178 research outputs found
Corticosteroid therapy for the management of paradoxical inflammatory reaction in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis
Background Paradoxical reaction after the initiation of tuberculosis treatment is defined as increased inflammation following effective antimycobacterial treatment. This is a phenomenon that can severely complicate a patient's recovery, potentially leading to further morbidity and residual deficits. Paradoxical reaction remains poorly understood regarding its pathophysiology and management. Only a limited number of reports look critically at the available therapeutic options, with evidence of the efficacy of prednisolone therapy being primarily limited to extrapulmonary PR only. Case We describe two HIV negative patients who were admitted to our department with pulmonary tuberculosis, presenting with inflammatory patterns attributable to PR and their response to adjunctive steroid therapy. Discussion and Conclusions The presented cases further highlight the need for immunological studies and randomized trials for corticosteroid therapy are needed to better understand this phenomenon as well as provide an evidence-base for anti-inflammatory treatment. Furthermore, by means of this case series, we are also able to highlight the potential variability in the symptomatology of the lesser known PR phenomenon, in which we observed a hypotensive shock-like syndrome not previously described in literature
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High Involvement Management, High Performance Work Systems and Well-being
Studies on the impact of high-performance work systems on employees' well-being are emerging but the underlying theory remains weak. This paper attempts to develop theory of the effects on well-being of four dimensions of high-performance work systems: enriched jobs, high involvement management, employee voice, and motivational supports. Hypothesized associations are tested using multilevel models and data from Britain's Workplace Employment Relations Survey of 2004 (WERS2004). Results show that enriched jobs are positively associated with both measures of well-being: job satisfaction and anxiety–contentment. Voice is positively associated with job satisfaction, and motivational supports with neither measure. The results for high involvement management are not as predicted because it increases anxiety and is independent of job satisfaction
A Putative Transcription Factor MYT1 Is Required for Female Fertility in the Ascomycete Gibberella zeae
Gibberella zeae is an important pathogen of major cereal crops. The fungus produces ascospores that forcibly discharge from mature fruiting bodies, which serve as the primary inocula for disease epidemics. In this study, we characterized an insertional mutant Z39P105 with a defect in sexual development and identified a gene encoding a putative transcription factor designated as MYT1. This gene contains a Myb DNA-binding domain and is conserved in the subphylum Pezizomycotina of Ascomycota. The MYT1 protein fused with green fluorescence protein localized in nuclei, which supports its role as a transcriptional regulator. The MYT1 deletion mutant showed similar phenotypes to the wild-type strain in vegetative growth, conidia production and germination, virulence, and mycotoxin production, but had defect in female fertility. A mutant overexpressing MYT1 showed earlier germination, faster mycelia growth, and reduced mycotoxin production compared to the wild-type strain, suggesting that improper MYT1 expression affects the expression of genes involved in the cell cycle and secondary metabolite production. This study is the first to characterize a transcription factor containing a Myb DNA-binding domain that is specific to sexual development in G. zeae
Overexpression of defense response genes in transgenic wheat enhances resistance to Fusarium head blight
Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat, caused by Fusarium graminearum and other Fusarium species, is a major disease problem for wheat production worldwide. To combat this problem, large-scale breeding efforts have been established. Although progress has been made through standard breeding approaches, the level of resistance attained is insufficient to withstand epidemic conditions. Genetic engineering provides an alternative approach to enhance the level of resistance. Many defense response genes are induced in wheat during F. graminearum infection and may play a role in reducing FHB. The objectives of this study were (1) to develop transgenic wheat overexpressing the defense response genes α-1-purothionin, thaumatin-like protein 1 (tlp-1), and β-1,3-glucanase; and (2) to test the resultant transgenic wheat lines against F. graminearum infection under greenhouse and field conditions. Using the wheat cultivar Bobwhite, we developed one, two, and four lines carrying the α-1-purothionin, tlp-1, and β-1,3-glucanase transgenes, respectively, that had statistically significant reductions in FHB severity in greenhouse evaluations. We tested these seven transgenic lines under field conditions for percent FHB disease severity, deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin accumulation, and percent visually scabby kernels (VSK). Six of the seven lines differed from the nontransgenic parental Bobwhite line for at least one of the disease traits. A β-1,3-glucanase transgenic line had enhanced resistance, showing lower FHB severity, DON concentration, and percent VSK compared to Bobwhite. Taken together, the results showed that overexpression of defense response genes in wheat could enhance the FHB resistance in both greenhouse and field conditions
The effect of autonomy, training opportunities, age and salaries on job satisfaction in the South East Asian retail petroleum industry
South East Asian petroleum retailers are under considerable pressure to improve service quality by reducing turnover. An empirical methodology from this industry determined the extent to which job characteristics, training opportunities, age and salary influenced the level of job satisfaction, an indicator of turnover. Responses are reported on a random sample of 165 site employees (a 68% response rate) of a Singaporean retail petroleum firm. A restricted multivariate regression model of autonomy and training opportunities explained the majority (35.4%) of the variability of job satisfaction. Age did not moderate these relationships, except for employees >21 years of age, who reported enhanced job satisfaction with additional salary. Human Capital theory, Life Cycle theory and Job Enrichment theory are invoked and explored in the context of these findings in the South East Asian retail petroleum industry. In the South East Asian retail petroleum industry, jobs providing employees with the opportunity to undertake a variety of tasks that enhanced the experienced meaningfulness of work are likely to promote job satisfaction, reduce turnover and increase the quality of service
Citizenship pressure and job performance : roles of citizenship fatigue and continuance commitment
Colonization and inoculum production of Gibberella zeae in components of wheat residue
Cereal crop residues represent the most important inoculum source for the development of Fusarium head blight in wheat and barley. There is little information on the level of colonization or the contribution of different parts of the wheat residue to inoculum. In this study, wheat residue tissues including nodes, floral bracts (glumes, lemmas, and paleae), and kernels were evaluated for
Gibberella zeae
colonization and inoculum production.
Gibberella zeae
was recovered from all residue tissues. Colonization, determined as the percentage of each residue fraction colonized by
G. zeae
, was greater on nodes than on kernels and floral bracts. Ascospores were produced by
G. zeae
on all residue tissues studied. Tissues differed in the quantity of ascospores produced with kernels supporting the development of more ascospores per gram of tissue than nodes and floral bracts. Information from this study may assist in the understanding of colonization and ascospores production of
G. zeae
in different residue tissues
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