Thermal Behaviour of Potassium Perchlorate-Chromium(III) Nitrate & Potassium Chlorate-Chromium(III) Nitrate Mixtures

970-97

Drug package inserts: how accessible is the information?

Background: Information given in drug package inserts is often not easily accessible by patients and practitioners. Presentation of important information in an easily accessible manner fulfills the very purpose of inserts. In the present study, accessibility of important information in drug package inserts is evaluated.Methods: We evaluated 110 package inserts. Accessibility to important information was noted under following headings: use of box, use of special/bigger font or color, use of table of contents and information in front sheet. Each of these parameters was given a point. Cumulative accessibility score of more than three considered as accessible. Provision of toll free numbers and internet addresses of the companies noted.Results: Information in inserts regarding posology, method of administration, precautions under special conditions, contraindications, pharmacokinetics, interactions, pregnancy and lactation, driving, and machine use precautions were adequate and orderly in most. Only seven drug inserts mentioned important information with special font/different color. 18 drug inserts had used boxes. About 13 inserts used bigger font size for revealing important information. We observed a mean accessible score was 0.37 a insert. Only two inserts carried toll free numbers.Conclusion: Important information in drug package inserts is not easily accessible. Display of toll free numbers and internet addresses for queries and reporting adverse drug reactions is highly recommended

Screening New Legume Species for Use as Cover Crop in Southern Germany

A screening among more than 800 accessions, belonging to more than 100 species was performed in the frame of an international cooperative research program from 2012 to 2016. Aim of the screening was, to identify new species and suitableaccessions, suitable as cover crops and living mulches in Mediterranean, temperate and more continental climates. In this contribution, results obtained in southern Germany are reported, focusing on potential new cover crops. Several new cover crop species could be identified, which were characterized by high biomass production ad weed suppression, as well as by good seed production. Both species and accessions with early and late growth cycle could be identified

CAVASS: A Computer-Assisted Visualization and Analysis Software System

The Medical Image Processing Group at the University of Pennsylvania has been developing (and distributing with source code) medical image analysis and visualization software systems for a long period of time. Our most recent system, 3DVIEWNIX, was first released in 1993. Since that time, a number of significant advancements have taken place with regard to computer platforms and operating systems, networking capability, the rise of parallel processing standards, and the development of open-source toolkits. The development of CAVASS by our group is the next generation of 3DVIEWNIX. CAVASS will be freely available and open source, and it is integrated with toolkits such as Insight Toolkit and Visualization Toolkit. CAVASS runs on Windows, Unix, Linux, and Mac but shares a single code base. Rather than requiring expensive multiprocessor systems, it seamlessly provides for parallel processing via inexpensive clusters of work stations for more time-consuming algorithms. Most importantly, CAVASS is directed at the visualization, processing, and analysis of 3-dimensional and higher-dimensional medical imagery, so support for digital imaging and communication in medicine data and the efficient implementation of algorithms is given paramount importance

Towards identification of novel legume species of potential interest as cover crops and living mulches for the North Africa region.

Subsidiary crops (SC) grown either as cover crops (CC) preceding or following the main crops, or as living mulches (LM) together with the main crops can deliver multiple ecological services within farming systems. These include increasing the duration of soil cover in the rotation, increasing plant and microbial diversity, improving plant health, soil health and fertility, minimizing the use of tillage and agrochemicals, enhancing biological N fixation and soil C content, and reducing water demand in dry climates. However, species available for growing as SC for dry areas are limited. To identify species of potential interest to CC and LM, we screened 197 accessions from the ICARDA genebank, belonging to 142 species/sub-species at Rabat, Morocco in one square meter plots. The preliminary assessments based on visual observations enabled us to identify: (1) 21 accessions belonging to Medicago and Trifolium species with prostrate growth habit, early maturity and senescence, determinate growth cycle and good potential for seed production, as potentially suitable for LM; and (2) 28 accessions belonging to Vicia, Lathyrus, Medicago and Trifolium species with high biomass and competitive ability, and also good potential for seed production, as potentially suitable for CC or green manure crops. Further evaluations in replicated trials are in progress. The selected accessions have been planted in the field during autumn 2013 at Sidi El Aidi

Genetic structure, diversity, and allelic richness in composite collection and reference set in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Background Plant genetic resources (PGR) are the basic raw materials for future genetic progress and an insurance against unforeseen threats to agricultural production. An extensive characterization of PGR provides an opportunity to dissect structure, mine allelic variations, and identify diverse accessions for crop improvement. The Generation Challenge Program http://www.generationcp.org conceptualized the development of "composite collections" and extraction of "reference sets" from these for more efficient tapping of global crop-related genetic resources. In this study, we report the genetic structure, diversity and allelic richness in a composite collection of chickpea using SSR markers, and formation of a reference set of 300 accessions. Results The 48 SSR markers detected 1683 alleles in 2915 accessions, of which, 935 were considered rare, 720 common and 28 most frequent. The alleles per locus ranged from 14 to 67, averaged 35, and the polymorphic information content was from 0.467 to 0.974, averaged 0.854. Marker polymorphism varied between groups of accessions in the composite collection and reference set. A number of group-specific alleles were detected: 104 in Kabuli, 297 in desi, and 69 in wild Cicer; 114 each in Mediterranean and West Asia (WA), 117 in South and South East Asia (SSEA), and 10 in African region accessions. Desi and kabuli shared 436 alleles, while wild Cicer shared 17 and 16 alleles with desi and kabuli, respectively. The accessions from SSEA and WA shared 74 alleles, while those from Mediterranean 38 and 33 alleles with WA and SSEA, respectively. Desi chickpea contained a higher proportion of rare alleles (53%) than kabuli (46%), while wild Cicer accessions were devoid of rare alleles. A genotype-based reference set captured 1315 (78%) of the 1683 composite collection alleles of which 463 were rare, 826 common, and 26 the most frequent alleles. The neighbour-joining tree diagram of this reference set represents diversity from all directions of the tree diagram of the composite collection. Conclusion The genotype-based reference set, reported here, is an ideal set of germplasm for allele mining, association genetics, mapping and cloning gene(s), and in applied breeding for the development of broad-based elite breeding lines/cultivars with superior yield and enhanced adaptation to diverse environments

Allelic richness and diversity in global composite collection and reference sets in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea is the fourth largest grain legume crop globally. A composite collection of 3000 accessions was formed and genotyped using 50 SSR markers. The accessions were also field evaluated for seven qualitative traits. Analysis of 48 SSR markers data on 2915 accessions detected 1683 alleles, of which 935 were rare and 748 common. Gene diversity varied from 0.533 to 0.975. Kabuli chickpea as a group were genetically more diverse than other seed types. Several group-specific unique alleles were detected: 104 in Kabuli, 297 in desi, and 69 in wild Cicer; 114 each in West Asia and Mediterranean, 117 in South and South East Asia, and 10 in African region accessions. A genotype-based reference set captured 1315 alleles compared to 1237 alleles in the reference set based on qualitative traits or 1354 alleles based on SSRs and qualitative traits data. The relative usefulness of these reference sets in chickpea breeding and genomics studies are being further investigated

Integration of Liquid Biopsy and Pharmacogenomics for Precision Therapy of EGFR Mutant and Resistant Lung Cancers

The advent of molecular profiling has revolutionized the treatment of lung cancer by comprehensively delineating the genomic landscape of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Drug resistance caused by EGFR mutations and genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters impedes effective treatment of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancer. This review appraises current literature, opportunities, and challenges associated with liquid biopsy and pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing as precision therapy tools in the management of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancers. Liquid biopsy could play a potential role in selection of precise tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapies during different phases of lung cancer treatment. This selection will be based on the driver EGFR mutational status, as well as monitoring the development of potential EGFR mutations arising during or after TKIs treatment, since some of these new mutations may be druggable targets for alternative TKIs. Several studies have identified the utility of liquid biopsy in the identification of EGFR driver and acquired resistance with good sensitivities for various blood-based biomarkers. With a plethora of sequencing technologies and platforms available currently, further evaluations using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in multicentric, multiethnic and larger patient cohorts could enable optimization of liquid-based assays for the detection of EGFR mutations, and support testing of CYP450 enzymes and drug transporter polymorphisms to guide precise dosing of EGFR TKIs

Genotypic and Phenotypic Variation in the Global Collection of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Worldwide chickpea is the 4rth largest grain-legume crop – area 11.2 million ha, production 9.2 million tons, and productivity 0.82 t ha-1 (FAO 2005). Chickpea is grown in 40 countries (area exceeding 10,000 ha in each country). Chickpea productivity consistently increased in India and Mexico while it declined in many other countries. Two types of chickpeas – desi – widely grown in South Asia and Africa and Kabuli – widely grown in Mediterranean region are known. Large variation in chickpea germplasm has been noted for most of the morphological/agronomic traits and for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, careful assessment of genetic resources is a key to enhance utilization of genetically diverse accessions with beneficial traits in breeding programs.......