Molecular evolution and diversification of the SMXL gene family

Strigolactones (SLs) are a relatively recent addition to the list of plant hormones that control different aspects of plant development. SL signalling is perceived by an alpha/beta hydrolase, DWARF 14 (D14). A close homolog of D14, KARRIKIN INSENSTIVE2 (KAI2), is involved in perception of an uncharacterized molecule called karrikin (KAR). Recent studies in Arabidopsis identified the SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1 (SMAX1) and SMAX1-LIKE 7 (SMXL7) to be potential SCF-MAX2 complex-mediated proteasome targets of KAI2 and D14, respectively. Genetic studies on SMXL7 and SMAX1 demonstrated distinct developmental roles for each, but very little is known about these repressors in terms of their sequence features. In this study, we performed an extensive comparative analysis of SMXLs and determined their phylogenetic and evolutionary history in the plant lineage. Our results show that SMXL family members can be subdivided into four distinct phylogenetic clades/classes, with an ancient SMAX1. Further, we identified the Glade-specific motifs that have evolved and that might act as determinants of SL-KAR signalling specificity. These specificities resulted from functional diversities among the clades. Our results suggest that a gradual co-evolution of SMXL members with their upstream receptors D14/KAI2 provided an increased specificity to both the SL perception and response in land plants

Epidemiology of chronic kidney disease in children

In the past 30 years there have been major improvements in the care of children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, most of the available epidemiological data stem from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) registries and information on the earlier stages of pediatric CKD is still limited. The median reported incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in children aged 0–19 years across the world in 2008 was 9 per million of the age-related population (4–18 years). The prevalence of RRT in 2008 ranged from 18 to 100 per million of the age-related population. Congenital disorders, including congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) and hereditary nephropathies, are responsible for about two thirds of all cases of CKD in developed countries, while acquired causes predominate in developing countries. Children with congenital disorders experience a slower progression of CKD than those with glomerulonephritis, resulting in a lower proportion of CAKUT in the ESRD population compared with less advanced stages of CKD. Most children with ESRD start on dialysis and then receive a transplant. While the survival rate of children with ERSD has improved, it remains about 30 times lower than that of healthy peers. Children now mainly die of cardiovascular causes and infection rather than from renal failure

The Diagnosis of Invasive and Noninvasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis by Serum and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Galactomannan Assay

The incidence and mortality of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) are rising, particularly in critically ill patients and patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Noninvasive aspergillosis occurring in these patients requires special attention because of the possibility of developing subsequent IPA, given the poor health and worsened immune state of these patients. We compared the performance of the Platelia galactomannan (GM) enzyme immunoassay in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum. The sensitivity, and specificity of BALF-GM were 85.4% and 62.4%, and those of serum-GM were 67.9% and 93.5% at the cutoff index of 0.5. As the cutoff index increased, the specificity of BALF-GM detection was increased with the detriment of sensitivity. The area under the ROC curves was 0.817 (95% CI: 0.718–0.916) for BALF-GM and 0.819 (95% CI: 0.712–0.926) for serum-GM. The optimal cutoff index was 1.19 for BALF-GM, and the sensitivity and specificity were 67.9% and 89.2%. The BALF-GM assay is more sensitive in detecting pulmonary aspergillosis than serum-GM assay and fungal cultures. However, BALF-GM assay has a high false-positive rate at the cutoff index of 0.5. Hence, the diagnostic cutoff index of the BALF-GM assay should be improved to avoid the overdiagnosis of pulmonary aspergillosis in clinic

Selective photodegradation of phenol in the presence of a commercial humic acid

Preferential oxidation of certain pollutants has been a major challenge in photocatalysis, since normal source water contains low concentrations of highly toxic substances along with high concentrations of natural organic matter. Pure TiO2 and doped with cerium (0.1 nominal at.%) by the sol-gel method under different conditions were synthesized. In one of the synthesis conditions, a nonionic surfactant was used as a pore-directing agent along with an acetic acid-based sol-gel route without addition of water molecules. The effect of the presence of a surfactant, the doping with cerium, the light absorption, the adsorption and the degradation of phenol and a commercial humic acid, as well as the structural properties of the synthesized materials, were investigated in this study. It can be demonstrated that by controlling the porous structure of TiO2, the access of large size natural organic matter to the TiO2 can be suppressed, thus improving the selective oxidation of small size target contaminants. Phenol as a target contaminant was successfully decomposed even in the presence of a commercial humic acid as competing natural organic matter. Under UV irradiation, highly porous catalysts prepared with polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate surfactant exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of phenol in the presence of a commercial humic acid than the materials prepared without this surfactant. Under visible irradiation, the material prepared with the surfactant and doped with Ce presented the best performance, probably due to the red shift of the electronic absorption band induced by cerium incorporation to TiO2.Fil: Palacio, Magdalena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Rossi, Lucia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias Aplicadas "Dr. Jorge J. Ronco". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Farías Hermosilla, María Estefanía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Rosso, Janina Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Villabrille, Paula Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias Aplicadas "Dr. Jorge J. Ronco". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ciencias Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Marcela Vanessa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico para la Industria Química; Argentin