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The proficiency and efficacy of the parental selection programmes in most of the crops including popcorn can be significantly improved by estimating the combining ability and its effects. The present study was planned with an aim to assess the combining ability variances and effects in 28 cross combinations developed by crossing eight inbred lines of popcorn in half diallel fashion design (without reciprocals). The thirty eight genotypes including twenty eight hybrids along with their eight parents and two checks were evaluated in randomized complete block design to estimate the GCA and SCA of parents as well as crosses. Results for combining ability shown that mean sum of squares due to hybrids and parents vs. hybrids were significant, which in turn exhibits significant genotypic differences for all the characters under study except grain protein content. It was also apparent that both general combining ability and specific combining ability variances were significant for all the characters except grain protein content which indicated importance of both additive and non additive gene action in the inheritance of these traits. The inbred lines viz., HKI PC 1473-5, HKI PCBT 3, HKI PC 4B were found as good combiners and desirable for both grain yield and quality traits with high popping expansion. The cross combination HKI PC 1473-5 x HKI PCBT 3, HKI PC 4 x HKI PC 7 and HKI PC 4B x HKI PCBT 3 showed good SCA effects for grain yield, yield related traits and quality traits and thus indicated non additive gene effects is more pronounced and selection may prove reliable in maize hybridization programme for improvement of yield and other characters.

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-acr-10.1177_02841851221124669 for Chemotherapy response evaluation using diffusion weighted MRI in Ewing Sarcoma: A single center experience by Esha Baidya Kayal, Jayendra Tiru Alampally, Raju Sharma, Sameer Bakhshi, Amit Mehndiratta, Rakesh Kumar, SH Chandrashekhara, Manisha Jana, Ashu Seith Bhalla, Mehar Chand Sharma, Asit Ranjan Mridha, Sreenivas Vishnubhatla and Devasenathipathy Kandasamy in Acta Radiologica

Background: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is second most common lymphoma in adult, constituted 20% of all lymphoma cases in the west. There is limited information is available on FL from India. Methods: The clinico-pathological profile, treatment outcome and prognostic factors for survival were assessed retrospectively in 181 patients of FL seen at our center over a period of 17 years ( 1996-2012). Results: There were 120 males and 61 females. The median age was 51 years (24-80 years). The common presenting features were lymphadenopathy 71%, fatigue 23% and fever 20%. Ann Arbor stage distribution was: stage I - 9%, stage II - 11%, stage III -22 % and stage IV - 58%. Extra nodal involvement and bulky disease were present in 22% and 19% patients respectively. Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) 1 score : Low -25%, Intermediate-45% and high risk in 30% of cases. One forty five patients (80%) received treatment at presentation or during follow-up. Chemotherapeutic regimen used were: CHOP-45 , CVP-51, chlorambucil and prednisolone -7 , BR ( bendamustine and rituximab)-12, RCHOP- 14 RCVP – 7 and other regimen were used in 5 cases. The overall response (ORR) and complete remission (CR) rates were 70% and 35% respectively. Median overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) was 5.5 years and 2.5 years respectively, with median follow up period of 3.0 years. Grade 3 histology, failure to attain CR, low serum albumin, and high risk FLIPI were significantly associated with lower event free survival. High risk FLIPI (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.03-2.10, p=0.003) and failure to attain CR (HR 2.64, CI 1.10-4.30, p=0.001) were predictors of poor OS. Conclusions: FL represents 9 % of all lymphoma in adult. This is the largest data from single institute from India. Eighty percentage of patients presented in stage III/IV disease. High risk FLIPI and failure to attain CR were important prognostic variables for OS.

This study aims (1) to evaluate ATRX expression in different grades and subtypes of gliomas and correlate with other hallmark genetic alterations, (2) to identify and characterize mosaic/heterogeneous staining in gliomas in terms of mutation status. One hundred seventy six cases of glioma were assessed for ATRX immunohistochemistry and subdivided into positive, negative and mosaic/heterogeneous staining patterns. Five cases with heterogeneous staining were further subjected to next generation sequencing. Higher frequency of ATRX immune-negativity was detected in grade II/III astrocytic, oligoastrocytic tumors and secondary glioblastomas (GBMs), while infrequent in primary GBMs and rare in oligodendrogliomas. Loss of expression was significantly associated with IDH1 and/or TP53 mutation, while mutually exclusive with 1p/19q codeletion. Mosaic/heterogeneous staining was detected exclusively in GBMs (21.2%). Two different types of mosaic staining were identified (1) Admixture of positive and negative nuclei or intermixed mosaic and (2) Separate fragments with positive and negative/intermixed mosaic staining. ATRX mutation was identified in 2/5 (40%) cases with mosaic staining while one case showed DAXX mutation. All these cases were characterized by distinctly separate immune-negative and positive/intermixed foci. Hence, it is suggested that cases with heterogeneous staining (especially those with distinctly negative fragments) should be subjected to mutation analysis.