Effect of defoliation on leaf physiology of sugar beet cultivars subjected to water stress and re-watering

Abstract Water stress causes defoliation, which can reduce yield and root quality of sugar beets (Beta vulgaris L.) through altered gas exchange characteristics of the leaves. In a two-year experiment, three sugar beet cultivars (Europa, Rival and Corsica) were subjected to three defoliation levels (control-C, moderate-MD, severe-SD) and re-watering after their exposition to drought for a month. Leaf physiological traits including net photosynthesis (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (g s ), intracellular CO 2 (C i ), water use efficiency (WUE L -A/E and WUE i -A/g s ), leaf N concentration, petiole NO 3 -N concentration, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf water potential (WP) and leaf water content (LWC), were determined before defoliation and 15, 30 and 40 days after defoliation (DAD). On contrary to previous reports, water-stressed cultivars differed significantly in their leaf physiology; the late-season cultivar Corsica had the lowest E and g s values without any significant reduction in A. Thus, Corsica was the most water-conservative cultivar. Re-watering rapidly restored leaf physiology but a gradual decline, with the progress of DAD, was evident for A, E, g s and C i . After re-growth, cultivars differed only in WP and LWC with Europa, the early-harvested cultivar, to have the highest values. Thus, the better response (higher yield increase and lower root quality degradation) of Corsica to re-watering and the subsequent re-growth, as reported b

Alterations of Erythrocyte Superoxide Dismutase activity in patients suffering from asthma attacks

Background. Oxidant-antioxidant imbalance may play an important role in the development and progression of bronchial asthma. However, the role of blood antioxidants especially in asthma exacerbation has not been fully discussed. Objective. This study examines a part of the intracellular antioxidant defense mechanism in asthmatic patients admitted to hospital due to severe exacerbation of their disease. Methods. Peripheral blood Erythrocyte Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activity was measured in 38 patients (33 men - 5 women, with a mean age of 56±2.8 yrs), using a colorimetric method. On the days of admission and discharge the Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) and the Partial arterial Oxygen pressure (PaO2) were recorded and correlated with SOD activity at the same time. Results. A statistically significant decrease of SOD activity was observed on the day of admission compared to SOD activity on the day of discharge (43.64±31.78 vs. 96.16±54.05 units/ml, p<0.001), suggesting the presence of oxidative stress during an asthma attack. A statistically significant correlation was observed between FEV1 on admission and SOD activity at the same time (r=0.57, p<0.001). Furthermore, SOD activity on admission was correlated with PaO2 on discharge (r=0.55, p<0.001), as well as SOD on discharge with PaO2 on discharge (r=0.53, p=0.001). Conclusions. Decreased systemic erythrocyte SOD activity was observed during asthma attacks. This activity was correlated with severity criteria such as FEV1 and PaO2. Therefore, it seems that measurement of SOD activity could be a useful tool in the evaluation of an asthma attack. The supplementary administration of antioxidants in the future needs further clarification

Exophthalmos as a First Manifestation of Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Long-Term Follow-Up

Small cell lung cancer is characterized by rapid growth and early metastasis. Despite its sensitivity to cytotoxic therapy, until now treatments have failed to control or cure this disease in most patients. Orbital metastases are a rare manifestation of systemic malignancies. Breast and lung cancers represent more than two thirds of the primary cancer sites. Metastases to the eye and orbit develop in approximately 0.7–12% of patients with lung cancer. Here, we report a rare case of exophthalmos as the first manifestation of a metastatic carcinoma due to small cell lung cancer, and a 6-months follow-up with complete exophthalmic response to chemotherapy

Chemical analysis of pottery demonstrates prehistoric origin for high-altitude alpine dairying

The European high Alps are internationally renowned for their dairy produce, which are of huge cultural and economic significance to the region. Although the recent history of alpine dairying has been well studied, virtually nothing is known regarding the origins of this practice. This is due to poor preservation of high altitude archaeological sites and the ephemeral nature of transhumance economic practices. Archaeologists have suggested that stone structures that appear around 3,000 years ago are associated with more intense seasonal occupation of the high Alps and perhaps the establishment of new economic strategies. Here, we report on organic residue analysis of small fragments of pottery sherds that are occasionally preserved both at these sites and earlier prehistoric rock-shelters. Based mainly on isotopic criteria, dairy lipids could only be identified on ceramics from the stone structures, which date to the Iron Age (ca. 3,000 - 2,500 BP), providing the earliest evidence of this practice in the high Alps. Dairy production in such a marginal environment implies a high degree of risk even by today’s standards. We postulate that this practice was driven by population increase and climate deterioration that put pressure on lowland agropastoral systems and the establishment of more extensive trade networks, leading to greater demand for highly nutritious and transportable dairy products

Latitudinal gradient in dairy production with the introduction of farming in Atlantic Europe

International audienceThe introduction of farming had far-reaching impacts on health, social structure and demography. Although the spread of domesticated plants and animals has been extensively tracked, it is unclear how these nascent economies developed within different environmental and cultural settings. Using molecular and isotopic analysis of lipids from pottery, here we investigate the foods prepared by the earliest farming communities of the European Atlantic seaboard. Surprisingly, we find an absence of aquatic foods, including in ceramics from coastal sites, except in the Western Baltic where this tradition continued from indigenous ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers. The frequency of dairy products in pottery increased as farming was progressively introduced along a northerly latitudinal gradient. This finding implies that early farming communities needed time to adapt their economic practices before expanding into more northerly areas. Latitudinal differences in the scale of dairy production might also have influenced the evolution of adult lactase persistence across Europe

Lessons learned from conducting a study of emotions and positive personality change in Syrian origin young adults who have recently resettled in the Netherlands

Post-traumatic growth is a compelling idea, yet extant research has often employed retrospective reports of change, rather than examining change over time. Research on samples of people that are traditionally seen as hard-to-reach are rare within personality psychology. In Karakter, we assessed a sample of Syrian origin young adults who recently resettled in the Netherlands (initial N = 168) four times over a 13-month period to examine experiences of adversity, emotions, and positive personality change. Here, we provide a detailed narrative of the research process, beginning with a description of how we incorporated open science practices in Karakter. We then turn to a discussion of the changes, challenges, and opportunities we encountered in the research. In doing so, we discuss conceptual and methodological considerations when examining personality change. We close with suggestions for researchers who are interested in conducting similar studies with populations that are underrecruited in the futur

The additional value of patient-reported health status in predicting 1-year mortality after invasive coronary procedures: A report from the Euro Heart Survey on Coronary Revascularisation

Objective: Self-perceived health status may be helpful in identifying patients at high risk for adverse outcomes. The Euro Heart Survey on Coronary Revascularization (EHS-CR) provided an opportunity to explore whether impaired health status was a predictor of 1-year mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing angiographic procedures. Methods: Data from the EHS-CR that included 5619 patients from 31 member countries of the European Society of Cardiology were used. Inclusion criteria for the current study were completion of a self-report measure of health status, the EuroQol Questionnaire (EQ-5D) at discharge and information on 1-year follow-up, resulting in a study population of 3786 patients. Results: The 1-year mortality was 3.2% (n = 120). Survivors reported fewer problems on the five dimensions of the EQ-5D as compared with non-survivors. A broad range of potential confounders were adjusted for, which reached a p<0.10 in the unadjusted analyses. In the adjusted analyses, problems with self-care (OR 3.45; 95% CI 2.14 to 5.59) and a low rating (≤ 60) on health status (OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.47 to 3.94) were the most powerful independent predictors of mortality, among the 22 clinical variables included in the analysis. Furthermore, patients who reported no problems on all five dimensions had significantly lower 1-year mortality rates (OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.81). Conclusions: This analysis shows that impaired health status is associated with a 2-3-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients with CAD, independent of other conventional risk factors. These results highlight the importance of including patients' subjective experience of their own health status in the evaluation strategy to optimise risk stratification and management in clinical practice

Diagnostic accuracy of a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: An international case-cohort study

We conducted an international study of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis among a large group of physicians and compared their diagnostic performance to a panel of IPF experts. A total of 1141 respiratory physicians and 34 IPF experts participated. Participants evaluated 60 cases of interstitial lung disease (ILD) without interdisciplinary consultation. Diagnostic agreement was measured using the weighted kappa coefficient (\u3baw). Prognostic discrimination between IPF and other ILDs was used to validate diagnostic accuracy for first-choice diagnoses of IPF and were compared using the Cindex. A total of 404 physicians completed the study. Agreement for IPF diagnosis was higher among expert physicians (\u3baw=0.65, IQR 0.53-0.72, p20 years of experience (C-index=0.72, IQR 0.0-0.73, p=0.229) and non-university hospital physicians with more than 20 years of experience, attending weekly MDT meetings (C-index=0.72, IQR 0.70-0.72, p=0.052), did not differ significantly (p=0.229 and p=0.052 respectively) from the expert panel (C-index=0.74 IQR 0.72-0.75). Experienced respiratory physicians at university-based institutions diagnose IPF with similar prognostic accuracy to IPF experts. Regular MDT meeting attendance improves the prognostic accuracy of experienced non-university practitioners to levels achieved by IPF experts