A nontoxic polypeptide oligomer with a fungicide potency under agricultural conditions which is equal or greater than that of their chemical counterparts

Research ArticleThere are literally hundreds of polypeptides described in the literature which exhibit fungicide activity. Tens of them have had attempted protection by patent applications but none, as far as we are aware, have found application under real agricultural conditions. The reasons behind may be multiple where the sensitivity to the Sun UV radiation can come in first place. Here we describe a multifunctional glyco-oligomer with 210 kDa which is mainly composed by a 20 kDa polypeptide termed Blad that has been previously shown to be a stable intermediary product of β-conglutin catabolism. This oligomer accumulates exclusively in the cotyledons of Lupinus species, between days 4 and 12 after the onset of germination. Blad-oligomer reveals a plethora of biochemical properties, like lectin and catalytic activities, which are not unusual per si, but are remarkable when found to coexist in the same protein molecule. With this vast range of chemical characteristics, antifungal activity arises almost as a natural consequence. The biological significance and potential technological applications of Blad-oligomer as a plant fungicide to agriculture, its uniqueness stems from being of polypeptidic in nature, and with efficacies which are either equal or greater than the top fungicides currently in the market are addressedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Response to Therapeutic Sleep Deprivation: A Naturalistic Study of Clinical and Genetic Factors and Post-treatment Depressive Symptom Trajectory

Research has shown that therapeutic sleep deprivation (SD) has rapid antidepressant effects in the majority of depressed patients. Investigation of factors preceding and accompanying these effects may facilitate the identification of the underlying biological mechanisms. This exploratory study aimed to examine clinical and genetic factors predicting response to SD and determine the impact of SD on illness course. Mood during SD was also assessed via visual analogue scale. Depressed inpatients (n = 78) and healthy controls (n = 15) underwent ~36 h of SD. Response to SD was defined as a score of ≤ 2 on the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Global Improvement. Depressive symptom trajectories were evaluated for up to a month using self/expert ratings. Impact of genetic burden was calculated using polygenic risk scores for major depressive disorder. In total, 72% of patients responded to SD. Responders and non-responders did not differ in baseline self/expert depression symptom ratings, but mood differed. Response was associated with lower age (p = 0.007) and later age at life-time disease onset (p = 0.003). Higher genetic burden of depression was observed in non-responders than healthy controls. Up to a month post SD, depressive symptoms decreased in both patients groups, but more in responders, in whom effects were sustained. The present findings suggest that re-examining SD with a greater focus on biological mechanisms will lead to better understanding of mechanisms of depression

Gender differences in the use of cardiovascular interventions in HIV-positive persons; the D:A:D Study

Peer reviewe

Comparison of blood services and clinical transfusion practices in Zimbabwe and the Netherlands: What are the key lessons?

IntroductionTracking blood safety status of member states by World Health Organisation is now a routine activity through Global Database for Blood Safety. To understand further the differences between high income and low-income countries a detailed review may be warranted. In this review, the blood services of Netherlands and Zimbabwe were compared.MethodologyA study visit to Netherlands was undertaken and the key findings from this visit were compared with equivalent data from Zimbabwe. Key thematic points were summarised from the review of the reports as well as the outcomes from key observations and informant discussions. Lessons learnt and recommendations were drawn for each thematic area considered.Key FindingsThe difference in geographical land sizes (Zimbabwe 10 times larger) and population demographics (Zimbabwe predominately youths) poses different challenges to Netherlands and Zimbabwe. The organisation and management structures of the Services are similar and both rely on 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donors. Despite the high transfusion transmission infections (TTI) rates in the general population in Zimbabwe the testing technology is low as compared to Netherlands. However, Zimbabwe through other strategies has managed to maintain low TTI prevalence in donated blood. There are comparable efforts in blood process, testing and distribution activities. The support services such as haemovigilance, research and development activities are greatly comparable though the outputs magnitude will differ depending of the level of investment.ConclusionOur findings seems to suggest that despite the differing income status of countries, given the proper strategies blood services in low resources settings can make comparable achievement