Drought stress - related functional characterization of transcription factor GmNAC085 in soybean

Studies on soybean GmNAC085 transcription factor revealed that the gene expression in plants was induced by water shortage treatments and its overexpression in the model plant Arabidopsis displayed improved plant tolerance characteristics towards drought stress. In this study, we continued analyzing the biological functions of GmNAC085 using transgenic soybean system overexpressing GmNAC085 gene, by targeting at a number of plant physiological features and biochemical activities in response to limited water growing condition. Compared to the wild-type, the transgenic line demonstrated that it possessed stress tolerance characters, including enhanced elongation of taproot, minimized reduction of shoot growth, lower intracellular H2O2 content and stronger peroxidase enzyme activity under drought condition. The results of this study therefore suggest the transgenic plants had better drought tolerance and the GmNAC085 plays important role in aiding plants to cope with water deficit condition, probably via regulating the growth of roots and shoots, and activities of reactive-oxygen-species- scavenging enzymes

H2_{2}O2_{2} production in Lactobacillus strains isolated from the intestinal microbiome of healthy people

Lactobacillus sp. in the digestive tract are capable of producing H2O2 to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria and balance the gut microflora. In this study, we have isolated 115 strains of Lactobacillus spp. from stool samples of healthy people in Ha Noi. Of the 50 tested Lactobacillus strains, 9 strains were capable of producing H2O2, of which the Lac.VFE-14 strain produced highly H2O2 with a concentration of 2.183 mM, followed by Lac.VFE-08 strains (2.081 mM) and Lac.VFE-04 (2.067 mM). All three strains grew well in MRS medium supplemented with bile salts or adjusted to low pH value. With 0.3% of bile salt, the survival rates of these 3 strains were 99%, 95% and 97%, respectively. At pH 3.0, after 3 hours of cultivation, the survival rates of the three strains were 98.54%, 94.15% and 95.27%, respectively. In addition, each of the cell-free culture supernatants of these three strains that inhibit the growth of S. aureus ATCC-23235. The inhibition zone diameters of the three strains were 19.0±1.0 mm, 14.0±1.0 mm and 11.7±1.3 mm, respectively. The results of 16S rRNA gene analyses showed that Lac.VFE-14, Lac.VFE-08 and Lac.VFE-04 had high similarity scores with L. plantarum ZZU 23 (100%), L. rhamnosus JCM 1136 (99%) and L. plantarum S7 (98.65%), respectively. This study indicates that all three strains have the potential to be used as probiotics in the future. 

Protocol description of the HOVON 141/VISION trial: a prospective, multicentre, randomised phase II trial of ibrutinib plus venetoclax in patients with creatinine clearance >= 30 mL/min who have relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (RR-CLL) with or without TP53 aberrations

Introduction Literature is scarce on the combination treatment of ibrutinib and venetoclax (IV) is scarce in relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (RR-CLL). Especially, the possibility of stopping ibrutinib in RR-CLL patients in deep remission is unclear.Methods and analysis In the HOVON 141/VISION trial, patients with RR-CLL are treated with 12 cycles of IV after a short induction with ibrutinib. Patients reaching undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) after 12 cycles of IV are randomised 1:2 to continue ibrutinib or stop treatment. The persistence of uMRD after stopping IV is studied. In addition, in patients who become positive for MRD again after stopping, IV treatment is reinitiated. The efficacy of this approach with regard to progression-free survival 12 months after randomisation is the primary endpoint of the study.Ethics and dissemination This protocol respects the Helsinki declaration and has been approved by the ethical committee of the Amsterdam Medical Center. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed papers. All patients who fulfil the inclusion criteria and no-exclusion criteria, and have signed the informed consent form are included in the study.</div

Logging intensity drives variability in carbon stocks in lowland forests in Vietnam

Forest degradation in the tropics is generating large carbon (C) emissions. In tropical Asia, logging is the main driver of forest degradation. For effective implementation of REDD+ projects in logged forests in Southeast Asia, the impacts of logging on forest C stocks need to be assessed. Here, we assess C stocks in logged lowland forests in central Vietnam and explore correlations between logging intensity, soil, topography and living aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks. We present an approach to estimate historical logging intensities for the prevalent situation when complete records on logging history are unavailable. Landsat analysis and participatory mapping were used to quantify the density of historical disturbances, used as a proxy of logging intensities in the area. Carbon in AGC, dead wood, belowground carbon (BGC) and soil (SOC) was measured in twenty-four 0.25 ha plots that vary in logging intensity, and data on recent logging, soil properties, elevation and slope were also collected. Heavily logged forests stored only half the amount of AGC of stems ≥10 cm dbh as lightly logged forests, mainly due to a reduction in the number of large (≥60 cm dbh) trees. Carbon in AGC of small trees (5–10 cm dbh), dead wood and BGC comprised only small fractions of total C stocks, while SOC in the topsoil of 0–30 cm depth stored ~50% of total C stocks. Combining logging intensities with soil and topographic data showed that logging intensity was the main factor explaining the variability in AGC. Our research shows large reductions in AGC in medium and heavily logged forests. It highlights the critical importance of conserving big trees to maintain high forest C stocks and accounting for SOC in total C stock estimates

Concomitant Bacteremia in Adults With Severe Falciparum Malaria.

BackgroundApproximately 6% of children hospitalized with severe falciparum malaria in Africa are also bacteremic. It is therefore recommended that all children with severe malaria should receive broad-spectrum antibiotics in addition to parenteral artesunate. Empirical antibiotics are not recommended currently for adults with severe malaria.MethodsBlood cultures were performed on sequential prospectively studied adult patients with strictly defined severe falciparum malaria admitted to a single referral center in Vietnam between 1991 and 2003.ResultsIn 845 Vietnamese adults with severe falciparum malaria admission blood cultures were positive in 9 (1.07%: 95% confidence interval [CI], .37-1.76%); Staphylococcus aureus in 2, Streptococcus pyogenes in 1, Salmonella Typhi in 3, Non-typhoid Salmonella in 1, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 1, and Haemophilus influenzae type b in 1. Bacteremic patients presented usually with a combination of jaundice, acute renal failure, and high malaria parasitemia. Four bacteremic patients died compared with 108 (12.9%) of 836 nonbacteremic severe malaria patients (risk ratio, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.62-7.29). In patients with >20% parasitemia the prevalence of concomitant bacteremia was 5.2% (4/76; 95% CI, .2-10.3%) compared with 0.65% (5/769; 0.08-1.2%) in patients with ConclusionsIn contrast to children, the prevalence of concomitant bacteremia in adults with severe malaria is low. Administration of empirical antibiotics, in addition to artesunate, is warranted in the small subgroup of patients with very high parasitemias, emphasizing the importance of quantitative blood smear microscopy assessment, but it is not indicated in most adults with severe falciparum malaria

Les glumelles inférieures aristées de quelques graminées : anatomie, morphologie

Tran T., Jacques-Félix H. Les glumelles inférieures aristées de quelques graminées : anatomie, morphologie. In: Journal d'agriculture tropicale et de botanique appliquée, vol. 12, n°11, novembre 1965. pp. 639-642

Effects of dietary supplementation of heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L-137 on growth performance and immune response of bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus)

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L-137 (HK L-137) on the growth performances and immune response of juvenile bighead catfish (Clarias macrocephalus). The experiment was conducted with four iso-nitrogenous (44.8 % crude protein) and iso-caloric (20.17 KJ g−1) diets supplemented with different levels (0, 10, 20, and 50 mg kg−1) of HK L-137. The bighead catfish (n = 1800, average body weight: 9.69 ± 0.24 g) were randomly introduced to 200-L composite tanks (filled with 150 L of fresh water) and stocked at 150 fish tank−1 in triplicates per dietary treatment for 60 days. The results showed that the diets supplemented with 10, 20, and 50 mg kg−1 of HK L-137 significantly increased the growth, protein efficiency ratio, feed conversion ratio, survival rate, and lysozyme activity compared to the control. Furthermore, the diets supplemented with 20 and 50 mg kg−1 or 10 and 20 mg kg−1 of HK L-137 significantly enhanced the total white blood cell count or apparent digestibility coefficient of the fish, respectively. The fish fed the HK L-137 diets (at 10, 20, and 50 mg kg−1) revealed lower cumulative mortality than the control after challenge with Aeromonas hydrophila. Our results suggested that dietary supplementation of 10 mg kg−1 HK L-137 is the most efficient in improving the performance and immunity of bighead catfish; however, this should be confirmed in further study under full-scale commercial trials

Impacts of Payment for Forest Ecosystem Services in Protecting Forests in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam

Vietnam’s Payment for Forest Ecosystem Services (PFES) scheme has the goal of protecting remaining natural forests by providing financial support to people involved in forest protection. However, studying the case of Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam shows that even after eight years of PFES implementation, achieving this goal remains a challenge. Although PFES does provide a stable income source and higher payments than state forest protection programs, enables the mobilization of more personnel resources for patrolling forest and relieves a great burden on the state budget in terms of investment in forest protection and development, forest cover in Dak Lak province is still decreasing, mainly due to conversion for other land uses, especially commercial agricultural and industrial crops. These drivers are rooted in national socio-economic planning aimed at boosting economic growth and in local people’s need to sustain their livelihoods. In addition, our paper shows that illegal logging is still widespread in Dak Lak. Weak law enforcement in areas of forest managed by state forest authorities and state companies also contributes to deforestation. However, these drivers are neither fully recognized nor addressed, and instead, the blame for deforestation is laid on local communities. PFES alone cannot protect forests in Dak Lak province. It needs to be backed up by political commitment to address underlying drivers of deforestation, improved social programs to help local people diversify their income sources and clarity over land use