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Historically, wheat yields in drought-prone Australian environments have been consistently increasing for over a century. There is currently an agreement that approximately half of that increase is attributable to breeding programmes, but their physiological basis remains poorly documented. In this investigation, we hypothesized that limited whole-plant transpiration rate ( TR) under high atmospheric vapour pressure deficit ( VPD) could result in advantageous water conservation and crop yield increase under south Australian conditions. Therefore, TR response to VPD was measured in the 0.9-3.2 kPa range for a group of 23 wheat cultivars that were released from 1890 to 2008. Consistent with a water-conservation hypothesis, all genotypes displayed a VPD break point ( BP) in TR with increasing VPD such that TR was limited at VPD above a BP of about 2 kPa. The BP and slope of TR with increasing VPD above the break point were correlated with the year of release, although the changes were in different directions. Such changes in these transpiration parameters were independent of plant leaf area and only marginally correlated with Zadok's stages. These results indicated that selection over 120 years by breeders for yield increase unconsciously resulted in genotype selection for the expression of the limited- TR trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The haemagglutinin HA is a trimer of identical subunits and is the more abundant viral surface glycoprotein of the influenza virus. It is the target of antibodies that neutralize viral infectivity. Antibodies that bind to HAwith 3:1 and 1:1 stoichiometries have been identified. Here, an antibody whose Fab binds to HA with an unprecedented 2:1 Fab:HA stoichiometry is characterized. The complex has been crystallized and synchrotron data to 3.5 Å resolution have been collected. Molecular replacement confirms the stoichiometry of the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that evaluated the potential relationship between HbA1c, glycated albumin and other markers, in addition to the use of continuous glucose monitoring, in diabetics treated with hemodialysis. The results indicate a positive correlation between glycated albumin and HbA1c. The researchers concluded that glycated albumin and continuous glucose monitoring may be useful for glycemic control in such patients.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of adding the dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitor vildagliptin to insulin on the glycaemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing haemodialysis., Methods: Overall, 65 insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing haemodialysis (HbA1c: 7.3% ± 1.1%; age: 70.5 ± 8.5 years) were randomized (1:1) either to receive vildagliptin 50 mg/day in addition to insulin (vildagliptin-insulin group) or to pursue their usual insulin regimen (insulin-only group). Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was performed for 48 ± 6 hours at baseline and at week 12. The primary study endpoint was change from baseline in mean interstitial glucose using CGM. The secondary endpoints included other CGM variables and glucose control markers., Results: After 12 weeks, a greater reduction in mean CGM glucose from baseline was observed in the vildagliptin-insulin group compared with the insulin-only group, although the between-treatment difference was not statistically significant (mean difference [CI 95%]: -0.96 mmol/L [-2.09; 0.18] vs. -0.29 mmol/L [-1.29; 0.76], P = 0.32). However, a significant decrease from baseline in HbA1c, glycated albumin and insulin daily doses was observed in the vildagliptin-insulin group versus the insulin-only group (-0.6% [-1.19; -0.1], P < 0.01), in the vildagliptin-insulin group versus no change in the insulin-only group (-130.6 μmol/L [-271; 10.7] vs. +36.2 μmol/L [-164.4; 236.9], P = 0.04 and - 5.9 IU/day [-1.8; 7.1] vs. +1.1 IU/day [-14.5; 16.6], P = 0.01, respectively). There was no significant difference in the percentage of time spent in hypoglycaemia using CGM, occurrence of severe hypoglycaemia or number of adverse events., Conclusion: In this study, vildagliptin added to insulin improved glycaemic control with an associated insulin-sparing effect in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing haemodialysis and was well tolerated., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The ligand-binding domain of the human androgen receptor has been cloned, overproduced and crystallized in the presence of a coactivator-like 11-mer peptide and two different nonsteroidal ligands. The crystals of the two ternary complexes were isomorphous and belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with one molecule in the asymmetric unit. They diffracted to 1.7 and 1.95 A resolution, respectively. Structure determination of these two complexes will help in understanding the mode of binding of selective nonsteroidal androgens versus endogenous steroidal ligands and possibly the origin of their tissue selectivity.