THE MANTECA YELLOW BEAN: A GENETIC RESOURCE OF FAST COOKING AND HIGH IRON BIOAVAILABILITY PHENOTYPES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF DRY BEANS (\u3ci\u3ePhaseolus vulgaris\u3c/i\u3e L.)

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are a nutrient dense food produced globally as a major pulse crop for direct human consumption. Despite being rich in protein and micronutrients, long cooking times limit the use of dry beans worldwide, especially in regions relying on wood and charcoal as the primary sources of fuel for cooking, such as Sub-Sahara Africa and the Caribbean. Coincidently, these same regions also have high densities of women and children at risk for micronutrient deficiencies [1]. There is need for a fast cooking bean, which can positively impact consumers by reducing fuel cost and preparation time, while simultaneously complementing the nutritional quality of house-hold based meals [2]. To help accelerate a reliable increase in dry bean production for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Andean Bean Diversity Panel (ADP; http://arsftfbean.uprm.edu/bean/) was assembled as a genetic resource in the development of fast cooking, nutritional improved, biotic/abiotic resistant varieties. A germplasm screening for atmospheric cooking time (100oC) of over 200 bean accessions from the ADP identified only five fast cooking entries [3]. Two entries were white beans from Burundi (Blanco Fanesquero) and Ecuador (PI527521). Native to Chile, two of the six fast cooking entries were collected from Angola, and had a pale lemon ‘Manteca’ yellow seed color (Cebo, Mantega Blanca). Traditional knowledge from Chile suggests Manteca yellow beans are low flatulence and easy to digest [4]. Yellow beans of various shades are important in Eastern and Southern Africa. Their popularity has increased in recent years and they often fetch the highest prices at the marketplace. There is evidence to suggest that Manteca yellow beans have a unique nutritional profile when compared to other yellow seed types; with more soluble dietary fiber, less indigestible protein and starch, and are also free of condensed tannins. The hypothesis was tested that this unique composition would also have a positive influence on the bioavailability of iron in an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture bioassay

Evolution of the fishtail-effect in pure and Ag-doped MG-YBCO

We report on magnetic measurements carried out in a textured YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ and YBa$_2$(Cu$_{1-x}$Ag$_x$)$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ (at $x \approx$ 0.02) crystals. The so-called fishtail-effect (FE) or second magnetization peak has been observed in a wide temperature range 0.4~$<T/T_c<$~0.8 for $\textbf{H}\parallel c$. The origin of the FE arises for the competition between surface barrier and bulk pinning. This is confirmed in a non-monotonically behavior of the relaxation rate $R$. The value $H_{max}$ for Ag-doped crystals is larger than for the pure one due to the presence of additional pinning centers, above all on silver atoms.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Nanomechanics of the endothelial glycocalyx in experimental sepsis

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGC), a carbohydrate-rich layer lining the luminal side of the endothelium, regulates vascular adhesiveness and permeability. Although central to the pathophysiology of vascular barrier dysfunction in sepsis, glycocalyx damage has been generally understudied, in part because of the aberrancy of in vitro preparations and its degradation during tissue handling. The aim of this study was to analyze inflammation-induced damage of the eGC on living endothelial cells by atomic-force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation technique. AFM revealed the existence of a mature eGC on the luminal endothelial surface of freshly isolated rodent aorta preparations ex vivo, as well as on cultured human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMEC) in vitro. AFM detected a marked reduction in glycocalyx thickness (266 ± 12 vs. 137 ± 17 nm, P<0.0001) and stiffness (0.34 ± 0.03 vs. 0.21 ± 0.01 pN/mn, P<0.0001) in septic mice (1 mg E. coli lipopolysaccharides (LPS)/kg BW i.p.) compared to controls. Corresponding in vitro experiments revealed that sepsis-associated mediators, such as thrombin, LPS or Tumor Necrosis Factor-α alone were sufficient to rapidly decrease eGC thickness (-50%, all P<0.0001) and stiffness (-20% P<0.0001) on HPMEC. In summary, AFM nanoindentation is a promising novel approach to uncover mechanisms involved in deterioration and refurbishment of the eGC in sepsis

Whole-body vibration training induces hypertrophy of the human patellar tendon

I Brage finner du siste tekst-versjon av artikkelen, og den kan inneholde ubetydelige forskjeller fra forlagets pdf-versjon. Forlagets pdf-versjon finner du på onlinelibrary.wiley.com / In Brage you'll find the final text version of the article, and it may contain insignificant differences from the journal's pdf version. The definitive version is available at onlinelibrary.wiley.comAnimal studies suggest that regular exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) induces an anabolic response in bone and tendon. However, the effects of this type of intervention on human tendon properties and its influence on the muscle-tendon unit function have never been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of WBV training on the patellar tendon mechanical, material and morphological properties, the quadriceps muscle architecture and the knee extension torque–angle relationship. Fifty-five subjects were randomized into either a vibration, an active control, or an inactive control group. The active control subjects performed isometric squats on a vibration platform without vibration. Muscle and tendon properties were measured using ultrasonography and dynamometry. Vibration training induced an increase in proximal (6.3%) and mean (3.8%) tendon cross-sectional area, without any appreciable change in tendon stiffness and modulus or in muscle architectural parameters. Isometric torque at a knee angle of 90° increased in active controls (6.7%) only and the torque–angle relation remained globally unchanged in all groups. The present protocol did not appreciably alter knee extension torque production or the musculo-tendinous parameters underpinning this function. Nonetheless, this study shows for the first time that WBV elicits tendon hypertrophy in humans.Seksjon for fysisk prestasjonsevne / Department of Physical Performanc

Long-term survival after percutaneous irreversible electroporation of inoperable colorectal liver metastases

Background: For colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) that are not amenable to surgery or thermal ablation, irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel local treatment modality and additional option. Methods: This study is a retrospective long-term follow-up of patients with CRLM who underwent IRE as salvage treatment. Results: Of the 24 included patients, 18(75.0%) were male, and the median age was 57 (range: 28-75) years. The mean time elapsed from diagnosis to IRE was 37.9 +/- 37.3 months. Mean overall survival was 26.5 months after IRE (range: 2.5-69.2 months) and 58.1 months after diagnosis (range: 14.8-180.1 months). One-, three-, and five-year survival rates after initial diagnosis were 100.0%, 79.2%, and 41.2%; after IRE, the respective survival rates were 79.1%, 25.0%, and 8.3%. There were no statistically significant differences detected in survival after IRE with respect to gender, age, T- or N-stage at the time of diagnosis, size of metastases subject to IRE, number of hepatic lesions, or time elapsed between IRE and diagnosis. Conclusion: For nonresectable CRLM, long-term survival data emphasize the value of IRE as a new minimally invasive local therapeutic approach in multimodal palliative treatment, which is currently limited to systemic or regional therapies in this setting

A Study of the PDGF Signaling Pathway with PRISM

In this paper, we apply the probabilistic model checker PRISM to the analysis of a biological system -- the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) signaling pathway, demonstrating in detail how this pathway can be analyzed in PRISM. We show that quantitative verification can yield a better understanding of the PDGF signaling pathway.Comment: In Proceedings CompMod 2011, arXiv:1109.104

Sagopilone (ZK-EPO, ZK 219477) for recurrent glioblastoma. A phase II multicenter trial by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Brain Tumor Group

Background: Sagopilone (ZK 219477), a lipophylic and synthetic analog of epothilone B, that crosses the blood-brain barrier has demonstrated preclinical activity in glioma models. Patients and methods: Patients with first recurrence/progression of glioblastoma were eligible for this early phase II and pharmacokinetic study exploring single-agent sagopilone (16 mg/m2 over 3 h every 21 days). Primary end point was a composite of either tumor response or being alive and progression free at 6 months. Overall survival, toxicity and safety and pharmacokinetics were secondary end points. Results: Thirty-eight (evaluable 37) patients were included. Treatment was well tolerated, and neuropathy occurred in 46% patients [mild (grade 1) : 32%]. No objective responses were seen. The progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 6 months was 6.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-18.7], the median PFS was just over 6 weeks, and the median overall survival was 7.6 months (95% CI 5.3-12.3), with a 1-year survival rate of 31.6% (95% CI 17.7-46.4). Maximum plasma concentrations were reached at the end of the 3-h infusion, with rapid declines within 30 min after termination. Conclusions: No evidence of relevant clinical antitumor activity against recurrent glioblastoma could be detected. Sagopilone was well tolerated, and moderate-to-severe peripheral neuropathy was observed in despite prolonged administratio

Ultra thin polymer foil cryogenic window for antiproton deceleration and storage

We present the design and characterisation of a cryogenic window based on an ultra-thin aluminised PET foil at T < 10K, which can withstand a pressure difference larger than 1bar at a leak rate < $1\times 10^{-9}$ mbar$\cdot$ l/s. Its thickness of approximately 1.7 $\mu$m makes it transparent to various types of particles over a broad energy range. To optimise the transfer of 100keV antiprotons through the window, we tested the degrading properties of different aluminium coated PET foils of thicknesses between 900nm and 2160nm, concluding that 1760nm foil decelerates antiprotons to an average energy of 5 keV. We have also explicitly studied the permeation as a function of coating thickness and temperature, and have performed extensive thermal and mechanical endurance and stress tests. Our final design integrated into the experiment has an effective open surface consisting of 7 holes with 1 mm diameter and will transmit up to 2.5% of the injected 100keV antiproton beam delivered by the AD/ELENA-facility of CERN