Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Race TKTTF of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici that Caused a Wheat Stem Rust Epidemic in Southern Ethiopia in 2013-14.

A severe stem rust epidemic occurred in southern Ethiopia during November 2013 to January 2014, with yield losses close to 100% on the most widely grown wheat cultivar, 'Digalu'. Sixty-four stem rust samples collected from the regions were analyzed. A meteorological model for airborne spore dispersal was used to identify which regions were most likely to have been infected from postulated sites of initial infection.

Heritable IUGR and adult metabolic syndrome are reversible and associated with alterations in the metabolome following dietary supplementation of 1-carbon intermediates.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), following intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), is epigenetically heritable. Recently, we abrogated the F2 adult phenotype with essential nutrient supplementation (ENS) of intermediates along the 1-carbon pathway. With the use of the same grandparental uterine artery ligation model, we profiled the F2 serum metabolome at weaning [postnatal day (d)21; n = 76] and adulthood (d160; n = 12) to test if MetS is preceded by alterations in the metabolome.

Toward innovative, cost-effective, and systemic solutions to improve outcomes and well-being of military families affected by autism spectrum disorder.

The burdens faced by military families who have a child with autism are unique. The usual challenges of securing diagnostic, treatment, and educational services are compounded by life circumstances that include the anxieties of war, frequent relocation and separation, and a demand structure that emphasizes mission readiness and service. Recently established military autism-specific health care benefits set the stage for community-viable and cost-effective solutions that can achieve better outcomes for children and greater well-being for families.

Heme exporter FLVCR is required for T cell development and peripheral survival.

All aerobic cells and organisms must synthesize heme from the amino acid glycine and the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate succinyl CoA for incorporation into hemoproteins, such as the cytochromes needed for oxidative phosphorylation. Most studies on heme regulation have been done in erythroid cells or hepatocytes; however, much less is known about heme metabolism in other cell types. The feline leukemia virus subgroup C receptor (FLVCR) is a 12-transmembrane domain surface protein that exports heme from cells, and it was shown to be required for erythroid development.

Protein synthesis. Rqc2p and 60S ribosomal subunits mediate mRNA-independent elongation of nascent chains.

In Eukarya, stalled translation induces 40S dissociation and recruitment of the ribosome quality control complex (RQC) to the 60S subunit, which mediates nascent chain degradation. Here we report cryo-electron microscopy structures revealing that the RQC components Rqc2p (YPL009C/Tae2) and Ltn1p (YMR247C/Rkr1) bind to the 60S subunit at sites exposed after 40S dissociation, placing the Ltn1p RING (Really Interesting New Gene) domain near the exit channel and Rqc2p over the P-site transfer RNA (tRNA). We further demonstrate that Rqc2p recruits alanine- and threonine-charged tRNA to the A site and directs the elongation of nascent chains independently of mRNA or 40S subunits.

In vitro effect of progesterone on human melanoma (BLM) cell growth.

Epidemiological data suggest there is a female sex advantage in melanoma skin cancer. Female sex hormones have been attributed to this protection. There has been no experimental evidence to link female sex hormones directly with melanoma protection until our recently published work on mouse melanoma (B16F10) cells.

Prospective exploratory analysis of cardiac biomarkers and electrocardiogram abnormalities in patients receiving thoracic radiation therapy with high-dose heart exposure.

Introduction: Acute effects of incidental cardiac irradiation in patients treated for thoracic cancer are not well characterized. We evaluated longitudinal changes in cardiac biomarkers for patients undergoing conformal radiation therapy (RT) with thoracic malignancies with high-dose cardiac exposure.

Methods: Twenty-five patients enrolled in a prospective trial (February 2009-December 2012) received more than or equal to 45 Gy to the thorax, with pretreatment estimates of more than or equal to 20 Gy to the heart.

Evaluation and mitigation of the interplay effects of intensity modulated proton therapy for lung cancer in a clinical setting.

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the interplay effects of intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plans for lung cancer in the clinical setting. The secondary aim was to explore the technique of isolayered rescanning to mitigate these interplay effects.

Methods And Materials: A single-fraction 4-dimensional (4D) dynamic dose without considering rescanning (1FX dynamic dose) was used as a metric to determine the magnitude of dosimetric degradation caused by 4D interplay effects.

PtIr-WO nanostructured alloy for electrocatalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol and ethanol.

In this article, we characterized tungsten oxide-decorated carbon-supported PtIr nanoparticles and tested it for the electrooxidation reactions of ethylene glycol and ethanol. Phase and morphological evaluation of the proposed electrocatalytic materials are investigated employing various characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical diagnostic measurements such as cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and linear sweep voltammetry revealed that the tungsten oxide-modified PtIr/Vulcan nanoparticles have higher catalytic activity for ethylene glycol and ethanol electrooxidation than that of PtIr/Vulcan.

Sodium channel genes in pain-related disorders: phenotype-genotype associations and recommendations for clinical use.

Human studies have firmly implicated voltage-gated sodium channels in human pain disorders, and targeted and massively parallel genomic sequencing is beginning to be used in clinical practice to determine which sodium channel variants are involved. Missense substitutions of SCN9A, the gene encoding sodium channel NaV1.7, SCN10A, the gene encoding sodium channel NaV1.

Dietary iron controls circadian hepatic glucose metabolism through heme synthesis.

The circadian rhythm of the liver maintains glucose homeostasis, and disruption of this rhythm is associated with type 2 diabetes. Feeding is one factor that sets the circadian clock in peripheral tissues, but relatively little is known about the role of specific dietary components in that regard. We assessed the effects of dietary iron on circadian gluconeogenesis.

Definitive reirradiation for locoregionally recurrent non-small cell lung cancer with proton beam therapy or intensity modulated radiation therapy: predictors of high-grade toxicity and survival outcomes.

Purpose: Intrathoracic recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after initial treatment remains a dominant cause of death. We report our experience using proton beam therapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy for reirradiation in such cases, focusing on patterns of failure, criteria for patient selection, and predictors of toxicity.

Methods And Materials: A total of 102 patients underwent reirradiation for intrathoracic recurrent NSCLC at a single institution.

Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604.

AOD9604 is a peptide consisting of the C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone from amino acids 177-191 with an additional tyrosine residue at the N-terminus of the peptide. It is reported to mimic the lipolytic properties of growth hormone without the diabetogenic side effects. Therefore, AOD9604 may be used as a performance enhancing drug and is banned by the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA).

Adaptation to ephemeral habitat may overcome natural barriers and severe habitat fragmentation in a fire-dependent species, the Bachman's Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis).

Bachman's Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) is a fire-dependent species that has undergone range-wide population declines in recent decades. We examined genetic diversity in Bachman's Sparrows to determine whether natural barriers have led to distinct population units and to assess the effect of anthropogenic habitat loss and fragmentation. Genetic diversity was examined across the geographic range by genotyping 226 individuals at 18 microsatellite loci and sequencing 48 individuals at mitochondrial and nuclear genes.

Early experience treating tricuspid valve endocarditis with a novel extracellular matrix cylinder reconstruction.

Objective: The short-term outcomes were evaluated in patients treated for tricuspid valve endocarditis using a novel extracellular matrix (ECM) cylinder reconstruction technique.

Methods: Patients with clinically significant tricuspid regurgitation whose valves were not repairable by conventional techniques underwent valve replacement with a cylindrical construct sewn out of CorMatrix ECM (CorMatrix Cardiovascular, Roswell, Ga). The cylinders were sized to the native valve dimensions and attached distally to the papillary muscles using polypropylene sutures and ECM pledgets, and proximally to the annulus using a running suture.

Gut microbes of mammalian herbivores facilitate intake of plant toxins.

The foraging ecology of mammalian herbivores is strongly shaped by plant secondary compounds (PSCs) that defend plants against herbivory. Conventional wisdom holds that gut microbes facilitate the ingestion of toxic plants; however, this notion lacks empirical evidence. We investigated the gut microbiota of desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida), some populations of which specialise on highly toxic creosote bush (Larrea tridentata).

The LYR factors SDHAF1 and SDHAF3 mediate maturation of the iron-sulfur subunit of succinate dehydrogenase.

Disorders arising from impaired assembly of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) result in a myriad of pathologies, consistent with its unique role in linking the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain. In spite of this critical function, however, only a few factors are known to be required for SDH assembly and function. We show here that two factors, Sdh6 (SDHAF1) and Sdh7 (SDHAF3), mediate maturation of the FeS cluster SDH subunit (Sdh2/SDHB).

SDHAF4 promotes mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase activity and prevents neurodegeneration.

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) occupies a central place in cellular energy production, linking the tricarboxylic cycle with the electron transport chain. As a result, a subset of cancers and neuromuscular disorders result from mutations affecting any of the four SDH structural subunits or either of two known SDH assembly factors. Herein we characterize an evolutionarily conserved SDH assembly factor designated Sdh8/SDHAF4, using yeast, Drosophila, and mammalian cells.

Real-time force feedback during flexion-distraction procedure for low back pain: A pilot study.

A form of chiropractic procedure known as Cox flexion-distraction is used by chiropractors to treat low back pain. Patient lies face down on a specially designed table having a stationery thoracic support and a moveable caudal support for the legs. The Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) holds a manual contact applying forces over the posterior lumbar spine and press down on the moving leg support to create traction effects in the lumbar spine.

Assessing the robustness of passive scattering proton therapy with regard to local recurrence in stage III non-small cell lung cancer: a secondary analysis of a phase II trial.

Background: We assessed the robustness of passive scattering proton therapy (PSPT) plans for patients in a phase II trial of PSPT for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by using the worst-case scenario method, and compared the worst-case dose distributions with the appearance of locally recurrent lesions.

Methods: Worst-case dose distributions were generated for each of 9 patients who experienced recurrence after concurrent chemotherapy and PSPT to 74 Gy(RBE) for stage III NSCLC by simulating and incorporating uncertainties associated with set-up, respiration-induced organ motion, and proton range in the planning process. The worst-case CT scans were then fused with the positron emission tomography (PET) scans to locate the recurrence.

Multifield optimization intensity modulated proton therapy for head and neck tumors: a translation to practice.

Background: We report the first clinical experience and toxicity of multifield optimization (MFO) intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for patients with head and neck tumors.

Methods And Materials: Fifteen consecutive patients with head and neck cancer underwent MFO-IMPT with active scanning beam proton therapy. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) had comprehensive treatment extending from the base of the skull to the clavicle.