Understanding the role of the antioxidant system and the tetrapyrrole cycle in iron deficiency chlorosis

Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is an abiotic stress often experienced by soybean, owing to the low solubility of iron in alkaline soils. Here, soybean lines with contrasting Fe efficiencies were analyzed to test the hypothesis that the Fe efficiency trait is linked to antioxidative stress signaling via proper management of tissue Fe accumulation and transport, which in turn influences the regulation of heme and non heme containing enzymes involved in Fe uptake and ROS scavenging. Inefficient plants displayed higher oxidative stress and lower ferric reductase activity, whereas root and leaf catalase activity were nine-fold and three-fold higher, respectively. Efficient plants do not activate their antioxidant system because there is no formation of ROS under iron deficiency; while inefficient plants are not able to deal with ROS produced under iron deficiency because ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase are not activated because of the lack of iron as a cofactor, and of heme as a constituent of those enzymes. Superoxide dismutase and peroxidase isoenzymatic regulation may play a determinant role: 10 superoxide dismutase isoenzymes were observed in both cultivars, but iron superoxide dismutase activity was only detected in efficient plants; 15 peroxidase isoenzymes were observed in the roots and trifoliate leaves of efficient and inefficient cultivars and peroxidase activity levels were only increased in roots of efficient plants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

NAC transcription factor JUNGBRUNNEN1 enhances drought tolerance in tomato

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International multicenter propensity score matched study on laparoscopic versus open left lateral sectionectomy

Background: Despite a lack of high-level evidence, current guidelines recommend laparoscopic left lateral sectionectomy (LLLS) as the routine approach over open LLS (OLLS). Randomized studies and propensity score matched studies on LLLS vs OLLS for all indications, including malignancy, are lacking.Methods: This international multicenter propensity score matched retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing LLLS or OLLS in six centers from three European countries (January 2000-December 2016). Propensity scores were calculated based on nine preoperative variables and LLLS and OLLS were matched in a 1:1 ratio. Short-term operative outcomes were compared using paired tests.Results: A total of 560 patients were included. Out of 200 LLLS, 139 could be matched to 139 OLLS. After matching, baseline characteristics were well balanced. LLLS was associated with shorter operative time (144 (110-200) vs 199 (138-283) minutes, P &lt; 0.001), less blood loss (100 (50-300) vs 350 (100-750) mL, P = 0.005) and a 3-day shorter postoperative hospital stay (4 (3-7) vs 7 (5-9) days, P &lt; 0.001).Conclusion: This international multicenter propensity score matched study confirms the superiority of LLLS over OLLS based on shorter postoperative hospital stay, operative time, and less blood loss thus validating current guideline advice.</p

Deciphering Drought Response Mechanisms: Transcriptomic Insights from Drought-Tolerant and Drought-Sensitive Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivars

Drought stress poses a significant threat to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivation, necessitating an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning drought response in both tolerant and sensitive varieties. In this study, 12 diverse bread wheat cultivars were evaluated for their drought stress responses, with particular emphasis on the contrasting performance of cultivars Atay 85 (sensitive), Gerek 79, and Mufitbey (tolerant). Transcriptomic analysis was performed on the root and leaf tissues of the aforementioned cultivars subjected to 4-hour and 8-hour drought stress and compared with controls. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were categorized based on their cellular component, molecular function, and biological function. Notably, there was greater gene expression variability in leaf tissues compared to root tissues. A noticeable trend of decreased gene expression was observed for cellular processes such as protein refolding and cellular metabolic processes like photorespiration as drought stress duration increased (8 hours) in the leaf tissues of drought-tolerant and sensitive cultivars. Metabolic processes related to gene expression were predominantly activated in response to 4-hour and 8-hour drought stress. The drought-tolerant cultivars exhibited increased expression levels of genes related to protein binding, metabolic processes, and cellular functions, indicating their ability to adapt better to drought stress compared to the drought-sensitive cultivar Atay 85. We detected more than 25 differentially expressed TFs in leaf tissues under 4-hour and 8-hour drought stress, while only 4 TFs were identified in the root tissues of sensitive cultivar. In contrast, the tolerant cultivar exhibited more than 80 different TF transcripts in both leaves and roots after 4 hours of drought stress, with this number decreasing to 18 after 8 hours of drought stress. Differentially expressed genes with a focus on metal ion binding, carbohydrate degradation, ABA-related genes, and cell wall-related genes were highlighted. Ferritin (TaFer), TaPME42 and Extensin-like protein (TaExLP), Germin-like protein (TaGLP 9-1), Metacaspase-5 (TaMC5), Arogenate Dehydratase 5 (ADT-5), Phosphoglycerate/ bisphosphoglycerate mutase (TaPGM), Serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A (TaPP2A), GIGANTEA (TaGI), Polyadenylate-binding protein (TaRBP45B) exhibited differential expression by qRT-PCR in root and leaf tissues of tolerant and sensitive bread wheat cultivars. This study provides valuable insights into the complex molecular mechanisms associated with drought response in wheat, highlighting genes and pathways involved in drought tolerance. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for developing drought-tolerant wheat varieties, enhancing agricultural sustainability, and addressing the challenges posed by water scarcity

Development of an international standard set of value-based outcome measures for patients with chronic kidney disease : a report of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) CKD working group

Value-based health care is increasingly promoted as a strategy for improving care quality by benchmarking outcomes that matter to patients relative to the cost of obtaining those outcomes. To support the shift toward value-based health care in chronic kidney disease (CKD), the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) assembled an international working group of health professionals and patient representatives to develop a standardized minimum set of patient-centered outcomes targeted for clinical use. The considered outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures were generated from systematic literature reviews. Feedback was sought from patients and health professionals. Patients with very high-risk CKD (stages G3a/A3 and G3b/A2-G5, including dialysis, kidney transplantation, and conservative care) were selected as the target population. Using an online modified Delphi process, outcomes important to all patients were selected, such as survival and hospitalization, and to treatment-specific subgroups, such as vascular access survival and kidney allograft survival. Patient-reported outcome measures were included to capture domains of health-related quality of life, which were rated as the most important outcomes by patients. Demographic and clinical variables were identified to be used as case-mix adjusters. Use of these consensus recommendations could enable institutions to monitor, compare, and improve the quality of their CKD care

Hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic versus standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: HARP-trial

Contains fulltext : 88436.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Transplantation is the only treatment offering long-term benefit to patients with chronic kidney failure. Live donor nephrectomy is performed on healthy individuals who do not receive direct therapeutic benefit of the procedure themselves. In order to guarantee the donor's safety, it is important to optimise the surgical approach. Recently we demonstrated the benefit of laparoscopic nephrectomy experienced by the donor. However, this method is characterised by higher in hospital costs, longer operating times and it requires a well-trained surgeon. The hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic technique may be an alternative to a complete laparoscopic, transperitoneal approach. The peritoneum remains intact and the risk of visceral injuries is reduced. Hand-assistance results in a faster procedure and a significantly reduced operating time. The feasibility of this method has been demonstrated recently, but as to date there are no data available advocating the use of one technique above the other. METHODS/DESIGN: The HARP-trial is a multi-centre randomised controlled, single-blind trial. The study compares the hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic approach with standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. The objective is to determine the best approach for live donor nephrectomy to optimise donor's safety and comfort while reducing donation related costs. DISCUSSION: This study will contribute to the evidence on any benefits of hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic versus standard laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Dutch Trial Register NTR1433

A review of the international early recommendations for departments organization and cancer management priorities during the global COVID-19 pandemic: applicability in low- and middle-income countries.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus that has never been identified in humans before. COVID-19 caused at the time of writing of this article, 2.5 million cases of infections in 193 countries with 165,000 deaths, including two-third in Europe. In this context, Oncology Departments of the affected countries had to adapt quickly their health system care and establish new organizations and priorities. Thus, numerous recommendations and therapeutic options have been reported to optimize therapy delivery to patients with chronic disease and cancer. Obviously, while these cancer care recommendations are immediately applicable in Europe, they may not be applicable in certain emerging and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this review, we aimed to summarize these international guidelines in accordance with cancer types, making a synthesis for daily practice to protect patients, staff and tailor anti-cancer therapy delivery taking into account patients/tumour criteria and tools availability. Thus, we will discuss their applicability in the LMICs with different organizations, limited means and different constraints

Cooperative Transition between Open and Closed Conformations in Potassium Channels

Potassium (K+) ion channels switch between open and closed conformations. The nature of this important transition was revealed by comparing the X-ray crystal structures of the MthK channel from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, obtained in its open conformation, and the KcsA channel from Streptomyces lividans, obtained in its closed conformation. We analyzed the dynamic characteristics and energetics of these homotetrameric structures in order to study the role of the intersubunit cooperativity in this transition. For this, elastic models and in silico alanine-scanning mutagenesis were used, respectively. Reassuringly, the calculations manifested motion from the open (closed) towards the closed (open) conformation. The calculations also revealed a network of dynamically and energetically coupled residues. Interestingly, the network suggests coupling between the selectivity filter and the gate, which are located at the two ends of the channel pore. Coupling between these two regions was not observed in calculations that were conducted with the monomer, which emphasizes the importance of the intersubunit interactions within the tetrameric structure for the cooperative gating behavior of the channel

Predictors of enhancing human physical attractiveness: Data from 93 countries

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using other cosmetics, hair grooming, clothing style, caring for body hygiene, and exercising or following a specific diet for the specific purpose of improving ones physical attractiveness, are universal. Indeed, 99% of participants reported spending &gt;10 min a day performing beauty-enhancing behaviors. The results largely support evolutionary hypotheses: more time was spent enhancing beauty by women (almost 4 h a day, on average) than by men (3.6 h a day), by the youngest participants (and contrary to predictions, also the oldest), by those with a relatively more severe history of infectious diseases, and by participants currently dating compared to those in established relationships. The strongest predictor of attractiveness-enhancing behaviors was social media usage. Other predictors, in order of effect size, included adhering to traditional gender roles, residing in countries with less gender equality, considering oneself as highly attractive or, conversely, highly unattractive, TV watching time, higher socioeconomic status, right-wing political beliefs, a lower level of education, and personal individualistic attitudes. This study provides novel insight into universal beauty-enhancing behaviors by unifying evolutionary theory with several other complementary perspectives

BIM aplicado ao projeto de fôrmas de madeira em estrutura de concreto armado

ResumoO Projeto Construtivo de Fôrmas de Madeira (PCFM) faz uso tradicionalmente de ferramentas CAD na representação bidimensional, limitando sua inserção no contexto de Building Information Modeling (BIM). Considerando que BIM se encontra em grande expansão no mercado nacional esta pesquisa visa apontar um caminho para se vencer esta limitação. Propõe-se uma biblioteca de componentes para o projeto de fôrmas de madeira, incluindo usos de BIM tais como a Modelagem, a Quantificação, a Simulação 4D e procedimentos associados. O método de pesquisa utilizado foi a Constructive Research. Os componentes para a biblioteca foram desenvolvidos na ferramenta BIM Revit Structure. A proposta foi validada: em ambiente de ensino, escritório de projeto e na prática. Verifica-se que a pesquisa é consonante com os poucos estudos internacionais pioneiros e semelhantes, sendo contextualizada para o cenário nacional. Observa-se também que todas as pesquisas que tratam de BIM associado a fôrmas requerem um modelo de informação que inclua a modelagem de fôrmas no mesmo. Desta forma, este estudo é também fundamental, pois amplia desdobramentos da incorporação de BIM na cadeia produtiva da construção civil