Cardiopulmonary assessment in primary ciliary dyskinesia.

Background Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare, usually autosomal recessive disorder of ciliary dysfunction associated with lung involvement, which has a great impact on health. There is limited information concerning the aerobic fitness of children and adolescents with PCD. The aim of this study was to assess cardiopulmonary functional capacity and its relationship with pulmonary function and physical activity (PA) levels in patients with PCD. Design Ten patients with PCD (age 13·2±2·8years) underwent spirometry and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. PA was investigated through a questionnaire. Eight age- and body mass index-matched healthy children were enrolled as controls. Main variables were forced expiratory volume at 1s, peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak) and time spent in PA. Results Forty per cent of patients with PCD had impaired lung function as expressed by FEV 1<85% predicted. Only patients with impaired lung function exhibited reduced VO 2peak (18·1±7·9mL/kg/min). Time spent in total daily PA was slightly lower in patients than controls, with no difference between patients with normal or reduced lung function. In multiple regression models, male gender (??=0·518, P=0·018), age (??=0·752, P=0·035) and time spent in vigorous PA (??=0·353, P=0·049) were independent predictors of aerobic fitness. Conclusions Assessment of resting pulmonary function and cardiopulmonary functional capacity could contribute to the evaluation of pulmonary impairment in PCD. Given the benefit of physical exercise on airway clearance and on general health and quality of life, patients with PCD should be encouraged to adopt an active lifestyle

Simultaneous Mutations in Multi-Viral Proteins Are Required for Soybean mosaic virus to Gain Virulence on Soybean Genotypes Carrying Different R Genes

BACKGROUND: Genetic resistance is the most effective and sustainable approach to the control of plant pathogens that are a major constraint to agriculture worldwide. In soybean, three dominant R genes, i.e., Rsv1, Rsv3 and Rsv4, have been identified and deployed against Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) with strain-specificities. Molecular identification of virulent determinants of SMV on these resistance genes will provide essential information for the proper utilization of these resistance genes to protect soybean against SMV, and advance knowledge of virus-host interactions in general. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To study the gain and loss of SMV virulence on all the three resistance loci, SMV strains G7 and two G2 isolates L and LRB were used as parental viruses. SMV chimeras and mutants were created by partial genome swapping and point mutagenesis and then assessed for virulence on soybean cultivars PI96983 (Rsv1), L-29 (Rsv3), V94-5152 (Rsv4) and Williams 82 (rsv). It was found that P3 played an essential role in virulence determination on all three resistance loci and CI was required for virulence on Rsv1- and Rsv3-genotype soybeans. In addition, essential mutations in HC-Pro were also required for the gain of virulence on Rsv1-genotype soybean. To our best knowledge, this is the first report that CI and P3 are involved in virulence on Rsv1- and Rsv3-mediated resistance, respectively. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Multiple viral proteins, i.e., HC-Pro, P3 and CI, are involved in virulence on the three resistance loci and simultaneous mutations at essential positions of different viral proteins are required for an avirulent SMV strain to gain virulence on all three resistance loci. The likelihood of such mutations occurring naturally and concurrently on multiple viral proteins is low. Thus, incorporation of all three resistance genes in a soybean cultivar through gene pyramiding may provide durable resistance to SMV

Cardiopulmonary assessment in primary cliary dyskinesia.

Background Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare, usually autosomal recessive disorder of ciliary dysfunction associated with lung involvement, which has a great impact on health. There is limited information concerning the aerobic fitness of children and adolescents with PCD. The aim of this study was to assess cardiopulmonary functional capacity and its relationship with pulmonary function and physical activity (PA) levels in patients with PCD. Design Ten patients with PCD (age 13A2 } 2A8 years) underwent spirometry and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. PA was investigated through a questionnaire. Eight age- and body mass index-matched healthy children were enrolled as controls. Main variables were forced expiratory volume at 1 s, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and time spent in PA. Results Forty per cent of patients with PCD had impaired lung function as expressed by FEV1 < 85% predicted. Only patients with impaired lung function exhibited reduced VO2peak (18A1 } 7A9 mL. kg . min). Time spent in total daily PA was slightly lower in patients than controls, with no difference between patients with normal or reduced lung function. In multiple regression models, male gender (b = 0A518, P = 0A018), age (b = 0A752, P = 0A035) and time spent in vigorous PA (b = 0A353, P = 0A049) were independent predictors of aerobic fitness. Conclusions Assessment of resting pulmonary function and cardiopulmonary functional capacity could contribute to the evaluation of pulmonary impairment in PCD. Given the benefit of physical exercise on airway clearance and on general health and quality of life, patients with PCD should be encouraged to adopt an active lifestyle. Keywords Cardiopulmonary exercise test, chronic lung diseases, peak oxygen uptake, physical activity, primary ciliary dyskinesia, pulmonary function

Healthy behaviours and abdominal adiposity in adolescents from southern Italy.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of meeting health recommendations on diet and physical activity (having breakfast, eating fruit and vegetables, consumption of milk/yoghurt, performing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, limiting television watching) and to assess junk snack food consumption in adolescents from southern Italy. The association between healthy behaviours and abdominal adiposity was also examined. Design: In a cross-sectional protocol, anthropometric data were measured by trained operators while other data were collected through a structured interview. Setting: Three high schools in Naples, Italy. Subjects: A sample of 478 students, aged 14–17 years, was studied. Results: The proportion of adolescents who met each of the health recommendations varied: 55?4% had breakfast on $6 d/week; 2?9$5 servings of fruit and vegetables/d; 1?9% had $3 servings of milk/yoghurt daily; 13?6 moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for$60 min/d; and 46?3% watched television for ,2 h/d. More than 65% of adolescents consumed $1 serving of junk snack foods/d. Only 5 habits tended to correlate with each other. As the number of health recommendations met decreased, the percentage of adolescents with high abdominal adiposity (waist-to-height ratio$0?5) increased. The trend was not significant when the proportion of overweight/obese adolescents was considered. Logistic regression analysis indicated that male gender and watching television for $2 h/d were independently associated with a higher waist-to-height ratio. Conclusions: Most adolescents failed to meet the five health recommendations considered. Male gender and excessive television watching were associated with abdominal adiposity