Evaluation of cytochalasin B and 6-dimethylaminopurine for tetraploidy induction in the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica

Cytochalasin B (CB) has been used to induce tetraploidy in oysters since the practice began in 1993. However, CB is toxic and presents health risks to hatchery workers who administer the treatment. 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP) is also an effective cytokinetic inhibitor, and does not carry the health risks of CB. We examined the relative effectiveness of 6-DMAP vs CB for producing tetraploids in the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Survival and yield of tetraploids varied widely among the 15 experiments. Larvae resulting from 6-DMAP treatment had higher survival in 11 of the 14 trials on day two and day six/seven. For yield of tetraploids, 10 of 13 6-DMAP treatments had higher proportions of tetraploids on day two and at the second sampling -day six, seven, ornine-7 of 10 had higher proportions of tetraploids. Tetraploid spat were obtained from the majority of surviving cultures. Based on these results, 6-DMAP can effectively replace CB for inducing polyploidy in C. virginica, and probably other Crassostrea spp., due to the success of the treatment, the ease of application, and the reduction in health risk to hatchery workers. This study set the precedent for the use of 6-DMAP on C. virginica and established a new procedure for inducing tetraploids using triploid eggs. It might be possible to refine the treatment to further optimize yield of tetraploids. Statement of relevance: In this manuscript we report a novel method of inducing tetraploid Crassostrea virginica from triploid eggs using 6-dimethylaminopurine. We compare the efficiency of cytochalasin B and 6-dimethylaminopurine for tetraploid induction. We also report the expected fecundity of triploid C. virginica females. The method of tetraploidy induction we report here will likely be useful for inducing tetraploidy in other Crassostrea spp. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

More than competition: exploring stakeholder identities at a grassroots cause-related sporting event

The purpose of this paper is to (a) explore stakeholder identities of a grassroots cause-related sporting event; and (b) gain a better understanding of how identities are related to stakeholder development, support of the event, and future intentions. We used a mixed methods research design that consisted of two studies: qualitative followed by quantitative. Study 1 explored stakeholder identities and how they are related to stakeholder development and support of the event, and Study 2 examined how future intentions regarding attendance, donations, and sponsor support differ based on levels of stakeholder identity. Sports marketing and non-profit management literature streams as well as identity theory and social capital theory informed our studies. The National Kidney Foundation Surf Festival was selected because it is a grassroots cause-related sporting event with financial success over the last two decades. In addition, a surf contest, an action sport, is a unique sport setting in the nonprofit sector, which offers insight to marketers seeking to target subcultures. The findings of the qualitative study revealed three identities relevant to participants: sport subculture, community, and cause. A framework emerged from the data that illustrated how these identities unite together to generate social capital, which is linked to effective volunteer and sponsorship management. Quantitative analysis through survey data provided further evidence of the impact of identification with a cause-related sport activity on consumer outcomes. Results indicated attendees with high surf-related identity are more likely to attend future Surf Festivals, have higher intentions to donate to the cause, and have higher sponsor purchase intentions compared to those with low self-identity with the sport subculture. The conclusion discusses implications, framing the findings through the intersection of the sports marketing and non-profit sector industries, and provides suggestions for future research.Ye

Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis after Pneumococcal pneumonia in an Elderly Adult

Hypersensitivity vasculitis (HSV) has been used to describe several forms of vasculitis of small blood vessels, including Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura (HSP), mixed cryoglobulinemia, and allergic vasculitis, etc. HSP is a disease occasionally seen in childhood, and is characterized by dermatological and abdominal symptoms. Here, we report a rare case of HSV which showed a clinical course similar to HSP after pneumococcal pneumonia in an elderly adult. Generally, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common pathogen in adult community-acquired pneumonia. Therefore, it is critical to recognize HSV as one of the important complications after bacterial infection, especially Streptococcus pneumoniae

Seven new loci associated with age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of blindness in older individuals. To accelerate the understanding of AMD biology and help design new therapies, we executed a collaborative genome-wide association study, including >17,100 advanced AMD cases and >60,000 controls of European and Asian ancestry. We identified 19 loci associated at P < 5 × 10(-8). These loci show enrichment for genes involved in the regulation of complement activity, lipid metabolism, extracellular matrix remodeling and angiogenesis. Our results include seven loci with associations reaching P < 5 × 10(-8) for the first time, near the genes COL8A1-FILIP1L, IER3-DDR1, SLC16A8, TGFBR1, RAD51B, ADAMTS9 and B3GALTL. A genetic risk score combining SNP genotypes from all loci showed similar ability to distinguish cases and controls in all samples examined. Our findings provide new directions for biological, genetic and therapeutic studies of AMD