Response study of canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars to multi-environments using genotype plus genotype environment interaction (GGE) biplot method in Iran

To study the interaction of genotype and environment in canola crop, a study was carried out in 2010. Ten genotypes (Modena, Okapi, Hyola 401, Licord, Opera, Zarfam, RGS 003, SLM046, Sarigol, and Hyola 308) of canola were studied under normal conditions of irrigation in four locations (Karaj, Birjand, Shiraz, and Kashmar) using randomized complete block design with three replications. Using GGE biplot method, grain yield was investigated for each cultivar. According to analysis of variance, there was a very significant difference among the regions. According to the yield average and genotype stability, Licord, Hyola 308, Modena and Zarfam were the best cultivars. The graphs obtained from GGE biplot software indicated that Hyola 401, Opera, and Sarigol were better than the rest of the genotypes based on stability and yield performance. At location Shiraz, none of the genotype had appropriate stability or yield. Four locations were divided into three mega-environments including Karaj, Kashmar (first mega-environment), Birjand (second mega-environment), and Shiraz (third mega-environment). Moreover, Karaj was recognized as the best region of the classification and ranking of genotypes. The study indicated that the highest and lowest genotypic reaction rates belonged to Licord and SLM 046 cultivars, respectively.Keywords: Canola, genotype environment interaction, grain yield, GGE biplot

DFT Studies of Graphene-Functionalised Derivatives of Capecitabine

Cancer is one of the major problems for so many people around the world; therefore, dedicating efforts to explore efficient therapeutic methodologies is very important for researchers of life sciences. In this case, nanostructures are expected to be carriers of medicinal compounds for targeted drug design and delivery purposes. Within this work, the graphene (Gr)-functionalised derivatives of capecitabine (CAP), as a representative anticancer, have been studied based on density functional theory calculations. Two different sizes of Gr molecular models have been used for the functionalisation of CAP counterparts, CAP-Gr3 and CAP-Gr5, to explore the effects of Gr-functionalisation on the original properties of CAP. All singular and functionalised molecular models have been optimised and the molecular and atomic scale properties have been evaluated for the optimised structures. Higher formation favourability has been obtained for CAP-Gr5 in comparison with CAP-Gr3 and better structural stability has been obtained in the water-solvated system than the isolated gas-phase system for all models. The CAP-Gr5 model could play a better role of electron transferring in comparison with the CAP-Gr3 model. As a concluding remark, the molecular properties of CAP changed from singular to functionalised models whereas the atomic properties remained almost unchanged, which is expected for a carrier not to use significant perturbations to the original properties of the carried counterpart. © 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2017

Study of cosolvent-induced α-chymotrypsin fibrillogenesis: Does protein surface hydrophobicity trigger early stages of aggregation reaction?

The misfolding of specific proteins is often associated with their assembly into fibrillar aggregates, commonly termed amyloid fibrils. Despite the many efforts expended to characterize amyloid formation in vitro, there is no deep knowledge about the environment (in which aggregation occurs) as well as mechanism of this type of protein aggregation. Alpha-chymotrypsin was recently driven toward amyloid aggregation by the addition of intermediate concentrations of trifluoroethanol. In the present study, approaches such as turbidimetric, thermodynamic, intrinsic fluorescence and quenching studies as well as chemical modification have been successfully used to elucidate the underlying role of hydrophobic interactions (involved in early stages of amyloid formation) in α-chymotrypsin-based experimental system. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Electrochemical sensor for rapid determination of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 in raw cancer cell lysates

The first electrochemical immunosensor for the determination of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) biomarker is reported in this work. The biosensor involves a sandwich configuration with covalent immobilization of a specific capture antibody onto activated carboxylic-modified magnetic microcarriers (HOOC-MBs) and amperometric detection at disposable carbon screen-printed electrodes (SPCEs). The biosensor exhibits a great analytical performance regarding selectivity for the target protein and a low LOD of 48.2 pg mL-1. The electrochemical platform was successfully applied for the determination of FGFR4 in different cancer cell lysates without any apparent matrix effect after a simple sample dilution and using only 2.5 μg of the raw lysate. Comparison of the results with those provided by a commercial ELISA kit shows competitive advantages by using the developed immunosensor in terms of simplicity, analysis time, and portability and cost-affordability of the required instrumentation for the accurate determination of FGFR4 in cell lysates

Strategic crossing of biomass and harvest index—source and sink—achieves genetic gains in wheat

To accelerate genetic gains in breeding, physiological trait (PT) characterization of candidate parents can help make more strategic crosses, increasing the probability of accumulating favorable alleles compared to crossing relatively uncharacterized lines. In this study, crosses were designed to complement “source” with “sink” traits, where at least one parent was selected for favorable expression of biomass and/or radiation use efficiency—source—and the other for sink-related traits like harvest-index, kernel weight and grains per spike. Female parents were selected from among genetic resources—including landraces and products of wide-crossing (i.e. synthetic wheat)—that had been evaluated in Mexico at high yield potential or under heat stress, while elite lines were used as males. Progeny of crosses were advanced to the F4 generation within Mexico, and F4-derived F5 and F6 generations were yield tested to populate four international nurseries, targeted to high yield environments (2nd and 3rd WYCYT) for yield potential, and heat stressed environments (2nd and 4th SATYN) for climate resilience, respectively. Each nursery was grown as multi-location yield trials. Genetic gains were achieved in both temperate and hot environments, with most new PT-derived lines expressing superior yield and biomass compared to local checks at almost all international sites. Furthermore, the tendency across all four nurseries indicated either the superiority of the best new PT lines compared with the CIMMYT elite checks, or the superiority of all new PT lines as a group compared with all checks, and in some cases, both. Results support—in a realistic breeding context—the hypothesis that yield and radiation use efficiency can be increased by improving source:sink balance, and validate the feasibility of incorporating exotic germplasm into mainstream breeding efforts to accelerate genetic gains for yield potential and climate resilience

Alpha-2-Macroglobulin Is Acutely Sensitive to Freezing and Lyophilization: Implications for Structural and Functional Studies.

Alpha-2-macroglobulin is an abundant secreted protein that is of particular interest because of its diverse ligand binding profile and multifunctional nature, which includes roles as a protease inhibitor and as a molecular chaperone. The activities of alpha-2-macroglobulin are typically dependent on whether its conformation is native or transformed (i.e. adopts a more compact conformation after interactions with proteases or small nucleophiles), and are also influenced by dissociation of the native alpha-2-macroglobulin tetramer into stable dimers. Alpha-2-macroglobulin is predominately present as the native tetramer in vivo; once purified from human blood plasma, however, alpha-2-macroglobulin can undergo a number of conformational changes during storage, including transformation, aggregation or dissociation. We demonstrate that, particularly in the presence of sodium chloride or amine containing compounds, freezing and/or lyophilization of alpha-2-macroglobulin induces conformational changes with functional consequences. These conformational changes in alpha-2-macroglobulin are not always detected by standard native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, but can be measured using bisANS fluorescence assays. Increased surface hydrophobicity of alpha-2-macroglobulin, as assessed by bisANS fluorescence measurements, is accompanied by (i) reduced trypsin binding activity, (ii) increased chaperone activity, and (iii) increased binding to the surfaces of SH-SY5Y neurons, in part, via lipoprotein receptors. We show that sucrose (but not glycine) effectively protects native alpha-2-macroglobulin from denaturation during freezing and/or lyophilization, thereby providing a reproducible method for the handling and long-term storage of this protein.Early Career Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council GNT1012521(A.R.W.); Wellcome Trust Programme Grant (J.R.K., C.M.D.) 094425/Z/10/Z; Samsung GRO Grant (M.R.W.)This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from PLoS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.013003

Correlation between Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery and Hearing Threshold Changes

Abstract: Introduction: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a probable complication of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) Surgery, that may be due to embolism, perfusion failure and consumption of ototoxic drugs. Since the incidence of SNHL after CABG is different according to the various reports, the present study was designed to study hearing threshold change after CABG surgery. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 65 patients candidated for CABG surgery were selected by convenient sampling. One week before and two weeks after the surgery, all patients were examined by E.N.T specialist, and underwent PTA and impedance test. Other information including history of previous diseases were collected too. Distribution and central indices were used for description of results and Wilcoxon test was used for comparison of pre- and post- operative hearing threshold. Results: Comparison of Pre -and Post - operative audiometry results showed no significant change in hearing for all frequencies and in both ears. Hearing threshold difference in the right ear at 4000HZ and in the left ear at 2000HZ was meaningful (P=0.027, P=0.004 respectively). Although hearing threshold differences at all frequencies and in both ears were greater in men rather than women, the meaningful difference was only for the frequency of 1000HZ in the right ear (P=0.03) and 4000HZ in the left ear (P=0.034). Conclusion: Although, hearing loss can occur after nonotologic surgeries, the incidence is very low and this can be due to the improvement in surgical and anesthesia techniques. Meanwhile, hearing threshold change in some frequencies may be sex-dependent. Keywords: Sensorineural hearing loss, Coronary artery bypass grafting, Auditory threshold, Audiometr

The relationship between health literacy and general health status of patients with type II diabetes

Individuals with low health literacy are less aware of their own health status and receive fewer preventive services. Furthermore, fewer chronic diseases are controlled in these individuals. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health literacy and general health status of patients with type II diabetes. In this descriptive-correlational study, 250 patients with type II diabetes in Ilam were selected using convenience sampling. Tools used in this study were the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) and General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ28). Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS Software version 20, including t-test (for two groups of variables), ANOVA (for more than two groups of variables), and correlation analysis. The results showed that 80 (32), 102 (40.8), and 68 (27.2) patients with diabetes had inadequate, marginal, and adequate literacy, respectively. The findings also indicated that the means and standard deviations of patients' health literacy scores were 31.38 +/- 6.40 in terms of calculations, 34.93 +/- 7.45 in reading skill, and 6.30 +/- 11.61 in general. There was a statistically significant relationship between health literacy and general health status of patients (p < 0.001). Based on the results revealing average/marginal health literacy and general health in most patients in the study, officials must conduct more research to improve health literacy and general health of patients