Factors Affecting Color of Cured Burley Leaf

Much interest has been shown by tobacco growers during recent months in fertilization and or other management practices that can be used to produce darker and redder cured leaf of burley tobacco. The purpose of this newsletter is to summarize what we know about some of the factors which affect color of cured leaf

Botanicals as part of an integral value-added pork production system

Selected herbs are known to naturally possess antibacterial and other characteristics that could be useful in animal protein production. Inclusion of these herbs in animal feeds as alternative growth promotion and efficiency stimulants may be able to address some of the current concerns about the possibility of significant antibiotic-resistant bacteria development that stems from drugs currently used at subtherapeutic levels in animal production. Several herbs were tested for their ability to aid animal growth rates and feed efficiency without giving rise to antibiotic-resistant microbes

Maintained physical activity and physiotherapy in the management of distal upper limb pain – a protocol for a randomised controlled trial (the arm pain trial)

<b>Background</b><p></p> Distal upper limb pain (pain affecting the elbow, forearm, wrist, or hand) can be non-specific, or can arise from specific musculoskeletal disorders. It is clinically important and costly, the best approach to clinical management is unclear. Physiotherapy is the standard treatment and, while awaiting treatment, advice is often given to rest and avoid strenuous activities, but there is no evidence base to support these strategies. This paper describes the protocol of a randomised controlled trial to determine, among patients awaiting physiotherapy for distal arm pain, (a) whether advice to remain active and maintain usual activities results in a long-term reduction in arm pain and disability, compared with advice to rest; and (b) whether immediate physiotherapy results in a long-term reduction in arm pain and disability, compared with physiotherapy delivered after a seven week waiting list period.<p></p> <b>Methods/Design</b><p></p> Between January 2012 and January 2014, new referrals to 14 out-patient physiotherapy departments were screened for potential eligibility. Eligible and consenting patients were randomly allocated to one of the following three groups in equal numbers: 1) advice to remain active, 2) advice to rest, 3) immediate physiotherapy. Patients were and followed up at 6, 13, and 26 weeks post-randomisation by self-complete postal questionnaire and, at six weeks, patients who had not received physiotherapy were offered it at this time. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients free of disability at 26 weeks, as determined by the modified DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand) questionnaire.<p></p> We hypothesise (a) that advice to maintain usual activities while awaiting physiotherapy will be superior than advice to rest the arm; and (b) that fast-track physiotherapy will be superior to normal (waiting list) physiotherapy. These hypotheses will be examined using an intention-to-treat analysis.<p></p> <b>Discussion</b><p></p> Results from this trial will contribute to the evidence base underpinning the clinical management of patients with distal upper limb pain, and in particular, will provide guidance on whether they should be advised to rest the arm or remain active within the limits imposed by their symptoms

Characteristics and survival of patients with advanced cancer and p53 mutations.

P53 mutations are associated with invasive tumors in mouse models. We assessed the p53mutations and survival in patients with advanced cancer treated in the Phase I Program. Of 691 tested patients, 273 (39.5%) had p53 mutations. Patients with p53 mutations were older (p<.0001) and had higher numbers of liver metastases (p=.005). P53 mutations were associated with higher numbers of other aberrations; PTEN (p=.0005) and HER2 (p=.003)aberrations were more common in the p53 mutation group. No survival difference was observed between patients with p53 mutations and those with wild-type p53. In patients with wild-type p53 and other aberrations, patients treated with matched-therapy against the additional aberrations had longer survival compared to those treated with non-matched-therapy or those who received no therapy (median survival, 26.0 vs. 11.8 vs. 9.8 months, respectively; p= .0007). Results were confirmed in a multivariate analysis (p= .0002). In the p53 mutation group with additional aberrations, those who received matched-therapy against the additional aberrations had survival similar to those treated with non-matched-therapy or those who received no therapy (p=.15). In conclusion, our results demonstrated resistance to matched-targeted therapy to the other aberrations in patients with p53 mutations and emphasize the need to overcome this resistance

Design and Test of the Payload Electronics and In Flight Sequence Development for the CSUNSAT1 Low Temperature Battery Experiment

No abstract availabl

Differential dopamine function in fibromyalgia

Approximately 30% of Americans suffer from chronic pain disorders, such as fibromyalgia (FM), which can cause debilitating pain. Many pain-killing drugs prescribed for chronic pain disorders are highly addictive, have limited clinical efficacy, and do not treat the cognitive symptoms reported by many patients. The neurobiological substrates of chronic pain are largely unknown, but evidence points to altered dopaminergic transmission in aberrant pain perception. We sought to characterize the dopamine (DA) system in individuals with FM. Positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]fallypride (FAL) was used to assess changes in DA during a working memory challenge relative to a baseline task, and to test for associations between baseline D2/D3 availability and experimental pain measures. Twelve female subjects with FM and eleven female controls completed study procedures. Subjects received one FAL PET scan while performing a “2-back” task, and one while performing a “0-back” (attentional control, “baseline”) task. FM subjects had lower baseline FAL binding potential (BP) in several cortical regions relative to controls, including anterior cingulate cortex. In FM subjects, self-reported spontaneous pain negatively correlated with FAL BP in the left orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus. Baseline BP was significantly negatively correlated with experimental pain sensitivity and tolerance in both FM and CON subjects, although spatial patterns of these associations differed between groups. The data suggest that abnormal DA function may be associated with differential processing of pain perception in FM. Further studies are needed to explore the functional significance of DA in nociception and cognitive processing in chronic pain

Genetic (co)variation and accuracy of selection for resistance to viral mosaic disease and production traits in an inter-ecotypic switchgrass breeding population

Obtaining good accuracy and reliability of estimated breeding values is essential to increase the efficiency of a plant breeding program. Genetic variation was assessed for categorical (Virc) and binary (Virb) mosaic (caused by Panicum mosaic virus), dry matter (DMY) and predicted ethanol (Etoh) yields, and lignin content (Klason or KL, and acid-detergent or ADL) in a Summer–Kanlow switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) population. Breeding values were predicted with the restricted maximum likelihood–best linear unbiased prediction (REML-BLUP) approaches using a multivariate phenotypic (PBLUP) and animal (ABLUP) models, integrating a three-generation pedigree (1,622 half-sibs) in ABLUP and not in PBLUP. Models were compared in their precision (accuracy and reliability) in assessing genetic parameters and estimating breeding values. The models were similar in most aspects, allocating the highest heritability (ℎ2i) values to DMY (.38 ± .035 vs. .41 ± .035), Etoh (.46 ± .031 vs. .42 ± .033), and Virc (.43 ± .046 vs. .37 ± .047) and the lowest (.17 ± .032 to .30 ± .044) to KL, ADL, and Virb. Genetic correlations were always larger than residual and phenotypic correlations. Intermediate or strong additive genetic control suggest that selecting for high-biomass genotypes will slightly increase lignin content and simultaneously impart mosaic tolerance. Mitigating an increase in lignin content will require including Etoh in a selection index based on its much stronger negative correlation (rG = −.63) with lignin. In this population, accuracy values ranged from .06 to .94 (PBLUP) and from .26 to .92 (ABLUP) and corresponding reliability ranged from .004 to .89 and from .07 to .87. However, ABLUP improved average reliability of DMY and Etoh by 11% and of other traits by 4–5% over the PBLUP model. The ABLUP was a better model over PBLUP, which is a valid analysis in the absence of a pedigree

Outcomes of patients with advanced cancer and KRAS mutations in phase I clinical trials.

BackgroundKRAS mutation is common in human cancer. We assessed the clinical factors, including type of KRAS mutation and treatment, of patients with advanced cancer and tumor KRAS mutations and their association with treatment outcomes.MethodsPatients referred to the Phase I Clinic for treatment who underwent testing for KRAS mutations were analyzed.ResultsOf 1,781 patients, 365 (21%) had a KRAS mutation. The G12D mutation was the most common mutation (29%). PIK3CA mutations were found in 24% and 10% of patients with and without KRAS mutations (p<0.0001). Of 223 patients with a KRAS mutation who were evaluable for response, 56 were treated with a MEK inhibitor-containing therapy and 167 with other therapies. The clinical benefit (partial response and stable disease lasting ≥6 months) rates were 23% and 9%, respectively, for the MEK inhibitor versus other therapies (p=0.005). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3.3 and 2.2 months, respectively (p=0.09). The respective median overall survival was 8.4 and 7.0 months (p=0.38). Of 66 patients with a KRAS mutation and additional alterations, higher rates of clinical benefit (p=0.04), PFS (p=0.045), and overall survival (p=0.02) were noted in patients treated with MEK inhibitor-containing therapy (n=9) compared to those treated with targeted therapy matched to the additional alterations (n=24) or other therapy (n=33).ConclusionsMEK inhibitors in patients with KRAS-mutated advanced cancer were associated with higher clinical benefit rates compared to other therapies. Therapeutic strategies that include MEK inhibitors or novel agents combined with other targeted therapies or chemotherapy need further investigation

Risk of Congenital Anomalies after the Opening of Landfill Sites

Concern that living near a particular landfill site in Wales caused increased risk of births with congenital malformations led us to examine whether residents living close to 24 landfill sites in Wales experienced increased rates of congenital anomalies after the landfills opened compared with before they opened. We carried out a small-area study in which expected rates of congenital anomalies in births to mothers living within 2 km of the sites, before and after opening of the sites, were estimated from a logistic regression model fitted to all births in residents living at least 4 km away from these sites and hence not likely to be subject to contamination from a landfill, adjusting for hospital catchment area, year of birth, sex, maternal age, and socioeconomic deprivation score. We investigated all births from 1983 through 1997 with at least one recorded congenital anomaly [International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), codes 7400–7599; International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), codes Q000–Q999]. The ratio of the observed to expected rates of congenital anomalies before landfills opened was 0.87 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75–1.00], and this increased to 1.21 (95% CI, 1.04–1.40) after opening, giving a standardized risk ratio of 1.39 (95% CI, 1.12–1.72). Enhanced congenital malformation surveillance data collected from 1998 through 2000 showed a standardized risk ratio of 1.04 (95% CI, 0.88–1.21). Causal inferences are difficult because of possible biases from incomplete case ascertainment, lack of data on individual-level exposures, and other socioeconomic and lifestyle factors that may confound a relationship with area of residence. However, the increase in risk after the sites opened requires continued enhanced surveillance of congenital anomalies, and site-specific chemical exposure studies