Changes in Flower Size and Number Under Heat Stress in Rose (Rosa×Hybrida)

Roses (Rosa × hybrida) have been one of the most popular decorations for entertainment and ceremonies for the past 5,000 years, and have been used in the fragrance, medicinal, and food industry. Heat stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses which negatively affects rose performance and reduces the market value of roses. This project examined the effect of heat on rose in diploid rose populations created by intercrossing heat tolerant and sensitive diploid parents. Changes in flower size were examined in a heat shock (one hour at 44°C) experiment with potted plants and in field plots by comparing flower size in cool (spring and fall) versus warm (summer) seasons. As expected, the heat treatment decreased flower diameter, petal number, and flower dry weight. Flower size traits had moderately low narrow sense heritability (0.24 - 0. 35, 0.12 - 0.33, and 0.34 - 0.37) and moderately high to high broad sense heritability (0.62 - 0.67, 0.74 - 0.91, and 0.76 - 0.81) for flower diameter, petal number, and flower dry weight respectively. The G×E variance for flower diameter and flower dry weight accounted for 37% and 27% of the variance in the field experiment indicating that the heat stress had moderate differential genotypic effects as was indicated by the analysis of variance. However the genetic variance was several fold greater than the G×E variance indicating selection for flower size would be effective in any season but for the selection of a stable flower size (heat tolerant) rose genotype, selection would be required in both the cool and warm seasons. The number of flowers per primary and secondary inflorescence had very low narrow sense (0.01 and 0.06) and moderate broad sense (0.43 and 0.34) heritability. The G×E variance for the number of flowers per primary and secondary inflorescence accounted for 55.7% and 57.0% of the total variance in the field experiment indicating selection needs to be done for within each season. Only 26% of plants had tertiary inflorescences

Clinical Implications of Girdin Protein Expression in Glioma

Objective. To investigate the expression status of Girdin in glioma and the relationship between Girdin expression and the biological behavior of glioma. Materials and methods. The expression status of Girdin in glioma from 560 cases was evaluated by RT-PCR, Western Blot and immunohistochemistry. The relationship between Girdin expression and clinic-pathological parameters as well as prognosis was also studied. Results. The expression of Girdin in high grade glioma was significantly higher than low grade glioma. After universal analysis, the expression of Girdin protein is closely related to KPS score, extent of resection, Ki67 and WHO grade, but it was not related to sex and age. Finally, extent of resection, Ki67 and WHO grade were indentified to be related to the Girdin protein expression in logistic regression. Interestingly, we found that the expression of Girdin is significantly related to the distant metastasis of glioma. After COX regression analysis, KPS score, Extent of resection, Ki67, WHO grade as well as Girdin were observed to be independent prognostic factors. Conclusions. Girdin is differential expressed in the glioma patients and closely related to the biological behavior of Glioma. Finally, Girdin was found to be a strong predictor for the post-operative prognosis

Pedigree-based QTL analysis of flower size traits in two multi-parental diploid rose populations

Rose (Rosa spp.) is one of the most economically important ornamental species worldwide. Flower diameter, flower weight, and the number of petals and petaloids are key flower-size parameters and attractive targets for DNA-informed breeding. Pedigree-based analysis (PBA) using FlexQTL software was conducted using two sets of multi-parental diploid rose populations. Phenotypic data for flower diameter (Diam), flower weight (fresh (FWT)/dry (DWT)), number of petals (NP), and number of petaloids (PD) were collected over six environments (seasons) at two locations in Texas. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify new and/or validate previously reported QTL(s); 2) identify SNP haplotypes associated with QTL alleles (Q-/q-) of a trait and their sources; and 3) determine QTL genotypes for important rose breeding parents. Several new and previously reported QTLs for NP and Diam traits were identified. In addition, QTLs associated with flower weight and PD were identified for the first time. Two major QTLs with large effects were mapped for all traits. The first QTL was at the distal end of LG1 (60.44–60.95 Mbp) and was associated with Diam and DWT in the TX2WOB populations. The second QTL was consistently mapped in the middle region on LG3 (30.15–39.34 Mbp) and associated with NP, PD, and flower weight across two multi-parent populations (TX2WOB and TX2WSE). Haplotype results revealed a series of QTL alleles with differing effects at important loci for most traits. This work is distinct from previous studies by conducting co-factor analysis to account for the DOUBLE FLOWER locus while mapping QTL for NP. Sources of high-value (Q) alleles were identified, namely, ‘Old Blush’ and Rosa wichuraiana from J14-3 for Diam, while ‘Violette’ and PP-J14-3 were sources for other traits. In addition, the source of the low-value (q) alleles for Diam was ‘Little Chief’, and Rosa wichuraiana through J14-3 was the source for the remaining traits. Hence, our results can potentially inform parental/seedling selections as means to improve ornamental quality in roses and a step towards implementing DNA-informed techniques for use in rose breeding programs

Resident Case Conference Medicine Grand Rounds

Case Presentation, Dr. Varun Bhalla Empyema Necessitans, Dr. Frank Genese Surgical Management of Benign and Malignant Empyema, Dr. Shuyin Lian

Lung Cancer Screening and Nodule Management 2020 Update

Case presentation

Ultrasonic vocalizations induced by sex and amphetamine in M2, M4, M5 muscarinic and D2 dopamine receptor knockout mice.

Adult mice communicate by emitting ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) during the appetitive phases of sexual behavior. However, little is known about the genes important in controlling call production. Here, we study the induction and regulation of USVs in muscarinic and dopaminergic receptor knockout (KO) mice as well as wild-type controls during sexual behavior. Female mouse urine, but not female rat or human urine, induced USVs in male mice, whereas male urine did not induce USVs in females. Direct contact of males with females is required for eliciting high level of USVs in males. USVs (25 to120 kHz) were emitted only by males, suggesting positive state; however human-audible squeaks were produced only by females, implying negative state during male-female pairing. USVs were divided into flat and frequency-modulated calls. Male USVs often changed from continuous to broken frequency-modulated calls after initiation of mounting. In M2 KO mice, USVs were lost in about 70-80% of the mice, correlating with a loss of sexual interaction. In M5 KO mice, mean USVs were reduced by almost 80% even though sexual interaction was vigorous. In D2 KOs, the duration of USVs was extended by 20%. In M4 KOs, no significant differences were observed. Amphetamine dose-dependently induced USVs in wild-type males (most at 0.5 mg/kg i.p.), but did not elicit USVs in M5 KO or female mice. These studies suggest that M2 and M5 muscarinic receptors are needed for male USV production during male-female interactions, likely via their roles in dopamine activation. These findings are important for the understanding of the neural substrates for positive affect

American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship-Over a decade of experience

Objective: The study objective was to evaluate the experience of previous American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship recipients. Methods: A database of recipients of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship in Cardiothoracic Surgery provided by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery was analyzed. A questionnaire was sent via email to recipients with 10 questions within the survey to assess the types of exposure during the internship, the impact of the internship on career choices, the current career setting, and any additional thoughts regarding the internship. Results: Between 2007 and 2017, there were 356 awardees of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship. These awardees were from 41 different medical schools and went to 39 different sponsoring institutions. Ultimately, 55 (15.5%) medical students chose a career in cardiothoracic surgery, with 153 (43.0%) awardees deciding to pursue a surgical subspecialty. Of those who received our survey, 75 awardees responded (29.2%). A majority of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Interns were exposed to the sponsoring surgeon (98.7%, n = 74) and operating room (88.0%, n = 66) on at least a weekly basis during the 8-week internship. All of the respondents participated in basic science or clinical research at their sponsoring institution. Some 92.0% (n = 69) of the awardees highly recommended this scholarship to medical students interested in cardiothoracic surgery. Conclusions: The awardees of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship come from a variety of medical schools and visited a diverse group of sponsoring institutions. The 8-week program provides valuable early exposure for medical students to cardiothoracic surgeons, the operating room, and research opportunities. This experience was highly recommended by prior recipients to medical students interested in cardiothoracic surgery