Defining reference genes in Oryza sativa using organ, development, biotic and abiotic transcriptome datasets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reference genes are widely used to normalise transcript abundance data determined by quantitative RT-PCR and microarrays. However, the approaches taken to define reference genes can be variable. Although <it>Oryza sativa </it>(rice) is a widely used model plant and important crop specie, there has been no comprehensive analysis carried out to define superior reference genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analysis of 136 Affymetrix transcriptome datasets comprising of 373 genome microarrays from studies in rice that encompass tissue, developmental, abiotic, biotic and hormonal transcriptome datasets identified 151 genes whose expression was considered relatively stable under all conditions. A sub-set of 12 of these genes were validated by quantitative RT-PCR and were seen to be stable under a number of conditions. All except one gene that has been previously proposed as a stably expressed gene for rice, were observed to change significantly under some treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A new set of reference genes that are stable across tissue, development, stress and hormonal treatments have been identified in rice. This provides a superior set of reference genes for future studies in rice. It confirms the approach of mining large scale datasets as a robust method to define reference genes, but cautions against using gene orthology or counterparts of reference genes in other plant species as a means of defining reference genes.</p

Seroprevalence of Pandemic H1N1 Antibody among Health Care Workers in Hong Kong Following Receipt of Monovalent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine

Background: Healthcare workers in many countries are recommended to receive influenza vaccine to protect themselves as well as patients. A monovalent H1N1 vaccine became available in Hong Kong in December 2009 and around 10% of local healthcare workers had received the vaccine by February 2010. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of the prevalence of antibody to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among HCWs in Hong Kong in February-March 2010 following the first pandemic wave and the pH1N1 vaccination campaign. In this study we focus on the subset of healthcare workers who reported receipt of non-adjuvanted monovalent 2009 H1N1 vaccine (Panenza, Sanofi Pasteur). Sera collected from HCWs were tested for antibody against the pH1N1 virus by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and viral neutralization (VN) assays. Results: We enrolled 703 HCWs. Among 104 HCWs who reported receipt of pH1N1 vaccine, 54% (95% confidence interval (CI): 44%-63%) had antibody titer ≥1:40 by HI and 42% (95% CI: 33%-52%) had antibody titer ≥1:40 by VN. The proportion of HCWs with antibody titer ≥1:40 by HI and VN significantly decreased with age, and the proportion with antibody titer ≥1:40 by VN was marginally significantly lower among HCWs who reported prior receipt of 2007-08 seasonal influenza vaccine (odds ratio: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.19-1.00). After adjustment for age, the effect of prior seasonal vaccine receipt was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that monovalent H1N1 vaccine may have had suboptimal immunogenicity in HCWs in Hong Kong. Larger studies are required to confirm whether influenza vaccine maintains high efficacy and effectiveness in HCWs. © 2011 Zhou et al.published_or_final_versio

Key features of puberty onset and progression can help distinguish self-limited delayed puberty from congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism

Introduction: Delayed puberty (DP) is a frequent concern for adolescents. The most common underlying aetiology is self-limited DP (SLDP). However, this can be difficult to differentiate from the more severe condition congenital hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH), especially on first presentation of an adolescent patient with DP. This study sought to elucidate phenotypic differences between the two diagnoses, in order to optimise patient management and pubertal development. Methods: This was a study of a UK DP cohort managed 2015-2023, identified through the NIHR clinical research network. Patients were followed longitudinally until adulthood, with a definite diagnosis made: SLDP if they had spontaneously completed puberty by age 18 years; HH if they had not commenced (complete, cHH), or had commenced but not completed puberty (partial, pHH), by this stage. Phenotypic data pertaining to auxology, Tanner staging, biochemistry, bone age and hormonal treatment at presentation and during puberty were retrospectively analysed. Results: 78 patients were included. 52 (66.7%) patients had SLDP and 26 (33.3%) patients had HH, comprising 17 (65.4%) pHH and 9 (34.6%) cHH patients. Probands were predominantly male (90.4%). Male SLDP patients presented with significantly lower height and weight standard deviation scores than HH patients (height p=0.004, weight p=0.021). 15.4% of SLDP compared to 38.5% of HH patients had classical associated features of HH (micropenis, cryptorchidism, anosmia, etc. p=0.023). 73.1% of patients with SLDP and 43.3% with HH had a family history of DP (p=0.007). Mean first recorded luteinizing hormone (LH) and inhibin B were lower in male patients with HH, particularly in cHH patients, but not discriminatory. There were no significant differences identified in blood concentrations of FSH, testosterone or AMH at presentation, or in bone age delay. Discussion: Key clinical markers of auxology, associated signs including micropenis, and serum inhibin B may help distinguish between SLDP and HH in patients presenting with pubertal delay, and can be incorporated into clinical assessment to improve diagnostic accuracy for adolescents. However, the distinction between HH, particularly partial HH, and SLDP remains problematic. Further research into an integrated framework or scoring system would be useful in aiding clinician decision-making and optimization of treatment.  

Pleomorphic adenoma of the vulva, clinical reminder of a rare occurrence

Pleomorphic adenoma, also known as mixed tumor, is a benign tumor which typically presents as a painless and persistent mass. The majority of pleomorphic adenomas involve the salivary glands, most commonly the parotid gland. Other sites include breast and skin. It is a rare tumor in the vulva. In this article we are reporting a case of pleomorphic adenoma of labia with characteristic pathologic and clinical findings, as reminder of a common benign neoplasm occurring with rare locality

Low physical activity is associated with adverse health outcome and higher costs in Indonesia: A national panel study

AimsTo assess the association between low physical activity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and risk factors, health service utilization, risk of catastrophic health expenditure, and work productivity in Indonesia.MethodsIn this population-based, panel data analysis, we used data from two waves of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) for 2007/2008 and 2014/2015. Respondents aged 40–80 years who participated in both waves were included in this study (n = 5,936). Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Multinomial logistic regression model was used to examine factors associated with physical activity levels (low, moderate, and high). We applied a series of multilevel mixed-effect panel regression to examine the associations between physical activity and outcome variables.ResultsThe prevalence of low physical activity increased from 18.2% in 2007 to 39.6% in 2014. Compared with those with high physical activity, respondents with low physical activity were more likely to have a 10-year high CVD risk (AOR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.51–2.95), use outpatient care (AOR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.07–1.96) and inpatient care (AOR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.07–1.96), experience catastrophic health expenditure of 10% of total household expenditure (AOR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.21–2.28), and have lower labor participation (AOR: 0.24, 95% 0.20–0.28).ConclusionsLow physical activity is associated with adverse health outcomes and considerable costs to the health system and wider society. Accelerated implementation of public health policies to reduce physical inactivity is likely to result in substantial population health and economic benefits

B cell profiles, antibody repertoire and reactivity reveal dysregulated responses with autoimmune features in melanoma

B cells are known to contribute to the anti-tumor immune response, especially in immunogenic tumors such as melanoma, yet humoral immunity has not been characterized in these cancers to detail. Here we show comprehensive phenotyping in samples of circulating and tumor-resident B cells as well as serum antibodies in melanoma patients. Memory B cells are enriched in tumors compared to blood in paired samples and feature distinct antibody repertoires, linked to specific isotypes. Tumor-associated B cells undergo clonal expansion, class switch recombination, somatic hypermutation and receptor revision. Compared with blood, tumor-associated B cells produce antibodies with proportionally higher levels of unproductive sequences and distinct complementarity determining region 3 properties. The observed features are signs of affinity maturation and polyreactivity and suggest an active and aberrant autoimmune-like reaction in the tumor microenvironment. Consistent with this, tumor-derived antibodies are polyreactive and characterized by autoantigen recognition. Serum antibodies show reactivity to antigens attributed to autoimmune diseases and cancer, and their levels are higher in patients with active disease compared to post-resection state. Our findings thus reveal B cell lineage dysregulation with distinct antibody repertoire and specificity, alongside clonally-expanded tumor-infiltrating B cells with autoimmune-like features, shaping the humoral immune response in melanoma