Soluble starch synthase IIa (SSIIa) enzyme expression in endosperm and alkali disintegration in seeds of Myanmar rice cultivars.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is grown all over the world and consumed by human beings worldwide. It is the most important crop in Myanmar because it is the main staple food of the entire nation. Starch is the end product of carbon fixation in photosynthesis and is accumulated in storage organs as an energy source. It comprises 90% of the total dry matter in the rice grain and can mainly affect grain quality. Starch biosynthesis in cereal plants is catalyzed by four classes of enzymes, namely; ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), soluble starch synthase (SSS), starch-branching enzyme (BE), and starch-debranching enzyme (DBE) (Smith et al.,1997; Myers et al., 2000; Nakamura, 2002; Fujita et al., 2006). Starch synthase proteins from rice and other plant species can be grouped into five classes, soluble starch synthase I (SSI), soluble starch synthase II (SSII), soluble starch synthase III (SSIII), soluble starch synthase IV (SSIV) and granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS). One gene for SSI, three genes for SSII (SSIIa, SSIIb, SSIIc) and, two genes for SSIII (SSIIIa, SSIIIb), SSIV (SSIVa, SSIVb) and GBSS can be found in rice (Hirose and Terao, 2004)

Systemic lupus erythematosus: A possible cause of non-alcoholic Wernicke’s encephalopathy

We report a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and an acute cerebellar ataxia. A history of poor appetite and vomiting preceded the inco-ordination. Ataxia in SLE has been well described, but is nevertheless uncommon. The clinical triad of mild confusion, ataxia and ophthalmoplegia also raised the possibility of Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE). The diagnosis of WE was further supported by the magnetic resonance imaging features. Owing to overlapping causal factors, this case illustrates the complexity of diagnosing and managing neuropsychiatric syndromes in a patient with SLE. The limited published literature on SLE-related cerebellar syndromes adds to the challenge. Gastrointestinal manifestations of SLE are described as being common in SLE, with nausea and vomiting occurring in >50% of cases in some series. Poor eating habits and vomiting are well-described causes of non-alcoholic WE. This is the first description of gastrointestinal SLE as a possible cause of WE

Cytokine and Chemokine Profiling in Patients with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Singapore and Malaysia

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a prevalent contagious childhood disease typically associated with fever, oral lesions and limb exanthema. While HFMD is caused by a plethora of serotypes of viruses under the genus Enterovirus within the Picornaviridae family, Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) and Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) are considered the main etiological agents. In recent years however, other viruses have also been isolated in considerable numbers from infected individuals in many regions, joining the legion commonly associated with HFMD. The present study investigated the cytokine and chemokine profiles of HFMD patients from Singapore and Malaysia for the first time. Comparative cohort studies of EV-A71-associated HFMD cases revealed that the Malaysia cohort had a distinct profile from the Singapore cohort, and this could be partly attributed by different EV-A71 genotypes. As the isolation of CV-A6, instead of CV-A16, had become prevalent in the Singapore cohort, it was also of particular interest to study the differential cytokine and chemokine profiles. Our data revealed that overlapping as well as unique profiles exist between the two major causative clinical isolates in the Singapore cohort. Having a better understanding of the respective immunological profiles could be useful for more accurate HFMD diagnosis, which is imperative for disease transmission control until multi-valent vaccines and/or broad-spectrum anti-viral drugs become available

Enhancements in nocturnal surface ozone at urban sites in the UK

Analysis of diurnal patterns of surface ozone (O3) at multiple urban sites in the UK shows the occurrence of prominent nocturnal enhancements during the winter months (November–March). Whilst nocturnal surface ozone (NSO) enhancement events have been observed at other locations, this is the first time that such features have been demonstrated to occur in the UK and the second location globally. The observed NSO enhancement events in the UK were found to be so prevalent that they are clearly discernible in monthly diurnal cycles averaged over several years of data. Long-term (2000–2010) analysis of hourly surface ozone data from 18 urban background stations shows a bimodal diurnal variation during the winter months with a secondary nighttime peak around 0300 hours along with the primary daytime peak. For all but one site, the daily maxima NSO concentrations during the winter months exceeded 60 μg/m3 on >20 % of the nights. The highest NSO value recorded was 118 μg/m3. During the months of November, December, and January, the monthly averaged O3 concentrations observed at night (0300 h) even exceeded those observed in the daytime (1300 h). The analysis also shows that these NSO enhancements can last for several hours and were regional in scale, extending across several stations simultaneously. Interestingly, the urban sites in the north of the UK exhibited higher NSO than the sites in the south of the UK, despite their daily maxima being similar. In part, this seems to be related to the sites in the north typically having lower concentrations of nitrogen oxides

Effects of fluoxetine on functional outcomes after acute stroke (FOCUS): a pragmatic, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial

Background Results of small trials indicate that fluoxetine might improve functional outcomes after stroke. The FOCUS trial aimed to provide a precise estimate of these effects. Methods FOCUS was a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial done at 103 hospitals in the UK. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, had a clinical stroke diagnosis, were enrolled and randomly assigned between 2 days and 15 days after onset, and had focal neurological deficits. Patients were randomly allocated fluoxetine 20 mg or matching placebo orally once daily for 6 months via a web-based system by use of a minimisation algorithm. The primary outcome was functional status, measured with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), at 6 months. Patients, carers, health-care staff, and the trial team were masked to treatment allocation. Functional status was assessed at 6 months and 12 months after randomisation. Patients were analysed according to their treatment allocation. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN83290762. Findings Between Sept 10, 2012, and March 31, 2017, 3127 patients were recruited. 1564 patients were allocated fluoxetine and 1563 allocated placebo. mRS data at 6 months were available for 1553 (99·3%) patients in each treatment group. The distribution across mRS categories at 6 months was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (common odds ratio adjusted for minimisation variables 0·951 [95% CI 0·839–1·079]; p=0·439). Patients allocated fluoxetine were less likely than those allocated placebo to develop new depression by 6 months (210 [13·43%] patients vs 269 [17·21%]; difference 3·78% [95% CI 1·26–6·30]; p=0·0033), but they had more bone fractures (45 [2·88%] vs 23 [1·47%]; difference 1·41% [95% CI 0·38–2·43]; p=0·0070). There were no significant differences in any other event at 6 or 12 months. Interpretation Fluoxetine 20 mg given daily for 6 months after acute stroke does not seem to improve functional outcomes. Although the treatment reduced the occurrence of depression, it increased the frequency of bone fractures. These results do not support the routine use of fluoxetine either for the prevention of post-stroke depression or to promote recovery of function. Funding UK Stroke Association and NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme

Systemic lupus erythematosus: A possible cause of non-alcoholic Wernicke’s encephalopathy

We report a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and an acute cerebellar ataxia. A history of poor appetite and vomiting preceded the inco-ordination. Ataxia in SLE has been well described, but is nevertheless uncommon. The clinical triad of mild confusion, ataxia and ophthalmoplegia also raised the possibility of Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE). The diagnosis of WE was further supported by the magnetic resonance imaging features. Owing to overlapping causal factors, this case illustrates the complexity of diagnosing and managing neuropsychiatric syndromes in a patient with SLE. The limited published literature on SLE-related cerebellar syndromes adds to the challenge. Gastrointestinal manifestations of SLE are described as being common in SLE, with nausea and vomiting occurring in >50% of cases in some series. Poor eating habits and vomiting are well-described causes of non-alcoholic WE. This is the first description of gastrointestinal SLE as a possible cause of WE

Microbiological and physico-chemical assessment of the quality of domestic water sources in selected rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

The domestic raw water sources in Nkonkobe and Gogogo were characterised by using both microbiological and standard physical methods to investigate the quality of the water at the sampling sites. For microbiological analysis, indicator bacteria namely, heterotrophic bacteria, total and faecal coliforms and for physical parameters, pH, turbidity and temperature were assessed to check whether the distributed water as well as the water from dams, and rivers was safe for drinking and other domestic uses. The water quality parameters of concern were microbial contamination and turbidity. Almost all the indicator bacteria counts and turbidity values were above the South African recommended limits. Both Nkonkobe and Gogogo raw water sources had a poor water quality. The water was unfit for human consumption without prior treatment. The quality of the water source depended on local conditions. This indicated that poor sanitation and hygiene conditions and lack of, or little environmental awareness among the people in rural areas, could be considered as the major causes of source water contamination. WaterSA Vol.30 (3) 2004: 333-34