Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover.

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

Prevalence and Severity of Periodontitis in Indonesian Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

<p>Background: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may have more prevalent and severe periodontitis than healthy controls. Periodontitis may increase the systemic inflammation in RA. The aim of this study is to assess periodontitis prevalence and severity and its potential association with systemic inflammation in Indonesian patients with RA.</p><p>Methods: A full-mouth periodontal examination including probing depth, gingival recession, plaque index, and bleeding on probing was performed in 75 Indonesians with RA and 75 age-, sex-, and smoking-matched Indonesian controls. A validated questionnaire was used to assess smoking, body mass index, education, and medical conditions. In addition, in all participants, the use of drugs was noted, and erythrocyte sedimentation rates and serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), rheumatoid factor, and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies were measured. Differences in periodontitis prevalence and 12 measures of periodontitis severity between patients with RA and controls were analyzed using univariate analyses.</p><p>Results: No significant differences in periodontitis prevalence and 11 measures of periodontitis severity between patients with RA and controls were observed. Conversely, patients with RA had a significantly lower surface area of healthy pocket epithelium versus controls (P = 0.008), and a tendency toward higher hsCRP levels was observed in patients with RA with severe periodontitis compared with patients with RA with no mild or moderate periodontitis (P = 0.063). It has to be noted that all patients with RA were on anti-inflammatory drugs, whereas none of the controls used such drugs.</p><p>Conclusion: Prevalence and severity of periodontitis in Indonesian patients with RA is comparable to controls but with less healthy pocket epithelium than in controls and a tendency toward a higher inflammatory state in patients with RA and severe periodontitis.</p>

Redundant human omentum fat: A leap towards regenerative medicine

Mesenchymal stem cells possess a ground-breaking potential and appear to offer a wonderful opportunity, indeed a responsibility to understand important aspects of human biology involving tissue repair and regeneration. The ubiquitous existences of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) annex to be a regenerative tool rendering the replacement of worn-out cells. Researchers have averted their attention towards identification of various sources of adult mesenchymal stem cells from our own body tissues and fluids. Despite the existence of several advantages and potentials of MSCs from several sources being investigated, bringing stem cells adaptable for regenerative medicine applications in adequate quantities at the right time is a challenge. This is with regard to the inevitable fact that the frequencies of mesenchymal stem cells and their proliferative capacities and differentiation potentials as well as phenotypical and immunomodulatory properties have been shown to vary among sources. Furthermore, cell-based therapies rely to a larger degree on the preparation of an effective dose of ex vivo expanded cells, capable of self-renewal and differentiation. The identification of physiologically relevant and ideal source of stem cells that might be more useful in clinical setting needs to be investigated to ascertain an assured quality in cellular therapy. Additionally, changing the perception, about the successful treatment of stem cells for various diseases, in the light of recent findings becomes mandatory to cure these diseases and further to broaden the potential applications of stem cells. Adult stem cell therapies are routinely used to treat diseases using umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants and peripheral blood stem cell and bone marrow stem cell transplants which are probably the most well-known therapy