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Spaceborne lidar provides a unique opportunity to supplement the field plot measurements of national forest inventories (NFIs) by providing dense measurements of vertical canopy structure. For full waveform instruments such as the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), measurements take the form of reflected energy as a function of height within an observed footprint. Many forest attributes cannot be directly computed from the waveforms, and thus statistical models relating the measurements to target attributes must be trained using field plot data. Because the discrete footprint samples produced by spaceborne lidar instruments have little chance of collocation with pre-existing field plots, model calibration remains a primary challenge. We leveraged the density and spatial correlation of GEDI observations to make predictions of the cumulative waveform over 326,787 NFI plots distributed across the contiguous United States. The predictions yield probability distributions, giving not only a predicted waveform but quantification of prediction uncertainty. The product of this work is a data set comprised of the NFI plots paired with the predictive waveform distributions. The predicted waveforms and their uncertainties can be used to train models with “error-in-variables” techniques that account for and filter the uncertainty in the predicted waveforms. This data set and the corresponding techniques allow statistically rigorous model training without requirements of collocation, yielding downstream forest attribute predictions that are consistent with NFI measurements and estimates. We demonstrate the data set by training a model for forest above ground biomass density (AGBD) and then use the model to produce a spatially complete 1 km map of AGBD for the contiguous United States. We further compare our AGBD predictions to US NFI estimates at a 64,000 hectare scale, showing the increase in precision to be proportional to the collection of almost 500,000 additional NFI plots across forested regions of CONUS.

Background: Studies have shown conflicting results on the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) for patients with COVID-19, with many confounders of clinical status and limited duration of the observation. Here, we evaluate the real-world long-term efficacy of TCZ in COVID-19 patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 using a large US-based multicenter COVID-19 database (Cerner Real-World Data; updated in September, 2020). The TCZ group was defined as patients who received at least one dose of the drug. Matching weight (MW) and a propensity score weighting method were used to balance confounding factors. Results: A total of 20,399 patients were identified. 1,510 and 18,899 were in the TCZ and control groups, respectively. After MW adjustment, no statistically significant differences in all-cause mortality were found for the TCZ vs. control group (Hazard Ratio [HR]:0.76, p=0.06). Survival curves suggested a better trend in short-term observation, driven from a subgroup of patients requiring oxygen masks, BIPAP or CPAP. Conclusion: We observed a temporal (early) benefit of TCZ, especially in patients on non-invasive high-flow supplemental oxygen. However, the benefit effects faded with longer observation. The long-term benefits and risks of TCZ should be carefully evaluated with follow-up studies.

Historically, ecological monitoring of marine habitats has primarily relied on labour-intensive, non-automated survey methods. The field of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has demonstrated the potential of this practice to automate surveying in marine habitats. This has primarily been through the use of ‘ecoacoustic indices’ to quantify attributes from natural soundscapes. However, investigations using individual indices have had mixed success. Using PAM recordings collected at one of the world’s largest coral reef restoration programmes, we instead apply a machine-learning approach across a suite of ecoacoustic indices to improve predictive power of ecosystem health. Healthy and degraded reef sites were identified through live coral cover surveys, with 90–95% and 0–20% cover respectively. A library of one-minute recordings were extracted from each. Twelve ecoacoustic indices were calculated for each recording, in up to three different frequency bandwidths (low: 0.05–0.8 kHz, medium: 2–7 kHz and broad: 0.05–20 kHz). Twelve of these 33 index-frequency combinations differed significantly between healthy and degraded habitats. However, the best performing single index could only correctly classify 47% of recordings, requiring extensive sampling from each site to be useful. We therefore trained a regularised discriminant analysis machine-learning algorithm to discriminate between healthy and degraded sites using an optimised combination of ecoacoustic indices. This multi-index approach discriminated between these two habitat classes with improved accuracy compared to any single index in isolation. The pooled classification rate of 1000 cross-validated iterations of the model had a 91.7% 0.8, mean SE) success rate at correctly classifying individual recordings. The model was subsequently used to classify recordings from two actively restored sites, established >24 months prior to recordings, with coral cover values of 79.1% (±3.9) and 66.5% (±3.8). Of these recordings, 37/38 and 33/39 received a classification as healthy respectively. The model was also used to classify recordings from a newly restored site established

Summary: Volatile short-chain fatty acids such as butyric and acetic acid have been supplemented in poultry rations as a feed ingredient and nutritive supplement. A novel Clostridium fermentation solubles broth (MiruTyton), containing short-chain fatty acids, minerals, and amino acids, was supplemented in a standard corn/soybean meal–based ration at a rate of 750, 1,500, 3,000, and 6,000 mg/kg to achieve approximately 277, 554, 1,108, and 2,216 mg/kg of ammonium butyrate in the diet. After 6 wk, supplementation at all levels did not cause significant changes in the blood parameters or any live performance metric of mixed-sex Cobb-500 broilers (N = 1,920). In addition, administering 6,000 mg/kg of MiruTyton caused no significant lesions in any of the tissue examined except for an increase (P

Agricultural drainage ditches represent a major source of nutrient pollution. Shifts in nitrogen source and use of animal manures have changed the bacterial composition both in species of bacteria and their abundance in agricultural ditches. This change affects how nitrogen is being cycled and potentially the final forms of available nutrients. In particular, animal manures often have bacteria such as Escherichia coli present, increasing the abundance of a bacterial species in ditches. Research has shown that the effect of different nitrogen sources is to change bacterial community composition (class, family). How this influences the role of an individual bacterial species is poorly understood. Thus, our question was how individual species would respond to different sources of nitrogen. We used Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus thuringiensis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are common in agricultural ditches and exposed them to different concentrations of nitrogen in cultures of 1 × 100 and 1 × 10−1 dilutions from a stock solution of bacteria. Nitrogen sources were ammonium chloride, sodium nitrate and urea. The results showed A. hydrophila and E. coli have strong similarities particularly with nitrate-N and urea-N utilization and the response was often correlated with the amount of nutrient added. P. aeruginosa while similar did not show any strong correlation with amount of nutrient added. B. thuringiensis was different from the other three bacteria in utilization or production. Research has provided insight into the role of some bacteria in nitrogen cycling and may be valuable in the future to developing management strategies to reduce nutrients.

Background: Mentorship is the foundation for training and career development. However, only about half of interventional radiology (IR) residency programs in the United States have a formal mentorship program at their institution. A new tiered mentorship program was introduced at our institution., Methods: A structured mentorship program was created at our institution in 2020 for IR residents to pair 1-2 faculty advisors with a group of residents, one from each PGY class, based on personal interests and career paths. A quality improvement survey with Likert scale format (1-5) was sent to IR residents and faculty members., Results: Responses were recorded from 11 IR residents in addition to all 6 IR faculty mentors. IR respondents reported satisfaction with feeling more assimilated in the department and all would recommend the current mentorship model to other institutions. Most respondents agreed the program made them comfortable conducting effective mentorship relationships as an attending and that the tiered structured of being mentee and mentor simultaneously was beneficial. Both IR residents and faculty agreed that the program helped prevent burnout., Conclusions: The tiered mentorship model has had a positive impact on the IR program by providing structured mentoring and longitudinal relationships. The most notable benefits for IR residents is the early integration into the program, sustained mentorships relationships, and the prevention of burnout. Similar models can help other programs establish structured faculty and peer mentorship for residents early in training., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Study Objective: To analyze hysterectomy trends and vaginal cuff dehiscence (VCD) rates by mode of surgery at a tertiary care medical center and to describe characteristics of VCD cases., Design: Observational retrospective cohort study., Setting: Large academic hospital and affiliated community hospital., Patients: 4722 patients who underwent hysterectomy at Columbia University Irving Medical Center between January 2010 and August 2021., Interventions: Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases codes identified hysterectomies and VCD cases. Hysterectomy trends and VCD rates were calculated by mode of surgery. Relative risks of VCD for each mode were compared with total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH). Clinical characteristics of VCDs were reviewed., Measurements and Main Results: There were 4059 total hysterectomies. Laparoscopic hysterectomies, including total laparoscopic hysterectomies (TLHs), laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomies, and robot-assisted TLHs (RA-TLHs), increased from 41.9% in 2010 to 65.9% in 2021 (p <.001). RA-TLH increased from 5.7% in 2010 to 40.2% in 2021. Supracervical hysterectomies followed similar trends and were excluded from VCD analysis. There were 15 VCDs (overall rate 0.37%). VCD was highest after RA-TLH (0.66%), followed by TLH (0.32%) and TAH (0.27%), with no VCDs after laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy or total vaginal hysterectomy. Compared with TAH, the relative risk for VCD after RA-TLH was 2.44 (95% confidence interval 0.66-9.00) and after TLH was 1.18 (95% confidence interval 0.24-5.83), which were not statistically significant. The mean time to dehiscence was 39 days (range 8-145 days). The most common trigger event was coitus (41%)., Conclusion: VCD rates were low (<1%) for all modes of hysterectomy, and rates after robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy were much lower than previously reported. Although VCD rates trended higher after robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy compared with abdominal hysterectomy, the difference was not significant. It is difficult to determine whether this finding represents true lack of difference vs a lack of power to detect a significant difference given the rarity of VCD., (Copyright © 2023 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pneumonitis has been described as a side effect of immunotherapy as well as traditional chemotherapy. Although immune-related adverse event (IRAE) pneumonitis has been extensively characterized, the relationship between IRAE pneumonitis and pneumonitis secondary to chemotherapy is less clear. Here, we present the first analysis of radiographic features of pneumonitis secondary to immunotherapy compared to chemotherapy., Methods: Using our radiology records system, we searched chest computed tomography (CT) reports for the term "pneumonitis". We evaluated medical records to establish chronicity of pneumonitis occurring after medication administration and excluded cases where radiation therapy appeared to be the cause of pneumonitis. We also obtained information regarding demographic, clinical, and treatment characteristics for comparison., Results: Patients treated with immunotherapy demonstrated more specific features of pneumonitis including consolidation, ground glass opacities, septal thickening, traction bronchiectasis, and pulmonary nodules compared to those treated with chemotherapy. Immunotherapy treatment correlated with the development of pulmonary nodules (p = 0.048), and administration of more than one immunotherapy agent correlated with a greater incidence of development of nodules (p = 0.050). Radiographic features in patients treated with immunotherapy all decreased over time. Conversely, in patients treated with chemotherapy the incidence of ground glass opacities, traction bronchiectasis, pulmonary nodules, and mediastinal/hilar adenopathy increased over time., Conclusions: IRAE-pneumonitis has distinct features and a distinct clinical course compared to pneumonitis secondary to chemotherapy. Importantly, IRAE-pneumonitis features decreased over time, suggesting that careful consideration of the benefit-risk ratio may allow for continuation of immunotherapy in some patients who develop pneumonitis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Mary M. Salvatore-Speaker and Consultant: Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Following a motor vehicle collision some patients will remain trapped. Traditional extrication methods are time consuming and focus on movement minimisation and mitigation. 'Chain cabling' is an alternative method of extrication used in some countries. The optimal extrication strategy and the effect of extrication methods on spinal movement is unknown. This study compares 'chain cabling' to the established roof removal method of extrication on spinal movement., Methods: Biomechanical data were collected using Inertial Measurement Units on a single healthy volunteer during multiple experiments. The extrication types examined were chain cabling and roof removal. Measurements were recorded at the cervical and lumbar spine, and in the anteroposterior (AP) and lateral (LR) planes. Total movement (travel), maximal movement, mean, standard deviation and confidence intervals are reported., Results: Eight experiments were performed using each technique. The smallest mean overall movements were recorded during roof-off extrication (cervical spine 0.6 mm for AP and LR, lumbar spine 3.9 mm AP and 0.3 mm LR). The largest overall mean movements were seen with chain cabling extrication (cervical spine AP 5.3 mm. LR 6.1 mm and lumbar spine 6.8 mm AP and 6.3 mm LR)., Conclusion: In this study of a healthy volunteer, roof-off extrication was associated with less movement than chain cabling. The movement associated with chain cabling extrication was similar to that previously collected for other extrication types., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests, (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Immunotherapy has become a critical class of anticancer therapy in recent years, functioning by releasing brakes on the immune system that ultimately results in immune cell activation which eliminates cancer cells. Immune related adverse events (IRAEs) are a specific type of adverse event described in patients taking checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy which results from unrestrained immune activation. Immune related pericardial effusion has been described however has not been comprehensively characterized. Here, we present the most extensive report to date detailing this adverse event., Methods: We queried our medical record system to retrospectively identify patients on checkpoint inhibitor therapy for lung cancer who subsequently developed pericardial effusion. We analyzed the clinical and radiographic characteristics, prior therapies, treatment for the effusion, and outcomes in patients with immune related pericardial effusion and compared them to similar patients with pericardial effusion not attributable to checkpoint inhibitor therapy., Results: Our data demonstrate that most of these pericardial effusions were small and not clinically significant. The majority were successfully treated with steroids or resolved spontaneously. Anti-PD-1 inhibitors were the most common checkpoint inhibitor preceding pericardial effusion, and a significant number of patients who went on to develop IRAE pericardial effusion previously had treatment with carboplatin for their cancer., Conclusions: These data suggest that IRAE pericardial effusion is not a clinically significant adverse event however it sometimes leads to permanent discontinuation of checkpoint inhibitor therapy which is not necessary., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Hydrocephalus is a disorder of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, traditionally treated by placement of a ventricular shunt. Shunts are effective but imperfect as they fail in an unpredictable pattern, and the patient's well-being is dependent on adequate shunt function. The omnipresent threat of shunt failure along with the potential need for invasive investigations can be stressful for patients and caregivers. Our objective was to measure post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in children with hydrocephalus and their caregivers., Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of children with hydrocephalus and their caregivers was conducted. Caregivers completed a measure of their own PTSS (the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V) and resilience (the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale). Pediatric patients rated their own PTSS and resilience using the Acute Stress Checklist for Kids and Connor Davidson Resilience Scale., Results: Ninety-one caregivers completed the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V. Mean score was 17.0 (standard deviation 15.7; median 13.0). Fourteen percent scored above 33, the threshold suggestive of a preliminary diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. There was a statistically significant association between caregiver post-traumatic stress and marital status, child's race, and caregiver education. More than half (52%) of caregivers reported their child's hydrocephalus as the most significant source of their PTSS. Children did not have markedly elevated levels of PTSS. Forty-one percent of caregivers and 60% of children scored in the lowest resilience quartile compared with the general population., Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that post-traumatic stress affects caregivers with hydrocephalus, yet levels of resilience for caregivers and pediatric patients are low., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The alternative oxidase (AOX) is a monotopic di‑iron carboxylate protein which acts as a terminal respiratory chain oxidase in a variety of plants, fungi and protists. Of particular importance is the finding that both emerging infectious diseases caused by human and plant fungal pathogens, the majority of which are multi-drug resistant, appear to be dependent upon AOX activity for survival. Since AOX is absent in mammalian cells, AOX is considered a viable therapeutic target for the design of specific fungicidal and anti-parasitic drugs. In this work, we have mutated conserved residues within the hydrophobic channel (R96, D100, R118, L122, L212, E215 and T219), which crystallography has indicated leads to the active site. Our data shows that all mutations result in a drastic reduction in V max and catalytic efficiency whilst some also affected the K m for quinol and oxygen. The extent to which mutation effects inhibitor sensitivity was also investigated, with mutation of R118 and T219 leading to a complete loss of inhibitor potency. However, only a slight reduction in IC 50 values was observed when R96 was mutated, implying that this residue is less important in inhibitor binding. In silico modelling has been used to provide insight into the reason for such changes, which we suggest is due to disruptions in the proton transfer network, resulting in a reduction in overall reaction kinetics. We discuss our results in terms of the structural features of the ubiquinol binding site and consider the implications of such findings on the nature of the catalytic cycle. SIGNIFICANCE: The alternative oxidase is a ubiquinol oxidoreductase enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of ubiquinol and the reduction of oxygen to water. It is widely distributed amongst the plant, fungal and parasitic kingdoms and plays a central role in metabolism through facilitating the turnover of the TCA cycle whilst reducing ROS production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest L.Y., B.M. and A.L.M. hold patents and financial interests in the development of phytopathogenic fungicides., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As part of EPA's commitment to reducing animal testing, the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) created the Hazard and Science Policy Council (HASPOC). This group considers requests for waiving animal study requirements for human health risk assessments and makes recommendations based on a weight-of-the-evidence approach. Since its inception in 2012, the HASPOC has evaluated over one thousand requests to waive animal studies required by default for pesticide evaluation. Here, the number of studies waived, and the types of studies represented were analyzed to determine the impact of the HASPOC decisions in terms of animal and monetary savings. Overall, the waiving of studies by HASPOC resulted in over 200 thousand animals saved. There were also savings of over $300 million in study costs and over $6 million in study review costs as well as less time spent in study processing and review by EPA staff. Thus, the HASPOC has built significant efficiencies into the risk assessment process while continuing to protect human health., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)-E6 antibodies are detectable in peripheral blood before diagnosis in the majority of HPV16-driven oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), but the timing of seroconversion is unknown., Patients and Methods: We formed the HPV Cancer Cohort Consortium which comprises nine population cohorts from Europe, North America and Australia. In total, 743 incident OPSCC cases and 5814 controls provided at least one pre-diagnostic blood sample, including 111 cases with multiple samples. Median time between first blood collection and OPSCC diagnosis was 11.4 years (IQR = 6-11 years, range = 0-40 years). Antibodies against HPV16-E6 were measured by multiplex serology (GST fusion protein based Luminex assay)., Results: HPV16-E6 seropositivity was present in 0.4% of controls (22/5814; 95% CI 0.2% to 0.6%) and 26.2% (195/743; 95% CI 23.1% to 29.6%) of OPSCC cases. HPV16-E6 seropositivity increased the odds of OPSCC 98.2-fold (95% CI 62.1-155.4) in whites and 17.2-fold (95% CI 1.7-170.5) in blacks. Seropositivity in cases was more frequent in recent calendar periods, ranging from 21.9% pre-1996 to 68.4% in 2005 onwards, in those with blood collection near diagnosis (lead time <5 years). HPV16-E6 seropositivity increased with lead time: 0.0%, 13.5%, 23.7%, and 38.9% with lead times of >30 years (N = 24), 20-30 years (N = 148), 10-20 years (N = 228), and <10 years (N = 301 cases) (p-trend < 0.001). Of the 47 HPV16-E6 seropositive cases with serially-collected blood samples, 17 cases seroconverted during follow-up, with timing ranging from 6 to 28 years before diagnosis. For the remaining 30 cases, robust seropositivity was observed up to 25 years before diagnosis., Conclusions: The immune response to HPV16-driven tumorigenesis is most often detectable several decades before OPSCC diagnosis. HPV16-E6 seropositive individuals face increased risk of OPSCC over several decades., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology.)

Wingless-2 (wg-2) is an autosomal recessive mutation in chicken that results in an embryonic lethal condition. Affected individuals exhibit a multisystem syndrome characterized by absent wings, truncated legs, and craniofacial, kidney, and feather malformations. Previously, work focused on phenotype description, establishing the autosomal recessive pattern of Mendelian inheritance and placing the mutation on an inbred genetic background to create the congenic line UCD Wingless-2.331. The research described in this paper employed the complementary tools of breeding, genetics, and genomics to map the chromosomal location of the mutation and successively narrow the size of the region for analysis of the causative element. Specifically, the wg-2 mutation was initially mapped to a 7 Mb region of chromosome 12 using an Illumina 3 K SNP array. Subsequent SNP genotyping and exon sequencing combined with analysis from improved genome assemblies narrowed the region of interest to a maximum size of 227 kb. Within this region, 3 validated and 3 predicted candidate genes are found, and these are described. The wg-2 mutation is a valuable resource to contribute to an improved understanding of the developmental pathways involved in chicken and avian limb development as well as serving as a model for human development, as the resulting syndrome shares features with human congenital disorders.

Background: Psoriasis vulgaris is a modern medical term. In the classical Chinese medicine (CM) literature, this disorder could be classified under a diversity of terms. In order to explore how psoriasis vulgaris was conceptualized and managed throughout Chinese medical history, we undertook a systematic longitudinal analysis of descriptions in the classical CM literature of skin disorders consistent with psoriasis vulgaris., Methods: Candidate search terms were identified from 33 contemporary CM books as relevant to psoriasis vulgaris. Thirteen terms were used to search the Zhong Hua Yi Dian--'Encyclopaedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine', 4th edition, a digital collection of over 1000 medical books. Search results were entered in a spreadsheet, citations that were consistent with psoriasis vulgaris were identified based on: (i) a description of the features of psoriasis vulgaris and (ii) judgment by two clinicians regarding relevance to psoriasis vulgaris. Analysis focused on the use of terms by historical period (Chinese dynasty) and whether the terms were specific for psoriasis vulgaris, Results: 608 citations dating from 363 to 1947AD were included. The two criteria for determining inclusion of citations were combined to select the pool of citations most relevant to psoriasis vulgaris. Sixty citations from eight search terms were found in this pool. Among the eight terms, Bai Bi, She Shi and Bi Feng consistently identified citations that were likely to be psoriasis. The earliest was from 1368AD (Ming dynasty). The remaining five terms yielded inconsistent results. Citations of disorders consistent with psoriasis vulgaris appear prior to 1368-1644AD (Ming dynasty), but the terms used were not specific for psoriasis., Conclusions: Bai Bi, She Shi and Bi Feng are the terms most consistently used to refer to psoriasis vulgaris. They first appeared in 1368-1644AD (Ming dynasty) and Bai bi remains in use. Regarding the other terms, certain citations may have referred to psoriasis vulgaris, but in other cases these terms could be used for disorders whose descriptions were inconsistent with psoriasis., (Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The participation of the mevalonic acid (MVA) and 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate/2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (DOXP/MEP) pathways in sesquiterpene biosynthesis of grape berries was investigated. There is an increasing interest in this class of terpenoids, since the oxygenated sesquiterpene rotundone was identified as the peppery aroma impact compound in Australian Shiraz wines. To investigate precursor supply pathway utilization, in vivo feeding experiments were performed with the deuterium labeled, pathway specific, precursors [5,5-(2)H2]-1-deoxy-d-xylulose and [5,5-(2)H2]-mevalonic acid lactone. Head Space-Solid Phase Micro Extraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) analysis of the generated volatile metabolites demonstrated that de novo sesquiterpene biosynthesis is mainly located in the grape berry exocarp (skin), with no detectable activity in the mesocarp (flesh) of the Lemberger variety. Interestingly, precursors from both the (primarily) cytosolic MVA and plastidial DOXP/MEP pathways were incorporated into grape sesquiterpenes in the varieties Lemberger, Gewürztraminer and Syrah. Our labeling data provide evidence for a homogenous, cytosolic pool of precursors for sesquiterpene biosynthesis, indicating that a transport of precursors occurs mostly from plastids to the cytosol. The labeling patterns of the sesquiterpene germacrene D were in agreement with a cyclization mechanism analogous to that of a previously cloned enantioselective (R)-germacrene D synthase from Solidago canadensis. This observation was subsequently confirmed by enantioselective GC-MS analysis demonstrating the exclusive presence of (R)-germacrene D, and not the (S)-enantiomer, in grape berries., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tuberculous involvement of the oesophagus is a rare disease. Even if it is suspected, diagnosis is often difficult though dysphagia and chest pain are the most common symptoms without any other specific signs of tuberculosis. The diagnosis is based on oesophagography, oesophagoscopy, bronchoscopy, and computed tomographic scan. Suspected tuberculosis can be confirmed with histology, smear, and culture. The two most common differential diagnoses are Crohn's disease and carcinoma. The case is reported of a female patient with tuberculous involvement of the oesophagus, who developed an oesophagobroncheal fistula during steroid treatment started for suspicion of Crohn's disease. The patient was immunocompromised due to treatment with azathioprine that she was receiving for multiple sclerosis. The fistula was successfully treated by antituberculous chemotherapy alone.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), whether recombinant, chemically-synthesised or purified from bovine colostrum, was equipotent in radioreceptor assays with IGF-1 or insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2) as radioligand as well as in its ability to stimulate protein synthesis in L6 myoblasts. The N-terminal truncated, destripeptide derivative of IGF-1 was approximately 7 times more potent than IGF-1 in the protein synthesis bioassay. This increased activity occurred equally with the peptide purified from bovine colostrum as with chemically-synthesised material. The higher potency of the truncated form was not associated with an increased ability to compete for IGF-1 binding to L6 myoblasts.