Safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma for severe COVID-19: a randomized, single blinded, parallel, controlled clinical study.

Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under study. However, the variability in the current clinical trials has averted its wide use in the current pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CP in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the early stages of the disease.

Targeting Induced Local Lesions in the Wheat and Genes, Responsible for Transcriptional Derepression of Wheat Gluten Proteins in the Developing Endosperm.

Wheat is a major source of energy and nutrition worldwide, but it is also a primary cause of frequent diet-induced health issues, specifically celiac disease, for which the only effective therapy so far is strict dietary abstinence from gluten-containing grains. Wheat gluten proteins are grouped into two major categories: high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMWgs), vital for mixing and baking properties, and gliadins plus low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMWgs) that contain the overwhelming majority of celiac-causing epitopes. We put forth a hypothesis that eliminating gliadins and LMWgs while retaining HMWgs might allow the development of reduced-immunogenicity wheat genotypes relevant to most gluten-sensitive individuals.

A Bitter-Sweet Story: Unraveling the Genes Involved in Quinolizidine Alkaloid Synthesis in .

Alkaloids are part of a structurally diverse group of over 21,000 cyclic nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites that are found in over 20% of plant species. are naturally containing quinolizidine alkaloid (QA) legumes, with wild accessions containing up to 11% of QA in seeds. Notwithstanding their clear advantages as a natural protecting system, lupin-breeding programs have selected against QA content without proper understanding of quinolizidine alkaloid biosynthetic pathway.

Directed-Mutagenesis of Prolyl-Oligopeptidase and a Glutamine-Specific Endopeptidase From Barley.

Wheat gluten proteins are the known cause of celiac disease. The repetitive tracts of proline and glutamine residues in these proteins make them exceptionally resilient to digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. These indigested peptides trigger immune reactions in susceptible individuals, which could be either an allergic reaction or celiac disease.

Gluten Detection Methods and Their Critical Role in Assuring Safe Diets for Celiac Patients.

Celiac disease, wheat sensitivity, and allergy represent three different reactions, which may occur in genetically predisposed individuals on the ingestion of wheat and derived products with various manifestations. Improvements in the disease diagnostics and understanding of disease etiology unveiled that these disorders are widespread around the globe affecting about 7% of the population. The only known treatment so far is a life-long gluten-free diet, which is almost impossible to follow because of the contamination of allegedly "gluten-free" products.

The Role of in Carotenoid Accumulation: Manipulating Chromoplasts Toward a Colored Future.

Carotenoids are isoprenoid pigments synthesized in plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria and fungus. Their role is essential in light capture, photoprotection, pollinator attraction, and phytohormone production. Furthermore, they can regulate plant development when they are processed as small signaling molecules.

Preoperative Bevacizumab for Tractional Retinal Detachment in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness and safety of an intravitreal injection of 1.25 mg bevacizumab (IVB) as a preoperative adjunct to small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) compared with PPV alone in eyes with tractional retinal detachment secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: This prospective, double-masked, randomized, multicenter, active-controlled clinical trial enrolled 224 eyes of 224 patients between November 2013 and July 2015.

Development of wheat genotypes expressing a glutamine-specific endoprotease from barley and a prolyl endopeptidase from Flavobacterium meningosepticum or Pyrococcus furiosus as a potential remedy to celiac disease.

Ubiquitous nature of prolamin proteins dubbed gluten from wheat and allied cereals imposes a major challenge in the treatment of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder with no known treatment other than abstinence diet. Administration of hydrolytic glutenases as food supplement is an alternative to deliver the therapeutic agents directly to the small intestine, where sensitization of immune system and downstream reactions take place. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the capacity of wheat grain to express and store hydrolytic enzymes capable of gluten detoxification.

Assessment of genetic diversity among barley cultivars and breeding lines adapted to the US Pacific Northwest, and its implications in breeding barley for imidazolinone-resistance.

Extensive application of imidazolinone (IMI) herbicides had a significant impact on barley productivity contributing to a continuous decline in its acreage over the last two decades. A possible solution to this problem is to transfer IMI-resistance from a recently characterized mutation in the 'Bob' barley AHAS (acetohydroxy acid synthase) gene to other food, feed and malting barley cultivars. We focused our efforts on transferring IMI-resistance to barley varieties adapted to the US Pacific Northwest (PNW), since it comprises ∼23% (335,000 ha) of the US agricultural land under barley production.

Analysis of wheat prolamins, the causative agents of celiac sprue, using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS).

Wheat prolamins, commonly known as "gluten", are a complex mixture of 71-78 proteins, which constitute ~80% of the proteins in the wheat grains and supply 50% of the global dietary protein demand. Prolamins are also responsible for numerous gluten-induced disorders and determine the unique visco-elastic properties of the wheat dough. These properties necessitate the reliable determination of the prolamin composition in wheat grains and their derived products.

Structural genes of wheat and barley 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylases and their potential applications for human health.

Wheat supplies about 20% of the total food calories consumed worldwide and is a national staple in many countries. Besides being a key source of plant proteins, it is also a major cause of many diet-induced health issues, especially celiac disease. The only effective treatment for this disease is a total gluten-free diet.

Pneumonia of turkey breeder hens associated with Mycoplasma synoviae.

Turkey breeder hens showed an increase in mortality beginning at 38 wk of age with no other clinical signs or changes in egg production. While no respiratory signs were observed in live turkeys, those that died consistently had gross lesions of pneumonia. Histopathology of lungs revealed serofibrinous bronchopneumonia, lymphofollicular reaction, and other features suggesting a bacterial etiology.

Comb candidiasis affecting roosters in a broiler breeder flock.

A cutaneous mycosis caused by Candida albicans that involved the combs and less frequently the wattles, facial skin, ear lobes, and neck of male broiler breeders is described. Roosters were 35 wk old and housed with hens in two conventional broiler breeder houses on a farm in western North Carolina. Morbidity was approximately 10% in one house and less than 2% in the other house.

[Proposal of a method for collective analysis of work-related accidents in the hospital setting].

The article presents a method for the analysis of work-related accidents in hospitals, with the double aim of analyzing accidents in light of actual work activity and enhancing the vitality of the various professions that comprise hospital work. This process involves both research and intervention, combining knowledge output with training of health professionals, fostering expanded participation by workers in managing their daily work. The method consists of stimulating workers to recreate the situation in which a given accident occurred, shifting themselves to the position of observers of their own work.