13 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Enhancing the quality of international orthopedic medical mission trips using the blue distinction criteria for knee and hip replacement centers
Background: Several organizations seek to address the growing burden of arthritis in developing countries by providing total joint replacements (TJR) to patients with advanced arthritis who otherwise would not have access to these procedures. Because these mission trips operate in resource poor environments, some of the features typically associated with high quality care may be difficult to implement. In the U.S., many hospitals that perform TJRs use the Blue Cross/Shieldâs Blue Distinction criteria as benchmarks of high quality care. Although these criteria were designed for use in the U.S., we applied them to Operation Walk (Op-Walk) Bostonâs medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Evaluating the program using these criteria illustrated that the program provides high quality care and, more importantly, helped the program to find areas of improvement. Methods: We used the Blue Distinction criteria to determine if Op-Walk Boston achieves Blue Distinction. Each criterion was grouped according to the four categories included in the Blue Distinction criteriaâ âgeneral and administrativeâ, âstructureâ, âprocessâ, or âoutcomes and volumeâ. Full points were given for criteria that the program replicates entirely and zero points were given for criteria that are not replicated entirely. Of the non-replicated criteria, Op-Walk Bostonâs clinical and administrative teams were asked if they compensate for failure to meet the criterion, and they were also asked to identify barriers that prevent them from meeting the criterion. Results: Out of 100 possible points, the program received 71, exceeding the 60-point threshold needed to qualify as a Blue Distinction center. The program met five out of eight ârequiredâ criteria and 11 out of 19 âinformationalâ criteria. It scored 14/27 in the âgeneralâ category, 30/36 in the âstructureâ category, 17/20 in the âprocessâ category, and 10/17 in the âoutcomes and volumeâ category. Conclusion: Op-Walk Boston qualified for Blue Distinction. Our analysis highlights areas of programmatic improvement and identifies targets for future quality improvement initiatives. Additionally, we note that many criteria can only be met by hospitals operating in the U.S. Future work should therefore focus on creating criteria that are applicable to TJR mission trips in the context of developing countries
Variable Levels of Tolerance to water Stress (Drought) and Associated Biochemical Markers in Tunisian Barley Landraces
[EN] Due to its high tolerance to abiotic stress, barley (Hordeum vulgare) is cultivated in many
arid areas of the world. In the present study, we evaluate the tolerance to water stress (drought)
in nine accessions of ÂżArdhaouiÂż barley landraces from different regions of Tunisia. The genetic
diversity of the accessions is evaluated with six SSR markers. Seedlings from the nine accessions are
subjected to water stress by completely stopping irrigation for three weeks. A high genetic diversity is
detected among the nine accessions, with no relationships between genetic distance and geographical
or ecogeographical zone. The analysis of growth parameters and biochemical markers in the water
stress-treated plants in comparison to their respective controls indicated great variability among the
studied accessions. Accession 2, from El May Island, displayed high tolerance to drought. Increased
amounts of proline in water-stressed plants could not be correlated with a better response to drought,
as the most tolerant accessions contained lower levels of this osmolyte. A good correlation was
established between the reduction of growth and degradation of chlorophylls and increased levels
of malondialdehyde and total phenolics. These biochemical markers may be useful for identifying
drought tolerant materials in barleyPietro Gramazio is grateful to Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for a pre-doctoral (Programa FPI de la UPV-Subprograma 1/2013 call) contract.Dbira, S.; Al Hassan, M.; Gramazio, P.; Ferchichi, A.; Vicente, O.; Prohens, J.; Boscaiu, M. (2018). Variable Levels of Tolerance to water Stress (Drought) and Associated Biochemical Markers in Tunisian Barley Landraces. Molecules. 23(3). doi:10.3390/molecules23030613S23
Effects of salinity and drought on growth, ionic relations, compatible solutes and activation of antioxidant systems in oleander (Nerium oleander L.)
[EN] Nerium
oleander
is an
ornamental
species
of high
aesthetic
value,
grown
in arid
and
semi-
arid
regions
because
of its
drought
tolerance,
which
is also
considered
as
relatively
resistant
to salt;
yet
the
biochemical
and
molecular
mechanisms
underlying
oleanderÂżs
stress
toler-
ance
remain
largely
unknown.
To
investigate
these
mechanisms,
one-year-old
oleander
seedlings
were
exposed
to 15
and
30
days
of treatment
with
increasing
salt
concentratio
ns,
up
to 800
mM
NaCl,
and
to complete
withholding
of irrigation;
growth
parameters
and
bio-
chemical
markers
characteristic
of conserved
stress-response
pathways
were
then
deter-
mined
in stressed
and
control
plants.
Strong
water
deficit
and
salt
stress
both
caused
inhibition
of growth,
degradation
of photosynthetic
pigments,
a slight
(but
statistically
signifi-
cant)
increase
in the
leaf
levels
of specific
osmolytes,
and
induction
of oxidative
stressÂżas
indicated
by
the
accumulation
of malondialdehyde
(MDA),
a reliable
oxidative
stress
marker
Âżaccompanied
by
increases
in the
levels
of total
phenolic
compounds
and
antioxidant
fla-
vonoids
and
in the
specific
activities
of ascorbate
peroxidase
(APX)
and
glutathione
reduc-
tase
(GR).
High
salinity,
in addition,
induced
accumulation
of Na
+
and
Cl
-
in roots
and
leaves
and
the
activation
of superoxide
dismutase
(SOD)
and
catalase
(CAT)
activities.
Apart
from
anatomical
adaptations
that
protect
oleander
from
leaf
dehydration
at moderate
levels
of
stress,
our
results
indicate
that
tolerance
of this
species
to salinity
and
water
deficit
is based
on
the
constitutive
accumulation
in leaves
of high
concentratio
ns
of soluble
carbohydrates
and,
to a lesser
extent,
of glycine
betaine,
and
in the
activation
of the
aforementioned
antiox-
idant
systems.
Moreover,
regarding
specifically
salt
stress,
mechanisms
efficiently
blocking
transport
of toxic
ions
from
the
roots
to the
aerial
parts
of the
plant
appear
to contribute
to a
large
extent
to tolerance
in
Nerium
oleanderThis work was financed by internal funds of the Polytechnic University of Valencia to Monica Boscaiu and Oscar Vicente. Dinesh Kumarâs stay in Valencia was financed by a NAMASTE fellowship from the European Union, and Mohamad Al Hassan was a recipient of an Erasmus Mundus pre-doctoral scholarship financed by the European Commission (Welcome Consortium).Kumar, D.; Al Hassan, M.; Naranjo Olivero, MA.; Agrawal, V.; Boscaiu, M.; Vicente, O. (2017). Effects of salinity and drought on growth, ionic relations, compatible solutes and activation of antioxidant systems in oleander (Nerium oleander L.). PLoS ONE. 12(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185017Se018501712
Salinity-Induced Variation in Biochemical Markers Provides Insight into the Mechanisms of Salt Tolerance in Common (Phaseolus vulgaris) and Runner (P. coccineus) Beans
The evaluation of biochemical markers is important for the understanding of the mechanisms of tolerance to salinity of Phaseolus beans. We have evaluated several growth parameters in young plants of three Phaseolus vulgaris cultivars subjected to four salinity levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl); one cultivar of P. coccineus, a closely related species reported as more salt tolerant than common bean, was included as external reference. Biochemical parameters evaluated in leaves of young plants included the concentrations of ions (Na+, K+, and Clâ), osmolytes (proline, glycine betaine, and total soluble sugars), and individual soluble carbohydrates. Considerable differences were found among cultivars, salinity levels, and in their interaction for most traits. In general, the linear component of the salinity factor for the growth parameters and biochemical markers was the most important. Large differences in the salinity response were found, with P. vulgaris cultivars âThe Princeâ and âMaxidorâ being, respectively, the most susceptible and tolerant ones. Our results support that salt stress tolerance in beans is mostly based on restriction of Na+ (and, to a lesser extent, also of Clâ) transport to shoots, and on the accumulation of myo-inositol for osmotic adjustment. These responses to stress during vegetative growth appear to be more efficient in the tolerant P. vulgaris cultivar âMaxidorâ. Proline accumulation is a reliable marker of the level of salt stress affecting Phaseolus plants, but does not seem to be directly related to stress tolerance mechanisms. These results provide useful information on the responses to salinity of Phaseolus
The MTP1 promoters from Arabidopsis halleri reveal cis-regulating elements for the evolution of metal tolerance
In the hyperaccumulator Arabidopsis halleri, the zinc (Zn) vacuolar transporter MTP1 is a key component of hypertolerance. Because protein sequences and functions are highly conserved between A. halleri and Arabidopsis thaliana, Zn tolerance in A. halleri may reflect the constitutively higher MTP1 expression compared with A. thaliana, based on copy number expansion and different cis regulation. Three MTP1 promoters were characterized in A. halleri ecotype I16. The comparison with the A. thaliana MTP1 promoter revealed different expression profiles correlated with specific cis-acting regulatory elements. The MTP1 5' untranslated region, highly conserved among A. thaliana, Arabidopsis lyrata and A. halleri, contains a dimer of MYB-binding motifs in the A. halleri promoters absent in the A. thaliana and A. lyrata sequences. Site-directed mutagenesis of these motifs revealed their role for expression in trichomes. A. thaliana mtp1 transgenic lines expressing AtMTP1 controlled by the native A. halleri promoter were more Zn-tolerant than lines carrying mutations on MYB-binding motifs. Differences in Zn tolerance were associated with different distribution of Zn among plant organs and in trichomes. The different cis-acting elements in the MTP1 promoters of A. halleri, particularly the MYB-binding sites, are probably involved in the evolution of Zn tolerance