Utility of adzuki bean [Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi] simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in genetic analysis of mungbean and related Vigna spp.

In the present study, 78 mapped simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers representing 11 linkage groups of adzuki bean were evaluated for transferability to  mungbean and related Vigna spp. 41 markers amplified characteristic bands in at least one Vigna species. The transferability percentage across the genotypes ranged from 60.97 to 92.6% with 87.8% in Vigna radiata and Vigna mungo, 62.2% in Vigna unguiculata, 91.8% in Vigna umbellata, 78% in Vigna mungo var. sylvestris and 80% in Vigna trilobata, respectively. Five major clusters were observed using unweighted pair group method with an arithmetic mean (UPGMA) with each cluster representing a particular Vigna species. We have successfully utilized adzuki bean SSRs in amplifying microsatellite sequences in Vigna species and inferring phylogenetic relationships by correlating the rate of transfer among them. The polymorphic SSR markers identified in this study would be useful in the analysis of genetic diversity, gene mapping and other aspects of genetic studies in mungbean and related species.Key words: Adzuki bean, simple sequence repeat (SSR), inter-genomic marker transferability, genetic diversity, mungbean, Vigna spp

Synthesis and in vitro drug release studies on substituted polyphosphazene conjugates of lumefantrine.

The present study pertains to the delivery of antimalarial drug (Lumifantrine). In this, polyphosphazene has been used in the synthesis of polyphosphazene-linked conjugates of Lumifantrine. These polymer-linked Conjugates have been synthesized and characterized by modern analytical techniques. The in-vitro drug release of Lumifantrine drug conjugates: p-Amino benzoic acid ester substituted polyphosphazene drug conjugate (15) and Glycine methyl ester substituted polyphosphazene drug conjugate (21) have been found to be 6.00 % and 5.96% (pH 1.2), 88.52% and 79.86% (pH 7.4), respectively. These drug conjugate may prove an effective delivery system for the treatment of malaria

Oxygen supplementation facilitating successful prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation of a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following trans-tibial amputation: a case report

Abstract Introduction Dysvascular amputations are increasingly performed in patients with underlying cardiac and pulmonary disorders. A limb prosthesis is rarely offered to patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease because of their inability to achieve the high energy expenditure required for prosthetic ambulation. We describe a case of successful prosthetic fitting and rehabilitation of a patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with the aid of oxygen supplementation. Case presentation A 67-year-old aboriginal woman with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypercapnic respiratory failure underwent right trans-tibial (below the knee) amputation for severe foot gangrene. An aggressive rehabilitation program of conditioning exercises and gait training utilizing oxygen therapy was initiated. She was custom-fitted with a right trans-tibial prosthesis. A rehabilitation program improved her strength, endurance and stump contracture, and she was able to walk for short distances with the prosthesis. The motion analysis studies showed a cadence of 73.5 steps per minute, a velocity of 0.29 meters per second and no difference in right and left step time and step length. Conclusion This case report illustrates that patients with significant severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be successfully fitted with limb prostheses and undergo rehabilitation using supplemental oxygen along with optimization of their underlying comorbidities. Despite the paucity of published information in this area, prosthesis fitting and rehabilitation should be considered in patients who have undergone amputation and have severe chronic obstructive disease.</p

Complex circular subsidence structures in tephra deposited on large blocks of ice: Varða tuff cone, Öræfajökull, Iceland

Several broadly circular structures up to 16 m in diameter, into which higher strata have sagged and locally collapsed, are present in a tephra outcrop on southwest Öræfajökull, southern Iceland. The tephra was sourced in a nearby basaltic tuff cone at Varða. The structures have not previously been described in tuff cones, and they probably formed by the melting out of large buried blocks of ice emplaced during a preceding jökulhlaup that may have been triggered by a subglacial eruption within the Öræfajökull ice cap. They are named ice-melt subsidence structures, and they are analogous to kettle holes that are commonly found in proglacial sandurs and some lahars sourced in ice-clad volcanoes. The internal structure is better exposed in the Varða examples because of an absence of fluvial infilling and reworking, and erosion of the outcrop to reveal the deeper geometry. The ice-melt subsidence structures at Varða are a proxy for buried ice. They are the only known evidence for a subglacial eruption and associated jökulhlaup that created the ice blocks. The recognition of such structures elsewhere will be useful in reconstructing more complete regional volcanic histories as well as for identifying ice-proximal settings during palaeoenvironmental investigations

Nutrition Strategies for Triathlon

Contemporary sports nutrition guidelines recommend that each athlete develop a personalised, periodised and practical approach to eating that allows him or her to train hard, recover and adapt optimally, stay free of illness and injury and compete at their best at peak races. Competitive triathletes undertake a heavy training programme to prepare for three different sports while undertaking races varying in duration from 20 min to 10 h. The everyday diet should be adequate in energy availability, provide CHO in varying amounts and timing around workouts according to the benefits of training with low or high CHO availability and spread high-quality protein over the day to maximise the adaptive response to each session. Race nutrition requires a targeted and well-practised plan that maintains fuel and hydration goals over the duration of the specific event, according to the opportunities provided by the race and other challenges, such as a hot environment. Supplements and sports foods can make a small contribution to a sports nutrition plan, when medical supplements are used under supervision to prevent/treat nutrient deficiencies (e.g. iron or vitamin D) or when sports foods provide a convenient source of nutrients when it is impractical to eat whole foods. Finally, a few evidence-based performance supplements may contribute to optimal race performance when used according to best practice protocols to suit the triathlete’s goals and individual responsiveness

Biomechanical comparison of a new stand-alone anterior lumbar interbody fusion cage with established fixation techniques – a three-dimensional finite element analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Initial promise of a stand-alone interbody fusion cage to treat chronic back pain and restore disc height has not been realized. In some instances, a posterior spinal fixation has been used to enhance stability and increase fusion rate. In this manuscript, a new stand-alone cage is compared with conventional fixation methods based on the finite element analysis, with a focus on investigating cage-bone interface mechanics and stress distribution on the adjacent tissues.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three trapezoid 8° interbody fusion cage models (dual paralleled cages, a single large cage, or a two-part cage consisting of a trapezoid box and threaded cylinder) were created with or without pedicle screws fixation to investigate the relative importance of the screws on the spinal segmental response. The contact stress on the facet joint, slip displacement of the cage on the endplate, and rotational angle of the upper vertebra were measured under different loading conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Simulation results demonstrated less facet stress and slip displacement with the maximal contact on the cage-bone interface. A stand-alone two-part cage had good slip behavior under compression, flexion, extension, lateral bending and torsion, as compared with the other two interbody cages, even with the additional posterior fixation. However, the two-part cage had the lowest rotational angles under flexion and torsion, but had no differences under extension and lateral bending.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The biomechanical benefit of a stand-alone two-part fusion cage can be justified. This device provided the stability required for interbody fusion, which supports clinical trials of the cage as an alternative to circumferential fixations.</p

Efficacy of different treatment regimes against setariosis (Setaria tundra, Nematoda: Filarioidea) and associated peritonitis in reindeer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>When a severe peritonitis outbreak in semi-domesticated reindeer was noticed in 2003 in Finland, the concerned industry urged immediate preventive actions in order to avoid detrimental effects of <it>S. tundra </it>and further economical losses. A research programme was swiftly initiated to study <it>S. tundra </it>and its impact on the health and wellbeing of reindeer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The ultimate aim of this study was to test the efficacy of different treatment regimes against <it>S. tundra </it>and associated peritonitis in reindeer. The timing of the trials was planned to be compatible with the annual rhythm of the reindeer management; (1) the treatment of calves in midsummer, during routine calf ear marking, with ivermectin injection prophylaxis and deltamethrin pour-on solution as a repellent against insect vectors, (2) the treatment of infected calves in early autumn with ivermectin injection, and (3) ivermectin treatment of breeding reindeer in winter. The results were assessed using the post mortem inspection data and <it>S. tundra </it>detection. Finally, to evaluate on the population level the influence of the annual (late autumn-winter) ivermectin treatment of breeding reindeer on the transmission dynamics of <it>S. tundra</it>, a questionnaire survey was conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In autumn, ivermectin treatment was efficient against peritonitis and in midsummer had a slight negative impact on the degree of peritonitis and positive on the fat layer, but deltamethrin had none. Ivermectin was efficient against adult <it>S. tundra </it>and its smf. All the reindeer herding cooperatives answered the questionnaire and it appeared that antiparasitic treatment of reindeer population was intense during the study period, when 64–90% of the animals were treated. In the southern part of the Finnish reindeer husbandry area, oral administration of ivermectin was commonly used.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Autumn, and to a lesser degree summer, treatment of reindeer calves with injectable ivermectin resulted in decreased severity of peritonitis and perihepatitis in reindeer calves due to setariosis. In the case of necessity for animal welfare reasons, treatment during early autumn round ups should be considered. On the population level, massive and routinely applied antiparasitic treatments can improve the health of breeding reindeer and decrease the mortality and the number of carriers but during the outbreak could not prevent its movement and expansion to the North.</p

Non-thermal X-rays from colliding wind shock acceleration in the massive binary Eta Carinae

Cosmic-ray acceleration has been a long-standing mystery1,2 and, despite more than a century of study, we still do not have a complete census of acceleration mechanisms. The collision of strong stellar winds in massive binary systems creates powerful shocks that have been expected to produce high-energy cosmic rays through Fermi acceleration at the shock interface. The accelerated particles should collide with stellar photons or ambient material, producing non-thermal emission observable in X-rays and γ-rays3,4. The supermassive binary star Eta Carinae (η Car) drives the strongest colliding wind shock in the solar neighbourhood5,6. Observations with non-focusing high-energy observatories indicate a high-energy source near η Car, but have been unable to conclusively identify η Car as the source because of their relatively poor angular resolution7,8,9. Here we present direct focussing observations of the non-thermal source in the extremely hard X-ray band, which is found to be spatially coincident with the star within several arc-seconds. These observations show that the source of non-thermal X-rays varies with the orbital phase of the binary, and that the photon index of the emission is similar to that derived through analysis of the γ-ray spectrum. This is conclusive evidence that the high-energy emission indeed originates from non-thermal particles accelerated at colliding wind shocks

Predictors of mortality of patients with acute respiratory failure secondary to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to an intensive care unit: A one year study

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly require hospitalization and admission to intensive care unit (ICU). It is useful to identify patients at the time of admission who are likely to have poor outcome. This study was carried out to define the predictors of mortality in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD and to device a scoring system using the baseline physiological variables for prognosticating these patients. METHODS: Eighty-two patients with acute respiratory failure secondary to COPD admitted to medical ICU over a one-year period were included. Clinical and demographic profile at the time of admission to ICU including APACHE II score and Glasgow coma scale were recorded at the time of admission to ICU. In addition, acid base disorders, renal functions, liver functions and serum albumin, were recorded at the time of presentation. Primary outcome measure was hospital mortality. RESULTS: Invasive ventilation was required in 69 patients (84.1%). Fifty-two patients survived to hospital discharge (63.4%). APACHE II score at the time of admission to ICU {odds ratio (95 % CI): 1.32 (1.138–1.532); p < 0.001} and serum albumin (done within 24 hours of admission) {odds ratio (95 % CI): 0.114 (0.03-0.432); p = 0.001}. An equation, constructed using the adjusted odds ratio for the two parameters, had an area under the ROC curve of 91.3%. For the choice of cut-off, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for predicting outcome was 90%, 86.5%, 79.4% and 93.7%. CONCLUSION: APACHE II score at admission and SA levels with in 24 hrs after admission are independent predictors of mortality for patients with COPD admitted to ICU. The equation derived from these two parameters is useful for predicting outcome of these patients

Wheat-barley hybridization – the last forty years

Abstract Several useful alien gene transfers have been reported from related species into wheat (Triticum aestivum), but very few publications have dealt with the development of wheat/barley (Hordeum vulgare) introgression lines. An overview is given here of wheat 9 barley hybridization over the last forty years, including the development of wheat 9 barley hybrids, and of addition and translocation lines with various barley cultivars. A short summary is also given of the wheat 9 barley hybrids produced with other Hordeum species. The meiotic pairing behaviour of wheat 9 barley hybrids is presented, with special regard to the detection of wheat– barley homoeologous pairing using the molecular cytogenetic technique GISH. The effect of in vitro multiplication on the genome composition of intergeneric hybrids is discussed, and the production and characterization of the latest wheat/barley translocation lines are presented. An overview of the agronomical traits (b-glucan content, earliness, salt tolerance, sprouting resistance, etc.) of the newly developed introgression lines is given. The exploitation and possible use of wheat/barley introgression lines for the most up-to-date molecular genetic studies (transcriptome analysis, sequencing of flow-sorted chromosomes) are also discussed