Assessment of genetic relatedness of the two Amaranthus retroflexus populations by protein and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

Two populations of Amaranthus retroflexus with different morphology were collected from field of the Maize Research Institute Zemun Polje, Serbia. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and seed protein analysis were performed to study the genetic differences in two grain Amaranthus populations. The studied populations have different protein and DNA profile. A total of 171 DNA fragments were generated by 31 RAPD primers, with an average of 5.5 fragments per primer. Of these, 61.4% fragments were polymorphic among the two populations. 18 protein fraction were obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS PAGE). The populations differed in the four protein fractions of different molecular weight. The seed protein electrophoresis and RAPD markers are useful for genetic determination of A. retroflexus populations and identification of biotypes with atypical morphology.Keywords: Amaranthus retroflexus, biotypes, molecular markers, proteins.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 11(29), pp. 7331-7337, 10 April, 201

Health Predictors of Pain in Elderly—A Serbian Population-Based Study

Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of health factors with the presence and different degrees of pain in elderly above 65 years of life. Methods: The population-based study included 3540 individuals above 65 years of age of life from twofold stratified household sample representative for Serbia, during 2013 (the average age 73.9 ± 6.3 years; average Body Mass Index was 26.7 ± 4.4, females 56.8%, living with partner 55.5%, with primary education 55.3%, with poor wealth index 55.8% and from rural settings 46.2%). As health predictors of pain, we analyzed further health parameters: self-perceived general health, long-lasting health problems, diagnosed pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and other chronic diseases. Pain domain of SF-36 version 2.0 was used for pain assessment. Results: Significant health predictors of pain were: self-perceived general health (OR 2.28), where bad perception of self-perceived general health in our study had greater risk of pain with higher degree of severity; long-lasting health problems (OR 1.60), where elderly with long-lasting health problems had almost twice the risk of moderate degree of pain, and above twice the risk for severe degree of pain; pulmonary disease (OR 1.38); musculoskeletal disease (OR 2.98) and other chronic diseases (OR 1.71). The presence of musculoskeletal disease increases the risk for pain, even more than double in severe versus mild degrees of pain. Conclusion: Bad self-perceived general health, long-lasting health problems, pulmonary, musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular disease and other chronic disease were significant health-related predictors of various degrees of pain in elderly

CT and FDG-PET/CT findings in progressive mediastinal idiopathic fibrosis as a benign mimicker of esophageal carcinoma: a case report

Idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, also called sclerosing or fibrosing mediastinitis, is a very rare and aggressive fibroinflammatory process characterized by fibrous tissue proliferation in the mediastinal region. Herein, we present a rare case of idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis presenting with esophageal obstruction, most likely associated with immunoglobulin G (IgG4)-related disease, affecting the posterior mediastinum with intrapulmonary infiltration. Computed tomography revealed a narrowed lumen and thickened wall of the distal esophagus surrounded by a necrotic mass with infiltration into the nearby structures, suggesting a locally advanced malignant process. Positron emission tomography revealed intense accumulation of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose, indicating an active inflammatory component, which complicates further differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses. Thoracoscopic biopsy and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed a fibroinflammatory process with perivascular lymphoid cell infiltration that was cluster of differentiation (CD)3 (++) and CD20 (++), with massive numbers of IgG4-immunoreactive plasma cells. Although a benign condition, sclerosing mediastinitis is a close mimicker of esophageal carcinoma, which cannot be differentiated by computed tomography or positron emission tomography and must be considered in a differential diagnosis