CROSS-SPECIES AMPLIFICATION OF NUCLEAR EST-MICROSATELLITES DEVELOPED FOR OTHER Pinus SPECIES IN Pinus nigra

Due to the current lack of nuclear microsatellites (simple sequence repeats SSRs) specifically developed for Pinus nigra, an important European coniferous species, we cross-species amplified 12 EST-SSRs (expressed sequence tagged SSRs) developed for other Pinus species in P. nigra in order to delineate loci which can be used for assessing levels of genetic diversity and genetic structuring in this species. We amplified these loci in individuals from seven populations from the central Balkans representing four recognized infraspecific taxa of P. nigra (ssp. nigra, var. gocensis, ssp. pallasiana, and var. banatica). Contrary to expectations on high transferability of EST-SSRs into related species, only three out of 12 tested loci were successfully amplified in P. nigra, but they displayed lack/low levels of polymorphism or generated multilocus amplification products. Thus, our estimates on levels of genetic diversity (HE = 0.183) and genetic differentiation (F-ST = 0.007) were based on variability of a single locus harboring four alleles only and they should be taken with cautions. Our study highlights the need for the development of high-resolution molecular markers, such as co-dominant genic or genomic SSRs or predominantly biallelic SNPs, or utilization of anonymous dominant markers, such as AFLPs, for genotyping in P. nigra.Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Serbia {[}173029, 173030

The Prospects of Secondary Moderate Mitral Regurgitation after Aortic Valve Replacement —Meta-Analysis

Aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis represents one of the most frequent surgical procedures on heart valves. These patients often have concomitant mitral regurgitation. To reveal whether the moderate mitral regurgitation will improve after aortic valve replacement alone, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. We identified 27 studies with 4452 patients that underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and had co-existent mitral regurgitation. Primary end point was the impact of aortic valve replacement on the concomitant mitral regurgitation. Secondary end points were the analysis of the left ventricle reverse remodeling and long-term survival. Our results showed that there was significant improvement in mitral regurgitation postoperatively (RR, 1.65; 95% CI 1.36–2.00; p < 0.00001) with the average decrease of 0.46 (WMD; 95% CI 0.35–0.57; p < 0.00001). The effect is more pronounced in the elderly population. Perioperative mortality was higher (p < 0.0001) and long-term survival significantly worse (p < 0.00001) in patients that had moderate/severe mitral regurgitation preoperatively. We conclude that after aortic valve replacement alone there are fair chances but for only slight improvement in concomitant mitral regurgitation. The secondary moderate mitral regurgitation should be addressed at the time of aortic valve replacement. A more conservative approach should be followed for elderly and high-risk patients

Stress neuropeptide levels in adults with chest pain due to coronary artery disease: potential implications for clinical assessment

: Substance P (SP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) are neuropeptides involved in nociception. The study of biochemical markers of pain in communicating critically ill coronary patients may provide insight for pain assessment and management in critical care. Purpose of the study was to to explore potential associations between plasma neuropeptide levels and reported pain intensity in coronary critical care adults, in order to test the reliability of SP measurements for objective pain assessment in critical care