Mapping stripe rust resistance in a BrundageXCoda winter wheat recombinant inbred line population.

A recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population developed from a cross between winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars Coda and Brundage was evaluated for reaction to stripe rust (caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp.

Sensitivity of emergency bedside ultrasound to detect hydronephrosis in patients with computed tomography-proven stones.

Introduction: Non-contrast computed tomography (CT) is widely regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis of urolithiasis in emergency department (ED) patients. However, it is costly, time-consuming and exposes patients to significant doses of ionizing radiation. Hydronephrosis on bedside ultrasound is a sign of a ureteral stone, and has a reported sensitivity of 72-83% for identification of unilateral hydronephrosis when compared to CT.

Absence of manganese superoxide dismutase delays p53-induced tumor formation.

Background: Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme that is down-regulated in a majority of cancers. Due to this observation, as well as MnSOD's potent antioxidant enzymatic activity, MnSOD has been suggested as a tumor suppressor for over 30 years. However, testing this postulate has proven difficult due to the early post-natal lethality of the MnSOD constitutive knock-out mouse.

Over-expressed copper/zinc superoxide dismutase localizes to mitochondria in neurons inhibiting the angiotensin II-mediated increase in mitochondrial superoxide.

Angiotensin II (AngII) is the main effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), and contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease by exerting its effects on an array of different cell types, including central neurons. AngII intra-neuronal signaling is mediated, at least in part, by reactive oxygen species, particularly superoxide (O2 (•-)). Recently, it has been discovered that mitochondria are a major subcellular source of AngII-induced O2 (•-).

Paying the Piper: The High Cost of Funerals in South Africa.

We analyze funeral arrangements following the deaths of 3,751 people who died between January 2003 and December 2005 in the Africa Centre Demographic Surveillance Area. We find that, on average, households spend the equivalent of a year's income for an adult's funeral, measured at median per capita African (Black) income. Approximately one-quarter of all individuals had some form of insurance, which helped surviving household members defray some fraction of funeral expenses.

Contending with advanced illness: patient and caregiver perspectives.

Context: Despite improvements in end-of-life care, some unrelieved suffering persists for patients with advanced illness and their family members. Hospice and palliative care services can reduce suffering, but these services remain under-used.

Objectives: To investigate how patients with advanced illness and their primary caregivers experienced and responded to health care needs and decision making and how some dyads moved toward comfort-focused care.

Maintenance of mitochondrial genomic integrity in the absence of manganese superoxide dismutase in mouse liver hepatocytes.

Manganese superoxide dismutase, encoded by the Sod2 gene, is a ubiquitously expressed mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme that is essential for mammalian life. Mice born with constitutive genetic knockout of Sod2 do not survive the neonatal stage, which renders the longitudinal study of the biochemical and metabolic effects of Sod2 loss difficult. However, multiple studies have demonstrated that tissue-specific knockout of Sod2 in murine liver yields no observable gross pathology or injury to the mouse.

Cross Pathogenicity and Vegetative Compatibility of Fusarium oxysporum Isolated from Sugar Beet.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. betae causes Fusarium yellows in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris).

Presenilin 2 influences miR146 level and activity in microglia.

Microglia, the resident innate immune cells of the CNS, are the primary defenders against microbes and critical to CNS remodeling. Dysregulation of microglial behavior can lead to unchecked pro-inflammatory activity and subsequent neurodegeneration. The molecular mechanisms leading to chronic inflammation and microglial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases are not well-understood.

Photofragmentation dynamics of ICN(-)(CO2)n clusters following visible excitation.

Photodissociation of ICN(-)(CO2)n, n = 0-18, with 500-nm excitation is investigated using a dual time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Photoabsorption to the (2)Π(1/2) state is detected using ionic-photoproduct action spectroscopy; the maximum absorption occurs around 490 nm. Ionic-photoproduct distributions were determined for ICN(-)(CO2)n at 500 nm.

NOX4 mediates cytoprotective autophagy induced by the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib in head and neck cancer cells.

Most head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) overexpress epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and EGFR inhibitors are routinely used in the treatment of HNSCC. However, many HNSCC tumors do not respond or become refractory to EGFR inhibitors. Autophagy, which is a stress-induced cellular self-degradation process, has been reported to reduce the efficacy of chemotherapy in various disease models.

Rules of engagement: predictors of Black Caribbean immigrants' engagement with African American culture.

The cultural context in the United States is racialized and influences Black Caribbean immigrants' acculturation processes, but what role it plays in Black Caribbean immigrants' acculturation into specific facets of American society (e.g., African American culture) has been understudied in the field of psychology.

Conspecific plant-soil feedback scales with population size in Lobelia siphilitica (Lobeliaceae).

Plant-soil interactions directly affect plant success in terms of establishment, survival, growth and reproduction. Negative plant-soil feedback on such traits may therefore reduce the density and abundance of plants of a given species at a given site. Furthermore, if conspecific feedback varies among population sites, it could help explain geographic variation in plant population size.

Mitochondrial-localized NADPH oxidase 4 is a source of superoxide in angiotensin II-stimulated neurons.

Angiotensin II (ANG II) plays an important role in the central regulation of systemic cardiovascular function. ANG II-mediated intraneuronal signaling has been shown to be predicated by an increase in mitochondrial superoxide (O₂∙-), yet the source of this reactive oxygen species (ROS) production remains unclear. NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4), a member of the NADPH oxidase family, has been reported to be localized in mitochondria of various cell types and has been implicated in brain angiotensinergic signaling.

Multicenter phase II trial of topotecan, cisplatin and bevacizumab for recurrent or persistent cervical cancer.

Objective: We evaluated the activity and safety of the combination of topotecan, cisplatin and bevacizumab in patients with recurrent or persistent carcinoma of the cervix.

Methods: Eligible patients had persistent or recurrent cervical cancer not amenable to curative intent treatment. No prior chemotherapy for recurrence was allowed.

Racial-ethnic differences in stroke risk factors and subtypes: results of a prospective hospital-based registry.

A majority of stroke research in the United States focuses on Caucasian and African-American populations, limiting the amount of comparative stroke data available on other racial and ethnic groups. The purpose of this research was to examine differences in stroke risk factors/subtypes between minority stroke patient groups in the United States (Asian-Indian, African-American, and Hispanic), using a Caucasian reference group. All patients had a comprehensive stroke work-up to ascertain their stroke risk factors and their stroke etiology applying TOAST criteria.

Hemorrhagic diathesis in avian species following intramuscular administration of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan.

Polysulfated glycosaminoglycans (PSGAGs) have been used for decades in a variety of species for the management of osteoarthritic pain. However, reports on the use of PSGAGs in avian species are scarce. In domestic cats and dogs, PSGAG injections have caused prolongation of clotting times but are considered to be an efficacious drug with a wide margin of safety.

Evidence for a common mechanism of SIRT1 regulation by allosteric activators.

A molecule that treats multiple age-related diseases would have a major impact on global health and economics. The SIRT1 deacetylase has drawn attention in this regard as a target for drug design. Yet controversy exists around the mechanism of sirtuin-activating compounds (STACs).

Testing models of sex ratio evolution in a gynodioecious plant: female frequency covaries with the cost of male fertility restoration.

In many gynodioecious species, cytoplasmic male sterility genes (CMS) and nuclear male fertility restorers (Rf) jointly determine whether a plant is female or hermaphrodite. Equilibrium models of cytonuclear gynodioecy, which describe the effect of natural selection within populations on the sex ratio, predict that the frequency of females in a population will primarily depend on the cost of male fertility restoration, a negative pleiotropic effect of Rf alleles on hermaphrodite fitness. Specifically, when the cost of restoration is higher, the frequency of females at equilibrium is predicted to be higher.

Palliative medicine physician education in the United States: a historical review.

In this review we discuss the history of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) physician education in the United States over the last 20 years, as there has been dramatic growth in our specialty during this time. A Medline literature search was completed and we surveyed leaders in the field of HPM education regarding their experiences in promoting palliative medicine education. Educators were selected based on their peer reviewed publications on key educational initiatives since 1990.

Rational design of a secreted enzymatically inactive mutant of extracellular superoxide dismutase.

Extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3) is a secreted enzyme that regulates levels of extracellular superoxide and protects the extracellular matrix from degradation by reactive species. The SOD3 protein contains a heparin-binding domain and resides in a microenvironment rich in other heparin-bound growth factors, raising the possibility that SOD3 may have some biological role independent of its catalytic activity. To begin to address this, we designed and created enzymatically inactive mutant constructs targeting either the copper coordinating (i.

Manganese superoxide dismutase depletion in murine hematopoietic stem cells perturbs iron homeostasis, globin switching, and epigenetic control in erythrocyte precursor cells.

Heme synthesis partially occurs in the mitochondrial matrix; thus there is a high probability that enzymes and intermediates important in the production of heme will be exposed to metabolic by-products including reactive oxygen species. In addition, the need for ferrous iron for heme production, Fe/S coordination, and other processes occurring in the mitochondrial matrix suggests that aberrant fluxes of reactive oxygen species in this compartment might perturb normal iron homeostasis. Manganese superoxide dismutase (Sod2) is an antioxidant enzyme that governs steady-state levels of the superoxide in the mitochondrial matrix.