PROGRAM AND NONPROGRAM WHEAT ACREAGE RESPONSES TO PRICES AND RISK

Wheat acreage responses to expected wheat price and price risk are reversed for program and nonprogram-planted acreage in the northern plains, central plains, southern plains, and U.S. Expected wheat price has a strong negative effect on program-complying wheat acreage. Government support prices have a positive effect on program-complying and program-planted acreage. Price risk has a positive effect on program-complying wheat acreage and a negative effect on nonprogram-planted acreage. Estimated price elasticities are higher than in studies where risk was ignored.Demand and Price Analysis, Risk and Uncertainty,

Transcriptome sequencing and analysis of the zoonotic parasite Spirometra erinacei spargana (plerocercoids)

BACKGROUND: Although spargana, which are the plerocercoids of Spirometra erinacei, are of biological and clinical importance, expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from this parasite have not been explored. To understand molecular and biological features of this parasite, sparganum ESTs were examined by large-scale EST sequencing and multiple bioinformatics tools. METHODS: Total RNA was isolated from spargana and then ESTs were generated, assembled and sequenced. Many biological aspects of spargana were investigated using multi-step bioinformatics tools. RESULTS: A total of 5,634 ESTs were collected from spargana. After clustering and assembly, the functions of 1,794 Sparganum Assembled ESTs (SpAEs) including 934 contigs and 860 singletons were analyzed. A total of 1,351 (75%) SpAEs were annotated using a hybrid of BLASTX and InterProScan. Of these genes, 1,041 (58%) SpAEs had high similarity to tapeworms. In the context of the biology of sparganum, our analyses reveal: (i) a highly expressed fibronectin 1, a ubiquitous and abundant glycoprotein; (ii) up-regulation of enzymes related with glycolysis pathway; (iii) most frequent domains of protein kinase and RNA recognition motif domain; (iv) a set of helminth-parasitic and spargana-specific genes that may offer a number of antigen candidates. CONCLUSIONS: Our transcriptomic analysis of S. erinacei spargana demonstrates biological aspects of a parasite that invades and travels through subcutaneous tissue in intermediate hosts. Future studies should include comparative analyses using combinations of transcriptome and proteome data collected from the entire life cycle of S. erinacei. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1756-3305-7-368) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in older adults : clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and comorbidity

Purpose of Review Chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a common condition that significantly affects patients' life. This work aims to provide an up-to-date overview of CRSwNP in older adults, focusing on its aging-related clinical presentations, pathophysiology, and comorbidity associations including asthma. Recent Findings Recent large population-based studies using nasal endoscopy have shown that CRSwNP is a mostly late-onset disease. Age-related changes in physiologic functions, including nasal epithelial barrier dysfunction, may underlie the incidence and different clinical presentations of CRSwNP in older adults. However, there is still a paucity of evidence on the effect of aging on phenotypes and endotypes of CRSwNP. Meanwhile, late-onset asthma is a major comorbid condition in patients with CRSwNP; they frequently present with type 2 inflammatory signatures that are refractory to conventional treatments when they are comorbid. However, as they are more commonly non-atopic, causative factors other than classical atopic sensitization, such as Staphylococcus aureus specific IgE sensitization, are suggested to drive the type 2 inflammation. There are additional comorbidity associations in older patients with CRSwNP, including those with chronic otitis media and head and neck malignancy. Age is a major determinant for the incidence and clinical presentations of CRSwNP. Given the heterogeneity in phenotypes and endotypes, longitudinal investigations are warranted to elucidate the effects of aging on CRSwNP