Genetic architecture and population structure of Oat Landraces (Avena sativa L.) using molecular and morphological descriptors

439-450Oat is grown as winter forage in India. It is a self-pollinated crop with less variability. However, the variation for different morphological traits in oat germplasm may be available at genotypic level. The present study was conducted to find out the genetic diversity among 24 oat landraces using 9 morphological traits and 24 SSR primers. Morphological data observed across the 24 landraces showed wide variation and grouped various landraces into two clusters. GFY and DMY were positively and significantly correlated with most of the traits studied. The molecular analysis using 24 SSR primers resulted amplification of 62 polymorphic alleles with an average of 2.58 alleles per primer. Size of amplified alleles ranged from 70 to 480 bp. Mean polymorphic information content was 0.42 showing moderate level of SSR polymorphism. Cluster analysis based on SSR data differentiated 24 oat landraces into three major clusters. Bayesian model-based STRUCTURE analysis assigned landraces into two clusters and showed the extent of admixture within individuals. Clustering pattern of oat landraces based on SSR marker profiles were different from that of morphometric traits. So, based on the pooled analysis at morphological and molecular level, the landraces IG-02-121, IG-02-129 and IG-02-113 were found superior for morphological traits as well as most distant among all the landraces under study. Hence, these landraces could be used in for future breeding programmes for genetic improvement in oats

Diabetes and pancreatic cancer survival: A prospective cohort-based study

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer but its association with survival from pancreatic cancer is poorly understood. Our objective was to investigate the association of diabetes with survival among pancreatic cancer patients in a prospective cohort-based study where diabetes history was ascertained before pancreatic cancer diagnosis. METHODS: We evaluated survival by baseline (1993–2001) self-reported diabetes history (n=62) among 504 participants that developed exocrine pancreatic cancer within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, race, smoking, and tumour stage (local, locally advanced, and metastatic). RESULTS: The multivariable-adjusted HR for mortality comparing participants with diabetes to those without was 1.52 (95% CI=1.14–2.04, P-value <0.01). After excluding those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within 3 years of study enrolment, HR for mortality among those with diabetes was 1.45 (95% CI=1.06–2.00, P-value=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Using prospectively collected data, our findings indicate that diabetes is associated with worse survival among patients with pancreatic cancer

Evaluation of gut modulatory and bronchodilator activities of Amaranthus spinosus Linn.

Background The aqueous-methanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus (A. spinosus Linn.,) whole plant, was studied for its laxative, spasmolytic and bronchodilator activities to validate some of its medicinal uses. Methods The crude extract of A. spinosus was studied in-vivo for bronchodilator and laxative activities and in-vitro using isolated tissue preparations which were mounted in tissue baths assembly containing physiological salt solutions, maintained at 37°C and aerated with carbogen, to assess the spasmolytic effect and to find out the possible underlying mechanisms. Results In the in-vivo experiments in mice, the administration of A. spinosus increased fecal output at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg showing laxative activity. It also inhibited carbachol-induced bronchospasm in anesthetized rats at 1, 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg indicative of bronchodilator activity. When tested on isolated gut preparations, the plant extract showed a concentration-dependent (0.01-10.0 mg/ml) spasmogenic effect in spontaneously contracting rabbit jejunum and guinea-pig ileum. The spasmogenic effect was partially blocked in tissues pretreated with atropine (0.1 μM). When tested on K+ (80 mM)-induced sustained contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum, the plant extract caused complete relaxation and also produced a shift in the Ca++ concentration-response curves (CRCs) towards right, similar to diltiazem. In rabbit trachea, the plant extract completely inhibited K+ (80 mM) and carbachol (CCh, 1 μM)-induced contractions at 1 mg/ml but pretreatment of tissue with propranolol (1 μM), caused around 10 fold shift in the inhibitory CRCs of the plant extract constructed against CCh-induced contraction. The plant extract (up to 0.3 mg/ml) also increased both force and rate of spontaneous contractions of isolated guinea-pig atria, followed by relaxation at higher concentration (1.0-5.0 mg/ml). The cardio-stimulant effect was abolished in the presence of propranolol, similar to that of isoprenaline. Activity-directed fractionation revealed that the spasmolytic component(s) was separated in the organic fraction, whereas the spasmogenic component was concentrated in the aqueous fraction. Conclusion These results indicate that A. spinosus possesses laxative activity partially mediated through cholinergic action. The spasmolytic effect was mediated through calcium channel blocking (CCB), while bronchodilator activity through a combination of β-adrenergic and CCB pathways, which may explain the traditional uses of A. spinosus in gut and airways disorders

ER stress protein AGR2 precedes and is involved in the regulation of pancreatic cancer initiation

The work was supported by a grant A12008 from CR-UK (L. Dumartin, N.R. Lemoine and T. Crnogorac-Jurcevic)

Racial and Imperial Thinking in International Theory and Politics: Truman, Attlee and the Korean War

- Connects the background ideas of race and empire to world politics - Uses case of Truman and Attlee in the Korean War - Argues that liberal-realist internationalists’ assumptions about the US-led post-war order obscure those background ideas and fail to understand the character of the post-war order - Argues liberal-realist internationalism is akin to a legitimating ideology rather than an explanatory theory - Argues that such failings render liberal internationalism inadequate to explain or prescribe ways for the United States/West to manage the ‘rise of the rest’ today This article connects the background ideas of race and empire to world politics by looking at the world views and actions of Truman and Attlee in the Korean War. The article argues that liberal-realist internationalists’ assumptions about the US-led post-war order obscure those background ideas and fail to understand the character of the post-war order. I consider two kinds of ‘background ideas’—policy-makers’ and those embedded in liberal internationalism. Put together, these ideas render liberal-realist internationalism akin to a legitimating ideology rather than an explanatory theory. More broadly, and in the longer run, such failure to comprehend the character of the post-war order, and the roles of race, empire and periphery war in it, renders the theory inadequate to explain or prescribe ways for the United States/West to manage the ‘rise of the rest’ today

Z-disc protein CHAPb induces cardiomyopathy and contractile dysfunction in the postnatal heart

The Z-disc is a crucial structure of the sarcomere and is implicated in mechanosensation/transduction. Dysregulation of Z-disc proteins often result in cardiomyopathy. We have previously shown that the Z-disc protein Cytoskeletal Heart-enriched Actin-associated Protein (CHAP) is essential for cardiac and skeletal muscle development. Furthermore, the CHAP gene has been associated with atrial fibrillation in humans. Here, we studied the misregulated expression of CHAP isoforms in heart disease. Mice that underwent transverse aortic constriction and calcineurin transgenic (Tg) mice, both models of experimental heart failure, displayed a significant increase in cardiac expression of fetal isoform CHAPb. To investigate whether increased expression of CHAPb postnatally is sufficient to induce cardiomyopathy, we generated CHAPb Tg mice under the control of the cardiac-specific αMHC promoter. CHAPb Tg mice displayed cardiac hypertrophy, interstitial fibrosis and enlargement of the left atrium at three months, which was more pronounced at the age of six months. Hypertrophy and fibrosis were confirmed by evidence of activation of the hypertrophic gene program (Nppa, Nppb, Myh7) and increased collagen expression, respectively. Connexin40 and 43 were downregulated in the left atrium, which was associated with delayed atrioventricular conduction. Tg hearts displayed both systolic and diastolic dysfunction partly caused by impaired sarcomere function evident from a reduced force generating capacity of single cardiomyocytes. This co-incided with activation of the actin signalling pathway leading to the formation of stress fibers. This study demonstrated that the fetal isoform CHAPb initiates progression towards cardiac hypertrophy, which is accompanied by delayed atrioventricular conduction and diastolic dysfunction. Moreover, CHAP may be a novel therapeutic target or candidate gene for screening in cardiomyopathies and atrial fibrillatio