The Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack): role of the binary vector system and selection cassettes

The influence of two binary vector systems, pGreen and pCAMBIA, on the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation ability of wheat and triticale was studied. Both vectors carried selection cassettes with bar or nptII driven by different promoters. Two cultivars of wheat, Kontesa and Torka, and one cultivar of triticale, Wanad, were tested. The transformation rates for the wheat cultivars ranged from 0.00 to 3.58% and from 0.00 to 6.79% for triticale. The best values for wheat were 3.58% for Kontesa and 3.14% for Torka, and these were obtained after transformation with the pGreen vector carrying the nptII selection gene under the control of 35S promoter. In the case of the bar selection system, the best transformation rates were, respectively, 1.46 and 1.79%. Such rates were obtained when the 35S::bar cassette was carried by the pCAMBIA vector; they were significantly lower with the pGreen vector. The triticale cultivar Wanad had its highest transformation rate after transformation with nptII driven by 35S in pCAMBIA. The bar selection system for the same triticale cultivar was better when the gene was driven by nos and the selection cassette was carried by pGreen. The integration of the transgenes was confirmed with at least three pairs of specific starters amplifying the fragments of nptII, bar, or gus. The expression of selection genes, measured by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in relation to the actin gene, was low, ranging from 0.00 to 0.63 for nptII and from 0.00 to 0.33 for bar. The highest relative transcript accumulation was observed for nptII driven by 35S and expressed in Kontesa that had been transformed with pGreen

Anti-TNF-α treatment for deep endometriosis-associated pain: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is associated with an inflammatory response. Hence infliximab, an anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody, might relieve pain. METHODS: A randomized placebo-controlled trial was designed with 21 women with severe pain and a rectovaginal nodule of at least 1 cm. After 1 month of observation, three infusions of infliximab (5 mg/kg) or placebo were given. Surgery was performed 3 months later and follow-up continued for 6 months. The primary end-point was pain (dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia and non-menstrual pain) rated at each visit by the clinician and on a daily basis by the patient who in addition scored pain by visual analog pain scale and analgesia intake. Secondary end-points included the volume of the endometriotic nodule, pelvic tenderness and the visual appearance of endometriotic lesions at laparoscopy. RESULTS: Pain severity decreased during the treatment by 30% in both the placebo (P < 0.001) and infliximab groups (P < 0.001). However, no effect of infliximab was observed for any of the outcome measures. After surgery, pain scores decreased in both groups to less than 20% of the initial value. CONCLUSIONS: Infliximab appears not to affect pain associated with deep endometriosis. Treatment is associated with an important placebo effect. After surgery, pain decreases to less than 20%. Trials registration number ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00604864

Internationalisation speed and MNE performance: A study of the market-seeking expansion of retail MNEs

Existing research is divided on whether firms that rapidly expand their overseas operations perform better than firms that internationalize slowly. Drawing on Penrose’s theory of the growth of the firm we argue that the positive effects of rapid internationalization give way to negative effects with increasing internationalization speed, leading to an inverted U-shaped association between internationalization speed and firm performance. We analyse the market-seeking expansion of 110 retailers over a 10-year period (2003–2012) and find support for a curvilinear relationship between internationalization speed and firm performance that is moderated by the geographic scope of firms’ internationalization path and firms’ international experience. Our study contributes to resolving conflicting views on the link between internationalization speed and firm performance

Genetic dissection of the relationships between grain yield components by genome-wide association mapping in a collection of tetraploid wheats

Increasing grain yield potential in wheat has been a major target of most breeding programs. Genetic advance has been frequently hindered by negative correlations among yield components that have been often observed in segregant populations and germplasm collections. A tetraploid wheat collection was evaluated in seven environments and genotyped with a 90K SNP assay to identify major and stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) for grain yield per spike (GYS), kernel number per spike (KNS) and thousand-kernel weight (TKW), and to analyse the genetic relationships between the yield components at QTL level. The genome-wide association analysis detected eight, eleven and ten QTL for KNS, TKW and GYS, respectively, significant in at least three environments or two environments and the mean across environments. Most of the QTL for TKW and KNS were found located in different marker intervals, indicating that they are genetically controlled independently by each other. Out of eight KNS QTL, three were associated to significant increases of GYS, while the increased grain number of five additional QTL was completely or partially compensated by decreases in grain weight, thus producing no or reduced effects on GYS. Similarly, four consistent and five suggestive TKW QTL resulted in visible increase of GYS, while seven additional QTL were associated to reduced effects in grain number and no effects on GYS. Our results showed that QTL analysis for detecting TKW or KNS alleles useful for improving grain yield potential should consider the pleiotropic effects of the QTL or the association to other QTLs

Eozinofilna upala u alergijskom rinitisu i nosnoj polipozi

On histopathological examination, nasal polyps and nasal mucosa in allergic rhinitis show different forms of pseudostratified respiratory epithelium, whereas the dominant characteristic of lamina propria is an eosinophilic infiltration. The aim of this study was to compare interleukin (IL)-5 and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) levels in the nasal fluid of 42 patients: 12 with allergic rhinitis and nasal septal deviation, 17 non-atopic patients with nasal polyposis, and 13 atopic nasal polyp patients were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Nasal secretion samples were collected a few days before surgery. The levels of IL-5 were measured using fl ow cytometry and the ECP using a commercial ELISA kit. In addition, we counted eosinophils in hematoxylin-and-eosin-stained sections of all nasal polyp and all nasal mucosa samples taken from the inferior nasal turbinates during septoplasty. A significantly higher concentration of IL-5 was found in the nasal fluid of atopic patients with nasal polyposis than in non-atopic nasal polyp patients (p=0.025) and patients with allergic rhinitis (p=0.05). ECP was higher in atopic nasal polyp patients than in patients with allergic rhinitis (p<0.0001) and than in non-atopic nasal polyp patients (p<0.0001). Polyp eosinophils were higher in atopic’ than in non-atopic patients (p<0.0001) and higher than in the mucosa of patients with allergic rhinitis (p<0.0001). These however had signifi cantly more mucosal eosinophils than was found in the polyps of non-atopic patients’ (p=0.025). ECP levels in nasal fl uid and eosinophil counts in tissue specimens correlated well in all three groups of patients. Our study has shown that atopic nasal polyp patients have a higher level of eosinophilic inflammation than non-atopic patients with nasal polyps and patients with allergic rhinitis.Na histopatološkim pregledima nosni polipi, kao i nosna sluznica u alergijskom rinitisu pokazuju različite oblike pseudoslojevitog respiracijskog epitela, dok je osnovna karakteristika lamine proprije infiltracija eozinofilima. Cilj ove studije bio je usporediti koncentracije interleukina 5 (IL-5) i eozinofilnoga kationskog proteina (ECP) u nosnome sekretu pacijenata s alergijskim rinitisom, neatopičnih i atopičnih pacijenata s nosnom polipozom, kao i usporediti broj eozinofi la u tkivu nosnih polipa/nosne sluznice ovih pacijenata. Četrdeset dvoje (n=42) pacijenata, 12-ero s alergijskim rinitisom i devijacijom nosnog septuma, 17-ero neatopičnih pacijenata s nosnom polipozom i 13-ero atopičnih pacijenata s nosnom polipozom bilo je uključeno u ovu presječnu studiju. Uzorci nosnog sekreta bili su skupljeni iz nosnih šupljina svih ispitanika nekoliko dana prije kirurškog liječenja. Koncentracije IL-5 mjerene su metodom protočne citometrije, dok su koncentracije ECP mjerene komercijalnim ELISA-kitom. Eozinofi li su brojeni u svim uzorcima tkiva nosnih polipa, kao i u svim uzorcima tkiva sluznice uzetih s donje nosne školjke tijekom septoplastike. Značajno više koncentracije IL-5 izmjerene su u nosnom sekretu atopičnih pacijenata s nosnom polipozom u usporedbi s neatopičnim pacijentima s nosnom polipozom (p=0,025) i pacijentima s alergijskim rinitisom (p=0,05). Naši su rezultati pokazali više koncentracije ECP u atopičnih pacijenata s nosnom polipozom nego u pacijenata s alergijskim rinitisom (p<0,0001) i u usporedbi s nealergičnim pacijentima s nosnom polipozom (p<0,0001). Veći broj eozinofi la izbrojen je u tkivu polipa atopičnih pacijenata nego u tkivu polipa neatopičnih pacijenata (p<0,0001), kao i u sluznici pacijenata s alergijskim rinitisom (p<0,0001). U nosnoj sluznici pacijenata s alergijskim rinitisom našli smo značajno veći broj eozinofila nego u polipima neatopičnih pacijenata s nosnim polipima (p=0,025). Konačno, našli smo pozitivnu korelaciju između nivoa ECP u nosnom sekretu i broja eozinofila u uzorcima tkiva u sve tri skupine ispitanika. Zaključili smo da atopični pacijenti s nosnom polipozom imaju viši stupanj eozinofilne upale u usporedbi s neatopičnim pacijentima s nosnim polipima i s pacijentima s alergijskim rinitisom

International Consensus Statement on Rhinology and Allergy: Rhinosinusitis

Background: The 5 years since the publication of the first International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR‐RS) has witnessed foundational progress in our understanding and treatment of rhinologic disease. These advances are reflected within the more than 40 new topics covered within the ICAR‐RS‐2021 as well as updates to the original 140 topics. This executive summary consolidates the evidence‐based findings of the document. Methods: ICAR‐RS presents over 180 topics in the forms of evidence‐based reviews with recommendations (EBRRs), evidence‐based reviews, and literature reviews. The highest grade structured recommendations of the EBRR sections are summarized in this executive summary. Results: ICAR‐RS‐2021 covers 22 topics regarding the medical management of RS, which are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Additionally, 4 topics regarding the surgical management of RS are grade A/B and are presented in the executive summary. Finally, a comprehensive evidence‐based management algorithm is provided. Conclusion: This ICAR‐RS‐2021 executive summary provides a compilation of the evidence‐based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment of the most common forms of RS