification of Diseases 9th revision codes. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios of the outcomes in patients with concomitant TCM and AUD, compared to those with TCM without AUD while adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 60.5 ± 11 for TCM with AUD and 56.0 ± 11 for TCM alone. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the rates of atrial fibrillation (10.4% vs. 8,5%; p = 0.134), cardiogenic shock (5.9% vs. 4.8%; p = 0.3), use of MHS (2.6% vs. 1.7%; p = 0.165), overall in-hospital mortality (4.0% vs. 3.7%; p = 0.691), stroke (1.6% vs. 1.3%; p = 0.593), and sudden cardiac arrest (2.7% vs. 3.5%; p = 0.24). Rates of acute respiratory failure (17.7% vs. 25.2%; p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in patients with TCM with AUD compared to those with TCM alone. After adjusting for significant cofounders, the odds ratio for respiratory failure among patients with concomitant TCM and AUD was 1.36 (95% CI: 1.11–1.66) compared to those with TCM without AUD. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing AUD is associated with an increased risk for respiratory failure in a patient with TCM

Whole-genome sequencing of three local rice varieties (Oryza sativa L.) in Vietnam

Recently, a new technology, Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been launched and providing whole-genome sequences that helps identify molecular markers across the genome. DNA markers such as single nucleotides and insertion – deletion (InDel) polymorphisms were widely used for plant breeding particularly to distinguish important traits in rice. These PCR-based markers can be used for the precision detection of polymorphisms. Moreover, PCR-based approaches are simple and effective methods for dealing with the issue of fraudulent labeling and adulteration in the global rice industry. In this study, three local varieties of Oryza sativa L. in Vietnam were sequenced with up to ten times genome depth and at least four times coverage (~83%) using the Illumina HiSeq2000™ system, with an average of 6.5 GB clean data per sample, generated after filtering low-quality data. The data was approximately mapped up to 95% to the reference genome IRGSP 1.0. The results obtained from this study will contribute to a wide range of valuable information for further investigation into this germplasm

Construction of cDNA library and preliminary analysis of expressed sequence tags from green microalga Ankistrodesmus convolutus Corda

Green microalga Ankistrodesmus convolutus Corda is a fast growing alga which produces appreciable amount of carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the construction of cDNA library and preliminary analysis of ESTs for this species. The titers of the primary and amplified cDNA libraries were 1.1×10(6) and 6.0×10(9) pfu/ml respectively. The percentage of recombinants was 97% in the primary library and a total of 337 out of 415 original cDNA clones selected randomly contained inserts ranging from 600 to 1,500 bps. A total of 201 individual ESTs with sizes ranging from 390 to 1,038 bps were then analyzed and the BLASTX score revealed that 35.8% of the sequences were classified as strong match, 38.3% as nominal and 25.9% as weak match. Among the ESTs with known putative function, 21.4% of them were found to be related to gene expression, 14.4% ESTs to photosynthesis, 10.9% ESTs to metabolism, 5.5% ESTs to miscellaneous, 2.0% to stress response, and the remaining 45.8% were classified as novel genes. Analysis of ESTs described in this paper can be an effective approach to isolate and characterize new genes from A. convolutus and thus the sequences obtained represented a significant contribution to the extensive database of sequences from green microalgae

Overexpression of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) TAPETUM DEVELOPMENT1-like Eg707 in rice affects cell division and differentiation and reduces fertility

The functional analysis of the TAPETUM DEVELOPMENT1-like analog Eg707 of oil palm was carried out in rice by over-expressing Eg707 under the control of a double cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Ectopic expression of Eg707 in rice induced dark green and matured compact brownish calli compared to pale wild type and negative control calli. Regenerated transgenic rice plants exhibited a reduction in organ size and plant height, rolled, erect leaves, less tillers, increased chlorophyll content, and reduced fertility with smaller green seeds. At the molecular level Eg707 overexpression caused an increase in the transcription of SAPK9, a SnRK2 protein kinase family member that is activated by ABA and hyperosmotic stress. Together, the results show that ectopic Eg707 expression influences cell division and differentiation, presumably via altered hormone homeostasis

STUDENTS’ OPINIONS ON VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE: A CASE STUDY

The problem of employment is always a crucial problem and is the concern of most parents and school students. The survey on the perception of 40 students about vocational guidance was carried out in Nguyen Viet Dung High School in Can Tho City, Vietnam. Results show that students are very concerned about their future career; students have a proper perception of vocational guidance and recognize well factors which affect their career choice.  Article visualizations

A novel transcript of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), Eg707, is specifically upregulated in tissues related to totipotency

In this study, we report the molecular characterization of clone Eg707 isolated from cell suspension culture of the oil palm. The deduced polypeptide of clone Eg707 is highly similar to an unknown protein from Arabidopsis thaliana. The presence of an Ald-Xan-dh-C2 superfamily domain in the deduced protein sequence suggested that Eg707 protein might be involved in abscisic acid biosynthesis. Eg707 might be present as a single copy gene in the oil palm genome. This gene is highly expressed in tissue cultured materials compared to vegetative and reproductive tissues, suggesting a role of this gene during oil palm somatic embryogenesis or at the early stages of embryo development. Expression analysis of Eg707 by RNA in situ hybridization showed that Eg707 transcripts were present throughout somatic embryo development starting from proembryo formation at the embryogenic callus stages till the maturing embryo stages. Since proembryo formation within the embryogenic callus is one of the first key factors in oil palm somatic embryo development, it is suggested that Eg707 could be used as a reliable molecular marker for detecting early stage of oil palm somatic embryogenesis

A Rare Colonic Metastasis Case from Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) metastasis include intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis. Similar to intrahepatic metastasis, extrahepatic metastases are not unusual in cases with HCC. However, colonic metastasis is infrequent. CASE REPORT: We describe a clinical case, he was diagnosed with HCC a year ago, treated with TACE (transarterialchemoembolisation), re-examined with abdominal pain and defecation disorder. The tests such as CT scan, colorectal endoscopy, fine needle aspiration (FNA) revealed secondary metastatic lesion of HCC in sigmoid colon. This is the first gastrointestinal (GI) tract metastatic we have encountered. CONCLUSION: HCC metastases of the colon are rare, especially cases of hematogenous spread. The prognosis of these patients is often very critical. Indications for surgical removal of the lesion may be used if the general situation of patient is acceptable