Pouch failures following restorative proctocolectomy in ulcerative colitis.

Purpose: Restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) is the most common operation in ulcerative colitis. Nevertheless, permanent ileostomy will sometimes be unavoidable. The aim was to evaluate the reasons for pouch failure and early morbidity after pouch excision.

Eukaryote specific folds: Part of the whole.

The origin of eukaryotes is one of the central transitions in the history of life; without eukaryotes there would be no complex multicellular life. The most accepted scenarios suggest the endosymbiosis of a mitochondrial ancestor with a complex archaeon, even though the details regarding the host and the triggering factors are still being discussed. Accordingly, phylogenetic analyses have demonstrated archaeal affiliations with key informational systems, while metabolic genes are often related to bacteria, mostly to the mitochondrial ancestor.

High-molecular-weight organic matter in the particles of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

The presence of solid carbonaceous matter in cometary dust was established by the detection of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen in particles from comet 1P/Halley. Such matter is generally thought to have originated in the interstellar medium, but it might have formed in the solar nebula-the cloud of gas and dust that was left over after the Sun formed. This solid carbonaceous material cannot be observed from Earth, so it has eluded unambiguous characterization.

Pressurized Martian-Like Pure CO2 Atmosphere Supports Strong Growth of Cyanobacteria, and Causes Significant Changes in their Metabolism.

Surviving of crews during future missions to Mars will depend on reliable and adequate supplies of essential life support materials, i.e. oxygen, food, clean water, and fuel.

Multiple different defense mechanisms are activated in the young transgenic tobacco plants which express the full length genome of the Tobacco mosaic virus, and are resistant against this virus.

Previously described transgenic tobacco lines express the full length infectious Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) genome under the 35S promoter (Siddiqui et al., 2007. Mol Plant Microbe Interact, 20: 1489-1494).

Anal incontinence: long-term alterations in the incidence and healthcare usage.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the alterations in the occurrence of incontinence and how subjects suffering from incontinence seek and receive healthcare services over a 10-year follow-up period.

Methods: Postal questionnaires (Wexner Incontinence Score, Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale, a questionnaire to investigate the management of fecal incontinence and the frequency of urinary incontinence) were sent to subjects who had reported anal incontinence in our population-based study in 2003. For each incontinent person (n = 155) from the 2003 series, we identified two control subjects (n = 310) who did not suffer from incontinence.

Coordinate changes in gene expression and triacylglycerol composition in the developing seeds of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and turnip rape (Brassica rapa).

Crop production for vegetable oil in the northern latitudes utilises oilseed rape (Brassica napus subsp. oleifera) and turnip rape (B. rapa subsp.

Seven-year follow-up after anterior sphincter reconstruction for faecal incontinence.

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the effects of anterior sphincter repair on faecal incontinence and quality of life.

Patients And Methods: Fifty-six patients who underwent anterior anal sphincteroplasty between January 2003 and December 2005 were asked to complete questionnaires containing the Wexner Incontinence Score (a score of 0 corresponds to full continence and 20 to total incontinence) and Faecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale preoperatively, in May 2006 (mean follow-up time, 22.8 months) and in August 2011 (mean follow-up time, 89.

Organ-specific alterations in tobacco transcriptome caused by the PVX-derived P25 silencing suppressor transgene.

Background: RNA silencing affects a broad range of regulatory processes in all eukaryotes ranging from chromatin structure maintenance to transcriptional and translational regulation and longevity of the mRNAs. Particularly in plants, it functions as the major defense mechanism against viruses. To counter-act this defense, plant viruses produce suppressors of RNA silencing (Viral suppressors of RNA silencing, VSRSs), which are essential for viruses to invade their specific host plants.

Expression of geminiviral AC2 RNA silencing suppressor changes sugar and jasmonate responsive gene expression in transgenic tobacco plants.

Background: RNA-silencing is a conserved gene regulation and surveillance machinery, which in plants, is also used as major defence mechanism against viruses. Various virus-specific dsRNA structures are recognized by the silencing machinery leading to degradation of the viral RNAs or, as in case of begomoviruses, to methylation of their DNA genomes. Viruses produce specific RNA silencing suppressor (RSS) proteins to prevent these host defence mechanisms, and as these interfere with the silencing machinery they also disturb the endogenous silencing reactions.

HC-Pro silencing suppressor significantly alters the gene expression profile in tobacco leaves and flowers.

Background: RNA silencing is used in plants as a major defence mechanism against invasive nucleic acids, such as viruses. Accordingly, plant viruses have evolved to produce counter defensive RNA-silencing suppressors (RSSs). These factors interfere in various ways with the RNA silencing machinery in cells, and thereby disturb the microRNA (miRNA) mediated endogene regulation and induce developmental and morphological changes in plants.

The 2b silencing suppressor of a mild strain of Cucumber mosaic virus alone is sufficient for synergistic interaction with Tobacco mosaic virus and induction of severe leaf malformation in 2b-transgenic tobacco plants.

Tobacco plants infected simultaneously by Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) are known to produce a specific synergistic disease in which the emerging leaves are filiformic. Similar developmental malformations are also caused to a lesser extent by the severe strains (e.g.

Protein-mediated selective enclosure of early replicators inside of membranous vesicles: first step towards cell membranes.

Containment in cell membranes is essential for all contemporary life, and apparently even the earliest life forms had to be somehow contained. It has been postulated that random enclosure of replicating molecules inside of spontaneously assembled vesicles would have formed the initial cellular ancestors. However, completely random re-formation or division of such primitive vesicles would have abolished the heritability of their contents, nullifying any selective advantage to them.

Effects of viral silencing suppressors on tobacco ringspot virus infection in two Nicotiana species.

This study investigated the effects of silencing suppressors derived from six different viruses (P1, P19, P25, HcPro, AC2 and 2b), expressed in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana plants, on the infection pattern of tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV) potato calico strain. In N. benthamiana, this virus produced an initial infection with severe systemic symptoms, but the infection was strongly reduced within a few weeks as the plant recovered from the infection.

Phenotypes and functional effects caused by various viral RNA silencing suppressors in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana and N. tabacum.

RNA silencing suppressor genes derived from six virus genera were transformed into Nicotiana benthamiana and N. tabacum plants. These suppressors were P1 of Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), P1 of Cocksfoot mottle virus, P19 of Tomato bushy stunt virus, P25 of Potato virus X, HcPro of Potato virus Y (strain N), 2b of Cucumber mosaic virus (strain Kin), and AC2 of African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV).

Translation mechanisms involving long-distance base pairing interactions between the 5' and 3' non-translated regions and internal ribosomal entry are conserved for both genomic RNAs of Blackcurrant reversion nepovirus.

One of the mechanisms of functioning for viral cap-independent translational enhancers (CITEs), located in 3' non-translated regions (NTRs), is 3' NTR-5' leader long-distance base pairing. Previously, we have demonstrated that the RNA2 3' NTR of Blackcurrant reversion nepovirus (BRV) contains a CITE, which must base pair with the 5' NTR to facilitate translation. Here we compared translation strategies employed by BRV RNA1 and RNA2, by using mutagenesis of the BRV NTRs in firefly luciferase reporter mRNA, in plant protoplasts.

Homochirality in an early peptide world.

A recently proposed model of non-autocatalytic reactions in dipeptide formation that leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking and homochirality was examined. The model is governed by activation, polymerization, epimerization, and depolymerization of amino acids. Symmetry breaking was determined to result primarily from the different rates of reactions that involve homodimers and heterodimers, i.

Biological feedbacks as cause and demise of the Neoproterozoic icehouse: astrobiological prospects for faster evolution and importance of cold conditions.

Several severe glaciations occurred during the Neoproterozoic eon, and especially near its end in the Cryogenian period (630-850 Ma). While the glacial periods themselves were probably related to the continental positions being appropriate for glaciation, the general coldness of the Neoproterozoic and Cryogenian as a whole lacks specific explanation. The Cryogenian was immediately followed by the Ediacaran biota and Cambrian Metazoan, thus understanding the climate-biosphere interactions around the Cryogenian period is central to understanding the development of complex multicellular life in general.

The RNA2 5' leader of Blackcurrant reversion virus mediates efficient in vivo translation through an internal ribosomal entry site mechanism.

The 5' and 3' non-translated regions (NTRs) of mRNAs of eukaryotes and their viruses often contain translational enhancers, including internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs) comprised in the 5' leaders of many uncapped viral mRNAs. Blackcurrant reversion virus (BRV) has a genome composed of two uncapped, polyadenylated RNAs with relatively short 5' NTRs, almost devoid of secondary structure. In this work, a role of the RNA2 5' NTR in translation was studied by using mono- and dicistronic Photinus pyralis and Renilla reniformis luciferase reporter mRNAs in protoplasts of Nicotiana benthamiana.

Endophytic fungus decreases plant virus infections in meadow ryegrass (Lolium pratense).

We studied the effects of fungal endophyte infection of meadow ryegrass (Lolium pratense=Festuca pratensis) on the frequency of the barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). The virus is transferred by aphids, which may be deterred by endophyte-origin alkaloids within the plant. In our experiment, we released viruliferous aphid vectors on endophyte-infected and endophyte-free plants in a common garden.

Role of the RNA2 3' non-translated region of Blackcurrant reversion nepovirus in translational regulation.

The 3' non-translated regions (NTRs) of mRNAs of eukaryotes and their viruses often contain translational enhancers (TEs). Blackcurrant reversion nepovirus (BRV) has a genome composed of two uncapped polyadenylated RNAs with very long 3' NTRs, nucleotide sequences of which are very conserved between different BRV isolates. In this work, we studied a role of the RNA2 3' NTR in translation, using mutagenesis of the firefly luciferase reporter mRNA, in protoplasts of Nicotiana benthamiana.

Suitability of different photosynthetic organisms for an extraterrestrial biological life support system.

In the present era of intensive space and planetary research, efficient life support systems (LSSs) are needed to maintain suitable living conditions when humans move into space, i.e. away from the Earth's atmosphere.

Depletion of the photosystem II core complex in mature tobacco leaves infected by the flavum strain of tobacco mosaic virus.

The flavum strain of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) differs from the wild-type (wt) virus by causing strong yellow and green mosaic in the systemically infected developing leaves, yellowing in the fully expanded leaves, and distinct malformations of chloroplasts in both types of infected tissues. Analysis of the thylakoid proteins of flavum strain-infected tobacco leaves indicated that the chlorosis in mature leaves was accompanied by depletion of the entire photosystem II (PSII) core complexes and the 33-kDa protein of the oxygen evolving complex. The only change observed in the thylakoid proteins of the corresponding wt TMV-infected leaves was a slight reduction of the alpha and beta subunits of the ATP synthase complex.

Dynamics of the VIGS-mediated chimeric silencing of the Nicotiana benthamiana ChlH gene and of the tobacco mosaic virus vector.

The ChlH gene, encoding for the H subunit of the magnesium chelatase enzyme, was silenced in Nicotiana bentahamiana plants by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), using tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) expression vector. Strong silencing of the ChlH target gene was initiated only in the apical tissues, in which the endogenous transcription level of the target gene and the level of TMV vector RNA were both very high. The virus vector was also targeted by VIGS, and its suppression was correlated with the silencing of the ChlH mRNA.