International consensus guidelines on surveillance for pancreatic cancer in chronic pancreatitis. Recommendations from the working group for the international consensus guidelines for chronic pancreatitis in collaboration with the International Association of Pancreatology, the American Pancreatic Association, the Japan Pancreas Society, and European Pancreatic Club

Background: Patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. We present the international consensus guidelines for surveillance of pancreatic cancer in CP. Methods: The international group evaluated 10 statements generated from evidence on 5 questions relating to pancreatic cancer in CP. The GRADE approach was used to evaluate the level of evidence available per statement. The working group voted on each statement for strength of agreement, using a nine-point Likert scale in order to calculate Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient. Results: In the following domains there was strong consensus: (1) the risk of pancreatic cancer in affected individuals with hereditary pancreatitis due to inherited PRSS1 mutations is high enough to justify surveillance; (2) the risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with CP associated with SPINK1 p. N34S is not high enough to justify surveillance; (3) surveillance should be undertaken in pancreatic specialist centers; (4) surveillance should only be introduced after the age of 40 years and stopped when the patient would no longer be suitable for surgical intervention. All patients with CP should be advised to lead a healthy lifestyle aimed at avoiding risk factors for progression of CP and pancreatic cancer. There was only moderate or weak agreement on the best methods of screening and surveillance in other types of environmental, familial and genetic forms of CP. Conclusions: Patients with inherited PRSS1 mutations should undergo surveillance for pancreatic cancer, but the best methods for cancer detection need further investigation

Position statement on the definition, incidence, diagnosis and outcome of acute on chronic pancreatitis

BACKGROUND : Acute on chronic pancreatitis (ACP) is a relatively common condition, but there are significant gaps in our knowledge on the definition, incidence, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. METHODS : A systematic review that followed PICO (Population; Intervention; Comparator; Outcome) recommendation for quantitative questions and PICo (Population, Phenomenon of Interest, Context) for qualitative research was done to answer 10 of the most relevant questions about ACP. Quality of evidence was judged by the GRADE criteria (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). The manuscript was sent for review to 12 international experts from various disciplines and continents using a Delphi process. RESULTS : The quality of evidence, for most statements, was low to very low, which means that the recommendations in general are only conditional. Despite that, it was possible to reach strong levels of agreement by the expert panel for all 10 questions. A new consensus definition of ACP was reached. Although common, the real incidence of ACP is not known, with alcohol as a major risk factor. Although pain dominates, other non-specific symptoms and signs can be present. Serum levels of pancreatic enzymes may be less than 3 times the upper limit of normal and cross-sectional imaging is considered more accurate for the diagnosis in many cases. It appears that it is less severe and with a lower mortality risk than acute pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS : Although the evidence base is poor, this position statement provides a foundation from which to advance management of ACP.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/panam2024SurgerySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

The Journey of Crop Improvement

46-4

Not Available

Not AvailableSuccessful isolation of a good quality of plant genomic DNA in sufficient quantity is a necessary prerequisite for its downstream applications, that are aimed to examine and analyze the molecular intricacies of the plant kingdom. The quantity and quality of isolated genomic DNA often determines the accuracy and robustness of results derived from many DNA based applications. The choice of the method adopted for DNA isolation depends on a large number of factors like the amount, nature and age of the starting plant tissue, the infrastructure available in terms of laboratory facilities, ready availability of required laboratory chemicals, time at hand and the downstream applications of the obtained DNA. A large number of modifications have been suggested to optimize DNA isolation from a particular plant species or tissue. There cannot be a universal protocol for DNA isolation across all plant species or tissues owing to the highly heterogeneous nature of plant cells. Hence, efforts need to be made to carry out suitable variations in the extraction method, so as to develop a protocol which is best suited to a particular plant species or tissue or application. So far, a large number of DNA isolation protocols from plants have been published, but there is no comprehensive report on suitability of these methods over each other and the different modifications which have been attempted to optimize the yield and quality of DNA. Many review papers have described various DNA isolation protocols and their underlying principles, that have been adopted in order to optimize DNA isolation from different plant species and tissues (Varma et al., 2007; Tan and Yiap 2009; Kumari et al., 2012). However, there is no comprehensive study which gives details of modifications at different steps of the plant genomic DNA isolation protocol, that have been attempted by researchers to overcome the specie and tissue specific limitations. This review gives a detailed account of the steps involved in genomic DNA isolation from various plant species and tissues and how each of these steps have been modified to overcome and eliminate the problem of contaminants in the extracted DNA so as to obtain a good quality of DNA amenable to downstream molecular biology applications.Not Availabl

Impact of the tropical cyclone Nilam on the vertical distribution of carbon monoxide over Chennai on the Indian peninsula

The present study investigates the impact of tropical cyclone (TC) Nilam on the vertical distribution of carbon monoxide (CO) over Chennai in southern India. Measurements of OZone and water vapour by Airbus In‐service airCraft (MOZAIC) profiles of CO measured during October–November 2012 were analysed. The vertical profiles of CO on 15 October and 2 November were influenced by convective motions with a significant decrease in outgoing long‐wave radiation (OLR) compared to that on normal days of observations. The near‐surface mixing ratios of CO (185 ± 24 ppbv) in convectively influenced conditions were much lower than those measured during normal days (>210 ppbv). The occurrence of minimum CO values at altitudes of 4–6 km coincided with the lowest lapse rate (LR) value of 4–5 °C/km. The uplift of surface air masses led to a large increase in the CO mixing ratio in the free troposphere. The differences in CO between the lower and free troposphere were relatively small (40–50 ppbv) and large (90–100 ppbv) during convective and normal days, respectively. In the lower troposphere, elevated values of CO (>250 ppbv) were measured for lighter wind speeds from the north, while lower values (<150 ppbv) were measured for strong winds from the western sectors. The Model for OZone And Related chemical Tracers (MOZART‐4) and Chemistry Climate Model 2 (CCM2) simulations did not capture the detailed features of the CO profiles. For cyclone‐influenced measurements in the lower troposphere, MOZART‐4 underestimated the CO values by approximately 13%, but CCM2 overestimated the CO values by 70%. In the upper troposphere, MOZART‐4 and CCM2 underestimated the observations by 6–8% and 12–22%, respectively. The mixing scheme of the model and simulated concentrations seem to be the key causes of disagreements. However, the performances of both the MOZART‐4 and CCM2 simulations were better for convection‐free normal days.by Lokesh K.Sahu, Nidhi Tripathi, Varun Sheel, Mizuo Kajino, Makoto Deushi, Ravi Yadav and Philippe Nedele

Quantitative detection of pathogen load of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris infected wilt resistant and susceptible genotypes of chickpea using intergenic spacer region-based marker

Highlights • Intergenic spacer based markers are robust molecular markers for detection of phytopathogenic fungi. • qPCR can be utilized as a molecular diagnostic tool to quantify pathogen DNA load at pictogram (pg) level. • Differential dynamics of pathogen DNA in chickpea genotypes contrasting for Fusarium wilt resistance was observed.Quantitative detection of pathogen DNA load is a crucial aspect in development of disease management strategies and breeding programs. In recent years, there have been several reports where formae speciales specific intergenic spacer (IGS) sequence based markers have been used for quantification of pathogen DNA in different plant and soil samples, through quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). In the present study, we have utilized an IGS based marker, ISR 52, to detect and quantify Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceris (Foc) DNA, using both conventional PCR and qPCR, in chickpea genotypes which contrast for resistance to Fusarium wilt. Our study reveals that the Foc DNA load was found to be significantly higher in the early wilting genotypes as compared to the wilt resistant genotypes. Late wilting genotype showed a spike in pathogen DNA load in later stage of plant growth. Phenotypic observation of disease progression in combination with qPCR data validated that the pathogen undergoes incubation period before manifestation of symptoms. The above observations provide evidence about the differential dynamics of pathogen build up inside different hosts during different time periods and probable reason for the earliness, lateness and resistance in wilting like traits in these genotypes

International Consensus Guidelines for Risk Factors in Chronic Pancreatitis. Recommendations from the working group for the international consensus guidelines for chronic pancreatitis in collaboration with the International Association of Pancreatology, the American Pancreatic Association, the Japan Pancreas Society, and European Pancreatic Club

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a complex inflammatory disease with remarkably impaired quality of life and permanent damage of the pancreas. This paper is part of the international consensus guidelines on CP and presents the consensus on factors elevating the risk for CP.An international working group with 20 experts on CP from the major pancreas societies (IAP, APA, JPS, and EPC) evaluated 14 statements generated from evidence on four questions deemed to be the most clinically relevant in CP. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to evaluate the level of evidence available per statement. To determine the level of agreement, the working group voted on the 14 statements for strength of agreement, using a nine-point Likert scale in order to calculate Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient.Strong consensus and agreement were obtained for the following statements: Alcohol, smoking, and certain genetic alterations are risk factors for CP. Past history, family history, onset of symptoms, and life-style factors including alcohol intake and smoking history should be determined. Alcohol consumption dose-dependently elevates the risk of CP up to 4-fold. Ever smokers, even smoking less than a pack of cigarettes per day, have an increased risk for CP, as compared to never smokers.Both genetic and environmental factors can markedly elevate the risk for CP. Therefore, health-promoting lifestyle education and in certain cases genetic counselling should be employed to reduce the incidence of CP

Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci associated with drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract Elucidation of the genetic basis of drought tolerance is vital for genomics-assisted breeding of drought tolerant crop varieties. Here, we used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a drought tolerant chickpea variety, Pusa 362 and a drought sensitive variety, SBD 377. The GBS identified a total of 35,502 SNPs and subsequent filtering of these resulted in 3237 high-quality SNPs included in the eight linkage groups. Fifty-one percent of these SNPs were located in the genic regions distributed throughout the genome. The high density linkage map has total map length of 1069 cm with an average marker interval of 0.33 cm. The linkage map was used to identify 9 robust and consistent QTLs for four drought related traits viz. membrane stability index, relative water content, seed weight and yield under drought, with percent variance explained within the range of 6.29%–90.68% and LOD scores of 2.64 to 6.38, which were located on five of the eight linkage groups. A genomic region on LG 7 harbors quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining > 90% phenotypic variance for membrane stability index, and > 10% PVE for yield. This study also provides the first report of major QTLs for physiological traits such as membrane stability index and relative water content for drought stress in chickpea. A total of 369 putative candidate genes were identified in the 6.6 Mb genomic region spanning these QTLs. In-silico expression profiling based on the available transcriptome data revealed that 326 of these genes were differentially expressed under drought stress. KEGG analysis resulted in reduction of candidate genes from 369 to 99, revealing enrichment in various signaling pathways. Haplotype analysis confirmed 5 QTLs among the initially identified 9 QTLs. Two QTLs, qRWC1.1 and qYLD7.1, were chosen based on high SNP density. Candidate gene-based analysis revealed distinct haplotypes in qYLD7.1 associated with significant phenotypic differences, potentially linked to pathways for secondary metabolite biosynthesis. These identified candidate genes bolster defenses through flavonoids and phenylalanine-derived compounds, aiding UV protection, pathogen resistance, and plant structure.The study provides novel genomic regions and candidate genes which can be utilized in genomics-assisted breeding of superior drought tolerant chickpea cultivars

International consensus statements on early chronic Pancreatitis. Recommendations from the working group for the international consensus guidelines for chronic pancreatitis in collaboration with The International Association of Pancreatology, American Pancreatic Association, Japan Pancreas Society, PancreasFest Working Group and European Pancreatic Club

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disorder currently diagnosed by morphologic features. In contrast, an accurate diagnosis of Early CP is not possible using imaging criteria alone. If this were possible and early treatment instituted, the later, irreversible features and complications of CP could possibly be prevented