In silico Analysis of whole-Genome of Solanum lycopersicum for Alpha-Crystallin Domains Associated with Heat Stress Tolerance

Living organisms alter their gene-expression patterns to withstand stressful conditions. Drought, salinity, heat and chilling are potent abiotic stresses causing an alteration in gene expression. Among these, high temperature stress stimulates Heat Shock Transcription Factors (HSF) which activate heat shock promoters, thus turning on the heat shock genes. Heat shock proteins are, therefore, products of heat shock genes and are classified as per their molecular weight, including small heat shock proteins (sHsps). Hsps are chaperones playing an important role in stress tolerance. These consist of a conserved domain, flanked by N- and C-terminal regions termed the alphacrystallin domain (ACD), and are widely distributed in living beings. Their role as chaperones is to help the other proteins in protein-folding and prevent irreversible protein aggregation. The conserved domains in sHsps are essential for heat-stress tolerance and for their molecular chaperone activity, enabling plant survival under increasing temperatures, leading to adaptations needed for coping with extremes climatic conditions. The present study focusses on identification of ACDs in the whole-genome of Solanum lycopersicum. A multinational consortium, International Tomato Annotation Group (ITAG), funded in part by the EU-SOL Project, provides annotation of the whole genome of S. lycopersicumavailable in the public domain. We used several in silico methods for exploring alpha-crystallin domains in all the chromosomes of S. lycopersicum. Surprisingly, these ACDs were found to be present in all the chromosomes excepting Chromosome 4; these are highly conserved in sHsps and are related to heat tolerance

Evidence for Molecular Evolutionary Conservedness of Small Heat-Shock Protein Sequence in Solanaceaeous Crops Using in silico Methods

Drought and heat contribute to much of the yield decline in agricultural lands all over the world. The basic physiological responses developed against drought and heat stress overlie each other, as; both these stresses eventually lead to dehydration of the cell and to osmotic imbalance. To cope with abiotic stresses, it is necessary to understand plant responses to stresses that disturb homeostatic equilibrium at the cellular and molecular level. Although there has been remarkable progress in this with development of microarray-based expression profiling methods (together with genomic sequence data), understanding on ways to employ these data to engineer plants with improved stresstolerance is still at a nascent stage. However, these data can be used for discovering genes, functional microsatellites and regulatory elements using in silico methods. In this context, single nucleotide repeat marker sequences have been identified which is associated with small heat-shock protein sequence (sHSP) for heat tolerance in Capsicum annuum. These sHSP sequences have some structural features in common; its characteristic is that it is homologous and highly conserved. These sequences have been analyzed for molecular evolutionary conservedness in solanaceaeous crops and have been found to have a single nucleotide repeat sequence and a highly conserved sHSP sequence

Microsatellite Identification in Solanaceae Crops Associated with Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase (NDK) Specific to Abiotic Stress Tolerance through in silico Analysis

Abiotic stress often causes a series of morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular changes that affect plant growth, development and productivity. To cope with abiotic stresses, it is necessary to understand plant responses to stresses that disturb homeostatic equilibrium at the cellular and molecular level. Genomic information on Capsicum annuum has been explored to identify microsatellite markers associated with abiotic stress tolerance and assign them to cognate functional groups related to specific stress responses. Several in silico methods have been used to identify simple sequence repeats associated with stress responsive gene candidates in Capsicum annuum. In this study, a microsatellite marker has been identified in Capsicum annuum associated with Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase (NDK) having multiple environmental stress tolerance (oxidative, high temperature and salt stress) and which is also highly conserved in crops of Solanaceae. These are house-keeping enzymes that maintain intracellular levels of all nucleoside triphosphates (NTP) with the exception of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). These are also involved in phytochrome A response, UV-B signaling, auxin responses and oxidative stress signaling

Market Information System for Horticultural Crops:Web Application Development for Interactive Graphs

Marketing information service has been recognized as key for success in marketing of perishable commodities. Effort has been made to improve access to market information to all stakeholders involved in marketing of horticultural crops. Current study is an attempt in this direction to review various modes of such information support and also to highlight the effort made by premier institution like Indian Institute of Horticultural Research. Web application has been developed for Market information to display the data as Interactive graphs. Data for the study includes the month-wise arrival and price information of different horticultural commodities from different markets for a period of ten years. This is collected from primary sources such as District -wise, Marketwise and secondary sources such as NHB, NHRDF etc., the data were tabulated and uploaded to Microsoft SQL server database through customized CMS module. Further, the price arrival data has been translated to the Interactive Charts by programs developed using Microsoft Visual studio. NET technologies, which is a relatively new addition to IIHR website. Interactive Charts are used for drilling down for more information on price and arrivals. It consists of several interactive components like zoom, compare etc. Zoom component of the chart enables the user to zoom the graph to read the price trend prevailed in market in detail, which cannot be possible on Basic Chart. The Compare option allows user to compare price data with several other markets. The farmers and traders will get the advantage of taking precise decisions regarding choice of time and place for sale of their produce using this information system. Further, lean, peak stabilization periods prevailing in various markets enable farmers to schedule the cultivation plans

Targeting the vasopressin type-2 receptor for renal cell carcinoma therapy.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its type-2 receptor (V2R) play an essential role in the regulation of salt and water homeostasis by the kidneys. V2R activation also stimulates proliferation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines in vitro. The current studies investigated V2R expression and activity in human RCC tumors, and its role in RCC tumor growth. Examination of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, and analysis of human RCC tumor tissue microarrays, cDNA arrays and tumor biopsy samples demonstrated V2R expression and activity in clear cell RCC (ccRCC). In vitro, V2R antagonists OPC31260 and Tolvaptan, or V2R gene silencing reduced wound closure and cell viability of 786-O and Caki-1 human ccRCC cell lines. Similarly in mouse xenograft models, Tolvaptan and OPC31260 decreased RCC tumor growth by reducing cell proliferation and angiogenesis, while increasing apoptosis. In contrast, the V2R agonist dDAVP significantly increased tumor growth. High intracellular cAMP levels and ERK1/2 activation were observed in human ccRCC tumors. In mouse tumors and Caki-1 cells, V2R agonists reduced cAMP and ERK1/2 activation, while dDAVP treatment had the reverse effect. V2R gene silencing in Caki-1 cells also reduced cAMP and ERK1/2 activation. These results provide novel evidence for a pathogenic role of V2R signaling in ccRCC, and suggest that inhibitors of the AVP-V2R pathway, including the FDA-approved drug Tolvaptan, could be utilized as novel ccRCC therapeutics

Mobile genetic element excision footprints of Drosophila melanogaster found in heat shock protein coding regions of Solanaceous crops

Not AvailableMobile genetic elements are discrete sequences in the genome that are able to transport themselves to other locations within genome, which may have direct consequences on gene expression. More than 96 per cent of the transposable elements, occurring in heat shock promoters are P transposable element. In natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster, the promoters of heat-shock genes are especially susceptible to the insertion of transposable elements. These mobile elements often leave small rearrangements called transposon footprints at sites where they excise. It was proved that transposable elements insertion and subsequent excision resulted in the production of 8 bp direct repeats. The transposable elements often insert into the genes regulatory regions is due to their high expression level. In this context, Heat Shock Protein sequences, mainly HSP90 and HSP83 in Solanaceae crops were analysed for presence of transposable element excision footprints using in silico methods. It was found that out of the 17 hsp sequences, 14 hsp coding sequences were having 8 bp transposable element excision footprints consistently at the same location. These footprints left in individual sequences are surprisingly not random; excision footprints predominate consistently in each sequence. This suggests that the excision event and footprint formation involves DNA repair of hsp sequences flanking the transposable element. Identifying these footprints are useful for discovering genes that encodes for heat shock proteins in Solanaceae crops.Not Availabl

Comparison of Optimised MDI versus Pumps with or without Sensors in Severe Hypoglycaemia (the Hypo COMPaSS trial).

BACKGROUND: Severe hypoglycaemia (SH) is one of the most feared complications of type 1 diabetes (T1DM) with a reported prevalence of nearly 40%. In randomized trials of Multiple Daily Injections (MDI) and Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) therapy there is a possible benefit of CSII in reducing SH. However few trials have used basal insulin analogues as the basal insulin in the MDI group and individuals with established SH have often been excluded from prospective studies. In published studies investigating the effect of Real Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring (RT-CGM) benefit in terms of reduced SH has not yet been demonstrated. The primary objective of this study is to elucidate whether in people with T1DM complicated by impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia (IAH), rigorous prevention of biochemical hypoglycaemia using optimized existing self-management technology and educational support will restore awareness and reduce risk of recurrent SH. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicentre prospective RCT comparing hypoglycaemia avoidance with optimized MDI and CSII with or without RT-CGM in a 2×2 factorial design in people with type 1 diabetes who have IAH. The primary outcome measure for this study is the difference in IAH (Gold score) at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes include biomedical measures such as HbA1c, SH incidence, blinded CGM analysis, self monitored blood glucose (SMBG) and response to hypoglycaemia in gold standard clamp studies. Psychosocial measures including well-being and quality of life will also be assessed using several validated and novel measures. Analysis will be on an intention-to-treat basis. DISCUSSION: Most existing RCTs using this study's interventions have been powered for change in HbA1c rather than IAH or SH. This trial will demonstrate whether IAH can be reversed and SH prevented in people with T1DM in even those at highest risk by using optimized conventional management and existing technology. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN52164803 Eudract No: 2009-015396-27.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Long-Term Follow-Up of Cardiac Function and Quality of Life for Patients in NSABP Protocol B-31/NRG Oncology: A Randomized Trial Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (AC) Followed by Paclitaxel With AC Followed by Paclitaxel and Trastuzumab in Patients With Node-Positive Breast Cancer With Tumors Overexpressing Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2

Purpose Early cardiac toxicity is a risk associated with adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab. However, objective measures of cardiac function and health-related quality of life are lacking in long-term follow-up of patients who remain cancer free after completion of adjuvant treatment. Patients and Methods Patients in NSABP Protocol B-31 received anthracycline and taxane chemotherapy with or without trastuzumab for adjuvant treatment of node-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive early-stage breast cancer. A long-term follow-up assessment was undertaken for patients who were alive and disease free, which included measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction by multigated acquisition scan along with patient-reported outcomes using the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI), the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire, and a review of current medications and comorbid conditions. Results At a median follow-up of 8.8 years among eligible participants, five (4.5%) of 110 in the control group and 10 (3.4%) of 297 in the trastuzumab group had a \u3e 10% decline in left ventricular ejection fraction from baseline to a value \u3c 50%. Lower DASI scores correlated with age and use of medications for hypertension, cardiac conditions, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, but not with whether patients had received trastuzumab. Conclusion In patients without underlying cardiac disease at baseline, the addition of trastuzumab to adjuvant anthracycline and taxane-based chemotherapy does not result in long-term worsening of cardiac function, cardiac symptoms, or health-related quality of life. The DASI questionnaire may provide a simple and useful tool for monitoring patient-reported changes that reflect cardiac function

Implementation of the StandingTall programme to prevent falls in older people:a process evaluation protocol

INTRODUCTION: One in three people aged 65 years and over fall each year. The health, economic and personal impact of falls will grow substantially in the coming years due to population ageing. Developing and implementing cost-effective strategies to prevent falls and mobility problems among older people is therefore an urgent public health challenge. StandingTall is a low-cost, unsupervised, home-based balance exercise programme delivered through a computer or tablet. StandingTall has a simple user-interface that incorporates physical and behavioural elements designed to promote compliance. A large randomised controlled trial in 503 community-dwelling older people has shown that StandingTall is safe, has high adherence rates and is effective in improving balance and reducing falls. The current project targets a major need for older people and will address the final steps needed to scale this innovative technology for widespread use by older people across Australia and internationally. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This project will endeavour to recruit 300 participants across three sites in Australia and 100 participants in the UK. The aim of the study is to evaluate the implementation of StandingTall into the community and health service settings in Australia and the UK. The nested process evaluation will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore uptake and acceptability of the StandingTall programme and associated resources. The primary outcome is participant adherence to the StandingTall programme over 6 months. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the South East Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC reference 18/288) in Australia and the North West- Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee (IRAS ID: 268954) in the UK. Dissemination will be via publications, conferences, newsletter articles, social media, talks to clinicians and consumers and meetings with health departments/managers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12619001329156

"The fruits of independence": Satyajit Ray, Indian nationhood and the spectre of empire

Challenging the longstanding consensus that Satyajit Ray's work is largely free of ideological concerns and notable only for its humanistic richness, this article shows with reference to representations of British colonialism and Indian nationhood that Ray's films and stories are marked deeply and consistently by a distinctively Bengali variety of liberalism. Drawn from an ongoing biographical project, it commences with an overview of the nationalist milieu in which Ray grew up and emphasizes the preoccupation with colonialism and nationalism that marked his earliest unfilmed scripts. It then shows with case studies of Kanchanjangha (1962), Charulata (1964), First Class Kamra (First-Class Compartment, 1981), Pratidwandi (The Adversary, 1970), Shatranj ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) and Robertsoner Ruby (Robertson's Ruby, 1992) how Ray's mature work continued to combine a strongly anti-colonial viewpoint with a shifting perspective on Indian nationhood and an unequivocal commitment to cultural cosmopolitanism. Analysing how Ray articulated his ideological positions through the quintessentially liberal device of complexly staged debates that were apparently free, but in fact closed by the scenarist/director on ideologically specific notes, this article concludes that Ray's reputation as an all-forgiving, ‘everybody-has-his-reasons’ humanist is based on simplistic or even tendentious readings of his work