Domestication, Genomics and the Future for Banana

Background Cultivated bananas and plantains are giant herbaceous plants within the genus Musa. They are both sterile and parthenocarpic so the fruit develops without seed. The cultivated hybrids and species are mostly triploid (2n = 3x = 33; a few are diploid or tetraploid), and most have been propagated from mutants found in the wild. With a production of 100 million tons annually, banana is a staple food across the Asian, African and American tropics, with the 15 % that is exported being important to many economies. Scope There are well over a thousand domesticated Musa cultivars and their genetic diversity is high, indicating multiple origins from different wild hybrids between two principle ancestral species. However, the difficulty of genetics and sterility of the crop has meant that the development of new varieties through hybridization, mutation or transformation was not very successful in the 20th century. Knowledge of structural and functional genomics and genes, reproductive physiology, cytogenetics, and comparative genomics with rice, Arabidopsis and other model species has increased our understanding of Musa and its diversity enormously. Conclusions There are major challenges to banana production from virulent diseases, abiotic stresses and new demands for sustainability, quality, transport and yield. Within the genepool of cultivars and wild species there are genetic resistances to many stresses. Genomic approaches are now rapidly advancing in Musa and have the prospect of helping enable banana to maintain and increase its importance as a staple food and cash crop through integration of genetical, evolutionary and structural data, allowing targeted breeding, transformation and efficient use of Musa biodiversity in the future

A protocol for prospective studies 5-hydroxyvitamin D, leptin and b ass index in relation to cutaneou elanoma incidence and survival

Introduction The incidence and mortality rates of cutaneous melanoma (CM) are increasing among fai skinned populations worldwide. Ultraviolet radiation s the principal risk factor for CM, but is also the mai source of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), which has associated with reduced risk and better prognosis of cancer types. However, both low and high 25(OH)D l have been associated with increased risk of CM. Obe as measured by body mass index (BMI) is associated risk of several cancers and has also been suggested risk factor for CM, and may also be related to insuffi 25(OH)D and/or high leptin levels. Moreover, contract CM diagnosis has been associated with increased ri developing second cancer. We aim to study whether prediagnostic serum levels of 25(OH)D, high prediag evels of BMI and high serum leptin levels influence ncidence, Breslow thickness and CM mortality, and second cancer and survival after a CM diagnosis. Methods and analysis Cohort and nested case–co studies will be carried out using the population-base Janus Serum Bank Cohort (archival prediagnostic se BMI, smoking and physical activity), with follow-up fr 1972 to 2014. Additional data will be received from t Cancer Registry of Norway, the national Cause of De Registry, Statistics Norway (education and occupatio and exposure matrices of UVR. Time-to-event regres models will be used to analyse the cohort data, whil he nested case–control studies will be analysed by conditional logistic regression. A multilevel approach be applied when incorporating group-level data. Ethics and dissemination The project is approved he Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics and is funded by the Norwegian Cancer Society. Res will be published in peer-reviewed journals, at scient conferences and in the news media

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in patients with postsurgical bile leakage and nondilated intrahepatic bile ducts

Objective and Background: Bile leakage is a serious postoperative complication and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) may be an option when endoscopic treatment is not feasible. In this retrospective study, we established technical and clinical success rates as well as the complication rates of PTBD in a large group of patients with postoperative bile leakage. Methods: Data on all patients with nondilated intrahepatic bile ducts who underwent a PTBD procedure for the treatment of bile leakage between January 2000 and August 2012 were retrospectively assessed. Data included type of surgery, site of bile leak, previous attempts of bile leak repair, interval between surgery and PTBD placement. Outcome measures were the technical and clinical success rates, the procedure-related complications, and mortality rate. Results: A total of 63 patients were identified; PTBD placement was technically successful in 90.5% (57/63) after one to three attempts. The clinical success rate was 69.8% (44/63). Four major complications were documented (4/63; 6.3%): liver laceration, pneumothorax, pleural empyema, and prolonged hemobilia. One minor complication involved pain. Conclusion

Parenteral Nutrition in Advanced Cancer: The Healthcare Providers’ Perspective

Introduction: The evidence base for parenteral nutrition (PN) in advanced cancer patients is limited. We studied healthcare providers’ (HCPs’) experiences with PN in cancer patients, focusing on perceived treatment benefits and challenges. Methods: An 18-item online survey was emailed to HCPs attending one of three regional palliative care seminars held within a 6-month period. The survey included single-response items, multiple-response items, and free text boxes concerning PN. Descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic content analysis were applied. Results: One hundred and two seminar participants completed the survey. Ninety-three percent were female, 86% were nurses/oncological nurses, and 80% worked in primary care. Respondents reported a well-functioning collaboration across levels of care. They perceived that PN may increase the patients’ level of energy, improve the general condition, and reduce eating-related distress. On the downside, HCPs observed burdensome side effects, that the treatment was resource-demanding, and that decisions on PN withdrawal were difficult. Conclusion: The study results are based on the perspectives of more than 100 HCPs with comprehensive clinical experience with PN. Their knowledge represents an important experience base for improvement of healthcare services and advanced care planning.publishedVersio

Participation of Multifunctional RNA in Replication, Recombination and Regulation of Endogenous Plant Pararetroviruses (EPRVs)

Pararetroviruses, taxon Caulimoviridae, are typical of retroelements with reverse transcriptase and share a common origin with retroviruses and LTR retrotransposons, presumably dating back 1.6 billion years and illustrating the transition from an RNA to a DNA world. After transcription of the viral genome in the host nucleus, viral DNA synthesis occurs in the cytoplasm on the generated terminally redundant RNA including inter- and intra-molecule recombination steps rather than relying on nuclear DNA replication. RNA recombination events between an ancestral genomic retroelement with exogenous RNA viruses were seminal in pararetrovirus evolution resulting in horizontal transmission and episomal replication. Instead of active integration, pararetroviruses use the host DNA repair machinery to prevail in genomes of angiosperms, gymnosperms and ferns. Pararetrovirus integration – leading to Endogenous ParaRetroViruses, EPRVs – by illegitimate recombination can happen if their sequences instead of homologous host genomic sequences on the sister chromatid (during mitosis) or homologous chromosome (during meiosis) are used as template. Multiple layers of RNA interference exist regulating episomal and chromosomal forms of the pararetrovirus. Pararetroviruses have evolved suppressors against this plant defense in the arms race during co-evolution which can result in deregulation of plant genes. Small RNAs serve as signaling molecules for Transcriptional and Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (TGS, PTGS) pathways. Different populations of small RNAs comprising 21–24 nt and 18–30 nt in length have been reported for Citrus, Fritillaria, Musa, Petunia, Solanum and Beta. Recombination and RNA interference are driving forces for evolution and regulation of EPRVs

Anthropometric Factors and Cutaneous Melanoma: Prospective Data from the Population-based Janus Cohort

The aim of the present study was to prospectively examine risk of cutaneous melanoma (CM) according to measured anthropometric factors, adjusted for exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR), in a large population-based cohort in Norway. The Janus Cohort, including 292,851 Norwegians recruited 1972–2003, was linked to the Cancer Registry of Norway and followed for CM through 2014. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of CM with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Restricted cubic splines were incorporated into the Cox models to assess possible non-linear relationships. All analyses were adjusted for attained age, indicators of UVR exposure, education, and smoking status. During a mean follow-up of 27 years, 3,000 incident CM cases were identified. In men, CM risk was positively associated with body mass index, body surface area (BSA), height and weight (all ptrends \u3c 0.001), and the exposure-response curves indicated an exponential increase in risk for all anthropometric factors. Weight loss of more than 2 kg in men was associated with a 53% lower risk (HR 0.47, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.57). In women, CM risk increased with increasing BSA (ptrend50.002) and height (ptrend \u3c 0.001). The shape of the height- CM risk curve indicated an exponential increase. Our study suggests that large body size, in general, is a CM risk factor in men, and is the first to report that weight loss may reduce the risk of CM among men

Microwave-assisted production of biodiesel

ncreasing popularity of sour beer urges the development of novel solutions for controlled fermentations both for fast acidification and consistency in product flavor and quality. One possible approach is the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in co-fermentation with Lactobacillus species, which produce lactic acid as a major end-product of carbohydrate catabolism. The ability of lactobacilli to ferment beer is determined by their capacity to sustain brewing-related stresses, including hop iso-α acids, low pH and ethanol. Here, we evaluated the tolerance of Lactobacillus brevis BSO464 and Lactobacillus buchneri CD034 to beer conditions and different fermentation strategies as well as their use in the brewing process in mixed fermentation with a brewer’s yeast, S. cerevisiae US-05. Results were compared with those obtained with a commercial Lactobacillus plantarum (WildBrewTM Sour Pitch), a strain commonly used for kettle souring. In pure cultures, the three strains showed varying susceptibility to stresses, with L. brevis being the most resistant and L. plantarum displaying the lowest stress tolerance. When in co-fermentation with S. cerevisiae, both L. plantarum and L. brevis were able to generate sour beer in as little as 21 days, and their presence positively influenced the composition of flavor-active compounds. Both sour beers were sensorially different from each other and from a reference beer fermented by S. cerevisiae alone. While the beer produced with L. plantarum had an increased intensity in fruity odor and dried fruit odor, the L. brevis beer had a higher total flavor intensity, acidic taste and astringency. Remarkably, the beer generated with L. brevis was perceived as comparable to a commercial sour beer in multiple sensory attributes. Taken together, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using L. brevis BSO464 and L. plantarum in co-fermentation with S. cerevisiae for controlled sour beer production with shortened production time.publishedVersio

Expanding the Utilization of Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Archives : Feasibility of miR-Seq for Disease Exploration and Biomarker Development from Biopsies with Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Novel predictive tools for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are urgently needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been increasingly investigated for their predictive value, and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy archives may potentially be a valuable source of miRNA sequencing material, as they remain an underused resource. Core biopsies of both cancerous and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from patients (n = 12) undergoing nephrectomy. After small RNA-seq, several analyses were performed, including classifier evaluation, obesity-related inquiries, survival analysis using publicly available datasets, comparisons to the current literature and ingenuity pathway analyses. In a comparison of tumour vs. normal, 182 miRNAs were found with significant differential expression; miR-155 was of particular interest as it classified all ccRCC samples correctly and correlated well with tumour size (R-2 = 0.83); miR-155 also predicted poor survival with hazard ratios of 2.58 and 1.81 in two different TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) datasets in a univariate model. However, in a multivariate Cox regression analysis including age, sex, cancer stage and histological grade, miR-155 was not a statistically significant survival predictor. In conclusion, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy tissues are a viable source of miRNA-sequencing material. Our results further support a role for miR-155 as a promising cancer classifier and potentially as a therapeutic target in ccRCC that merits further investigation.Peer reviewe