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Eragrostis curvula is an important forage grass in marginal regions for its capacity to grow and develop in sandy, not very fertile soils and for its drought tolerance. However, its widespread use for animal production is limited at present since it has low forage quality. In forage species, lignin content has been recognized as one of the main factors that affects this parameter. The O-methylation at the C3 position of the phenolic ring of caffeic acid constitutes a key step in the lignin biosynthetic pathway. The enzyme caffeoyl-CoA 3- O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) catalyzes such methylation and is thus considered an interesting target for molecular breeding programs. Here we report the isolation of the full-length CCoAOMT cDNA from the E. curvula inflorescences library. Primers based on this sequence led to the amplification of seven unigenes from genomic DNA from cvs. Tanganyika, Don Pablo and Kromdraai. Since the major differences were located in the intron regions, these seven sequences resulted in four possible allelic forms. We further evaluated the allelic expression per tissue in cv. Tanganyika, the most variable genotype. The four alleles predicted by the genomic sequences were found to be expressed. Three of them were common to inflorescences, roots and leaves, while the other one seemed to be specific for inflorescences. The statistical analysis showed that the expression was not organ-independent. The information reported here constitutes a valuable tool for E. curvula breeding programs, aiming to alter lignin biosynthesis to improve forage quality without causing undesirable effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction is a frequent side effect which may greatly contribute to treatment non compliance. Mirtazapine has a pharmacological profile expected to result in a lack of sexual dysfunction. The main purpose of this 6-month open-label study was to evaluate the effects of mirtazapine on sexual function of a sample of depressed patients. Methods Seventy-eight patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression or adjustment disorder with depressed mood or with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, sexually active prior to the episode, were treated with mirtazapine (15–60 mg/day). Effectiveness was assessed using the 17-item Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAM-D-17), the Hamilton rating scale for anxiety (HAM-A) and the clinical global impression (severity and improvement) scales (CGI). Sexual function was evaluated with the psychotropic-related sexual dysfunction questionnaire (PRSexDQ) which detects clinical changes in sexual dysfunction. Results Forty-eight patients (61.5%) were experiencing sexual dysfunction at baseline. A return to normal sexual functioning was observed in 27 of 38 (71.1%) patients completing the study. Significant reductions in mean total PRSexDQ scores were detected at day 90 and endpoint and only four patients withdrew or required dose reduction due to mirtazapine-induced sexual dysfunction. A total of 37 patients (47.4%) achieved complete remission of depression (HAM-D-17 score ≤ 7) at endpoint. Only seven patients (9.0%) withdrew the study because of adverse events. Conclusion Mirtazapine showed in this study that it is an effective and well–tolerated antidepressant treatment with a possibly lower incidence of sexual side effects than other antidepressants. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been postulated that human affect and emotions can be classified according to three basic dimensions: Valence, activation, and dominance, and that the relationship between them is similar in all human groups. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) is a set of visual stimuli widely used in research on emotions and its methodology facilitates the comparison of results between different studies. The objective of this work was to compare the normative values of the United States of America (USA) with a sample from Mexico, using the methodology with labels to measure the intensity of the valence, dominance, and activation of the presented images. 1,194 images were presented to 1,673 undergraduate university students (21±4.42 years old), who, according to the original methodology proposed in the standardization of the IAPS in the USA, established through the Self-Assessment Manikin the value caused in each dimension. The results indicated that the Mexican normative values are like those of the sample in the USA: A general correlation was found between countries of r=.94 (women r=.94 / men r=.92); in valence, r=.82 (r=.80 / r=.79); in activation, r=.77 (r=.76 / r=.59); and in dominance. Differences were also found between groups (p<0.05) in the value of 510 (43%), 701 (59%) and 526 (44%) images of valence, activation, and dominance, respectively, between both countries. The visual review of the valence-activation graph of the Mexican sample shows the characteristic two-dimensional boomerang shape reported by USA. However, the appearance of an effect of emotional labeling is discussed as a possible explanation for the phenomenon and its implication in the results. Recommendations for future studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural weeds are plants well-adapted to agricultural environments interfering directly and indirectly with crop production and causing important economic losses worldwide. Crop-wild hybridization is one of the main forces that have ruled weed evolution along with adaptation to agricultural (or benign) environments. Considering the competing demands for resources in any plant, adaptation to agricultural environments might result in an increase in growth but with lower tolerance to stress. In Argentina, most of the non-native H. annuus populations grow on roadsides, ditches, fences, hedgerows (ruderals), but there are also a few cases of H. annuus growing in agricultural field as weeds (agrestals). We asume that weediness of these agrestal biotypes came after crop hybridization as result of growth-stress tolerance trade-offs. Ruderal, agrestal (with evidence of crop introgression), and crop biotypes were contrasted under studies of drought and defoliation stresses, as well as for plant growth under non-stressful conditions and sequences of stress-related genes. The agrestal biotype was less tolerant to defoliation and drought than the ruderal biotype. Drought tolerance variation was largely explained by plant height rate (growth) and defoliation tolerance variation was mainly explained by biomass accumulation (resource allocation). Agrestal biotype sequences of two genes encoding transcription factors involved in stress response, DREB2 and NAC , showed evidence of positive selection in the crop direction. Therefore, selection in the agricultural environment combined with crop hybridization driver the evolution of a well-adapted genetic variant of H. annuus with fast growth but reduced stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous rupture of the spleen is a rare but very serious complication of infectious mononucleosis. Given the urgency with which such a situation usually presents, splenectomy is usually the most used surgical option. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with spontaneous splenic rupture who underwent diagnostic laparoscopy in which spleen preservation was achieved with good clinical evolution. In the light of this patient, we consider that, in the case of clinical stability and subcapsular haematomas of the spleen, laparoscopy with splenic preservation is a viable option with good results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qfhs.ndsu-3AS in wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. dicoccoides) is a major quantitative trait locus associated with type II resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB). It was mapped in a population obtained from durum wheat Langdon (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) and disomic Langdon-T. dicoccoides 3A substitution lines. Langdon(Dic-3A)-10 showed better performance against Fusarium graminearum (Fg) infection than the Langdon variety. To identify the genes underpinning Qfhs.ndsu-3AS, we used RNA-Seq approach in Langdon(Dic-3A)-10 and Langdon at 72 h after inoculation. The reference genomes of Svevo and Zavitan representing ssp. durum and ssp. dicoccoides, respectively, were used in parallel to align the reads and identify the genes expressed during the infection. The size of the Qfhs.ndsu-3AS region spans about 24 Mb and contains about 1000 genes. Fourteen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mapped in the delimited region and considered candidates for resistance. Five of them combined a higher expression level in Langdon(Dic-3A)-10 and known function in defense response: three receptor protein kinases, one bZip transcription factor, and one protease inhibitor. The alignment of the reads to the two genomes also allowed the identification of 25 genes expressed but no-DEGs localized in the Qfhs.ndsu-3AS region. Their coding sequences contained 63 non-synonymous changes and one frameshift mutation that could alter the function of the proteins and eventually contribute to resistance against Fg. This list is valuable information towards understanding the mechanism involved in resistance conferred by Qfhs.ndsu-3AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME), sustained dilation of the anal canal occurs, which can cause anatomical and functional damage to the sphincter complex. This study aimed to analyze the impact of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (LaTME) and TaTME in anorectal sphincter function. Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted comparing two cohorts of patients who underwent LaTME or TaTME for rectal cancer. The two groups were paired for comparison based on age, gender, and distance of the neoplasm to the anal margin. The anorectal function was assessed by manometry before surgery and at least 6 months after primary intervention or stoma closure. The intestinal function was assessed using the low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) score. Results: Twenty-two patients were included. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between groups except for the time between surgery and testing. A decrease in the mean resting and squeeze pressures between pre- and postoperative manometry was observed in both the treatment groups, the difference being only significant in the squeeze pressure values (TaTME P = .003; LaTME P = .004). After surgery, squeeze pressure reduction correlated with a worsening of the LARS point count (rho 0.587; P = .004). The time elapsed since surgery was negatively correlated with the LARS point count (rho -0.696; P = .001) and the difference between pre- and postoperative mean squeeze pressures (rho -0.499; P = .018). Conclusion: Manometric findings after TME are comparable between the laparoscopic and the transanal approach. Deterioration of both anal sphincter function and LARS improves with time after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence, biosynthesis and functional role of sterols in the green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis remain poorly understood. In this work we studied the effect of high-light (HL) stress on sterol synthesis in H. pluvialis UTEX 2505 cells. HL stress induced the synthesis of sterols in parallel with that of triacylglycerides (TAG), giving rise to the synthesis of cholesterol over that of phytosterols. Blockage of the carotenogenic 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (MEP) pathway is shown to be involved in HL-induced sterol synthesis. In addition, high irradiance exposure induced MEP- and fatty acid (FA)-biosynthetic transcripts. The pharmacological inhibition of these pathways suggests a possible feedback regulation of sterol and FA homeostasis. Finally, both lipid classes proved crucial to the adequate photosynthetic performance of H. pluvialis grown under HL intensity stress. Our findings reveal new insights into H. pluvialis lipid metabolism that contribute to the development of value-added bioproducts from microalgae. Unlabelled Image • The synthesis of sterols is stimulated with that of neutral lipids. • Neutral lipids synthetized de novo. • Non-mevalonate (MEP) pathway is related to sterol synthesis. • Sterol and neutral lipid synthesis are coordinated. • These lipids are involved in photosynthetic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the association between recent cigarette smoking (CS) in female and male partners and assisted reproduction technology (ART) outcomes. Design: Cohort prospective study. Setting: University ART program in Chile. Patient(s): One hundred sixty-six couples seeking pregnancy through ART. Intervention(s): Follicular fluid (FF) and serum cotinine concentrations were measured in female partners. Self-reported CS data were collected through personal interviews. Main Outcome Measure(s): The association between female recent smoking, assessed by FF and serum cotinine concentrations, and ART outcomes, such as number of ova retrieved and implantation rates, and the association between self-reported male recent smoking and live birth rates. Result(s): A significant age-adjusted association between increased FF cotinine level and decreased number of ova retrieved was found. The male partner''s smoking habit significantly decreased the live birth rate from 21.1% to 7.8%. Serum cotinine concentrations paralleled those of FF. Conclusion(s): The hypothesis of a detrimental effect of recent female smoking over implantation rates is rejected. However, recent male smoking is associated with significantly decreased live birth rates even after adjusting for confounders. Female recent smoking was significantly associated with decreased number of retrieved ova. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Bacillus fumarioli was originally isolated from geothermal soils in continental and maritime Antarctica, and recently, it has been shown to be a frequent contaminant of gelatine extracts obtained from European and American production plants. These habitats are geographically widely separated, share similar temperature and pH conditions, but have substantially different organic loads. Because of the prevalence in gelatine extracts and the dissimilarity of this habitat to geothermal soil, a comparative study was performed to assess the diversity among B. fumarioli strains and reveal possible intraspecies differences that might correspond to their niches of origin. Genomic (rep-PCR, 16S rDNA sequencing, DNA–DNA hybridisations) and phenotypic techniques (analysis of fatty acid content, total cellular proteins, metabolic and morphological traits) illustrate the very close relationship between isolates from the two niches. An abundant protein band was demonstrated for gelatine isolates only. This band was shown to result from a protein with high similarity to a stress response protein. Furthermore, subtractive hybridisation revealed genomic differences between Antarctic and gelatine isolates that may indicate adaptive evolution to a specific environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]