High-quality draft genome sequence of the causal agent of the current Panama disease epidemic

This is the final version. Available from the American Society for Microbiology via the DOI in this record. We present a high-quality draft genome assembly for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Fusarium odoratissimum), assembled from PacBio reads and consisting of 15 contigs with a total assembly size of 48.59 Mb. This strain appears to belong to vegetative compatibility group complex 01213/16.Medical Research CouncilWellcome TrustBBSR

Leptin Administration Favors Muscle Mass Accretion by Decreasing FoxO3a and Increasing PGC-1α in ob/ob Mice

Absence of leptin has been associated with reduced skeletal muscle mass in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice. The aim of our study was to examine the effect of leptin on the catabolic and anabolic pathways regulating muscle mass. Gastrocnemius, extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscle mass as well as fiber size were significantly lower in ob/ob mice compared to wild type littermates, being significantly increased by leptin administration (P<0.001). This effect was associated with an inactivation of the muscle atrophy-related transcription factor forkhead box class O3 (FoxO3a) (P<0.05), and with a decrease in the protein expression levels of the E3 ubiquitin-ligases muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) (P<0.05) and muscle RING finger 1 (MuRF1) (P<0.05). Moreover, leptin increased (P<0.01) protein expression levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), a regulator of muscle fiber type, and decreased (P<0.05) myostatin protein, a negative regulator of muscle growth. Leptin administration also activated (P<0.01) the regulators of cell cycle progression proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1, and increased (P<0.01) myofibrillar protein troponin T. The present study provides evidence that leptin treatment may increase muscle mass of ob/ob mice by inhibiting myofibrillar protein degradation as well as enhancing muscle cell proliferation

Cross-modal working memory binding and L1-L2 word learning

The ability to create temporary binding representations of information from different sources in working memory has recently been found to relate to the development of monolingual word recognition in children. The current study explored this possible relationship in an adult word-learning context. We assessed whether the relationship between cross-modal working memory binding and lexical development would be observed in the learning of associations between unfamiliar spoken words and their semantic referents, and whether it would vary across experimental conditions in first- and second-language word learning. A group of English monolinguals were recruited to learn 24 spoken disyllable Mandarin Chinese words in association with either familiar or novel objects as semantic referents. They also took a working memory task in which their ability to temporarily bind auditory-verbal and visual information was measured. Participants’ performance on this task was uniquely linked to their learning and retention of words for both novel objects and for familiar objects. This suggests that, at least for spoken language, cross-modal working memory binding might play a similar role in second language-like (i.e., learning new words for familiar objects) and in more native-like situations (i.e., learning new words for novel objects). Our findings provide new evidence for the role of cross-modal working memory binding in L1 word learning and further indicate that early stages of picture-based word learning in L2 might rely on similar cognitive processes as in L1

The effect of seeking consent on the representativeness of patient cohorts: iron-deficiency anaemia and colorectal cancer.

AIM: The study aimed to establish the level of selection bias that may occur should individual patient consent be sought, by comparing characteristics of consenters and nonconsenters to a request for access to medical records within a cohort of patients diagnosed with iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA). METHOD: A cohort study and cross-sectional survey was carried out of consent preferences that compared the sociodemographic characteristics of patients providing or not providing consent for access to their records, the consent rates by participant subgroup and the predictors of consent/nonconsent. RESULTS: Of 599 patients mailed requesting consent for access to their medical records, 425 (71.0%) responses were received. Of the valid responses, explicit consent was granted by 371 (62.7%) respondents, with 47 (7.9%) refusals. The characteristics of consenters and nonconsenters differed with regard to age, gender and deprivation quartile. Nonconsent was associated with younger age (40-60 years vs 60 + years; bivariate OR = 2.84; 95% CI = 2.01-4.02), female gender (OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.13-2.34) and being socioeconomically deprived (OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.15-2.26). CONCLUSION: The current research governance framework demonstrates a conflict between protecting the rights of the individual and the development of a sound research base to improve the delivery of healthcare services for society as a whole. If epidemiological research includes data only from individuals who have given consent for access to their records, the resulting selection bias may have consequences for the scientific validity and generalizability of research findings, and ultimately the quality of patient care

Muscle metabolites and performance during high-intensity, intermittent exercise

Six men were studied during four 30-s all-out exercise bouts on an air-braked cycle ergometer. The first three exercise bouts were separated by 4 min of passive recovery; after the third bout, subjects rested for 4 min, exercised for 30 min at 30-35% peak O-2 consumption, and rested for a further 60 min before completing the fourth exercise bout. Peak power and total work were reduced (P &lt; 0.05) during bout 3 [765 +/- 60 (SE) W; 15.8 +/- 1.0 kJ] compared with bout 1 (1,168 +/- 55 mT, 23.8 +/- 1.2 kJ), but no difference in exercise performance was observed between bouts 1 and 4 (1,094 +/- 64 W, 23.2 +/- 1.4 kJ). Before bout 3, muscle ATP, creatine phosphate (CP), glycogen, pH, and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ uptake were reduced, while muscle lactate and inosine 5'-monophosphate were increased. Muscle ATP and glycogen before bout 4 remained lower than values before bout I (P &lt; 0.05), but there were no differences in muscle inosine 5'-monophosphate, lactate, pH, and SR Ca2+ uptake. Muscle CP levels before bout 4 had increased above resting levels. Consistent with the decline in muscle ATP were increases in hypoxanthine and inosine before bouts 3 and 4. The decline in exercise performance does not appear to be related to a reduction in muscle glycogen. Instead, it may be caused by reduced CP availability, increased H+ concentration, impairment in SR function, or some other fatigue-inducing agent

Thigh-length compression stockings and DVT after stroke

Controversy exists as to whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer, despite randomised controlled trials of more than 3000 patients. We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of such treatment on survival in patients with this disease