Association Between Self-Reported Spinal Morning Stiffness and Radiographic Evidence of Lumbar Disk Degeneration in Participants of the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK) Study.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is very common and is a main cause of limited activity and work absence. Patients with LBP may also report spinal morning stiffness; this symptom could be useful for identifying subgroups with signs and symptoms related to spinal osteoarthritis.

Objective: This study investigated whether an association exists between reported spinal morning stiffness and radiographic evidence of lumbar disk degeneration (LDD) in people with LBP and a history of pain of the hip and/or knee.

The Association Between Self-reported Low Back Pain and Radiographic Lumbar Disc Degeneration of the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee (CHECK) Study.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study, nested in a prospective cohort (Cohort Hip and Knee, CHECK).

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is very common and the main cause of activity limitations and work absence throughout the world. Although lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) is suggested as a cause of LBP, this association remains debatable.

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It has been described achievements of cell and genetic engineering that led to formation of new genetics chapter – transmission genetics. It has been analyzed results and showed new opportunities in the field of transgenomic somatic hybrids and cybrid obtaining, production of transgenic plants with agronomic pharmaceutical application, development of transplastomic plants, accu-mulation of recombinant proteins by using the transient expression of foreign genes in plants.

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Development of RNAi-based therapeutics is a fast growing field of pharmaceutical industry. Using plants for production of pharmaceutically valuable siRNAs may have significant advantages of cost-effectiveness, scalability and low risk of contamination with human pathogens. If edible plant species are genetically engineered to synthesize siRNAs, the costly stage of target product purification may be omitted.

Comparison of effectiveness of 5'-regulatory sequences in transplastomic tobacco chloroplasts.

The development of tools which ensure the desired level of transgene expression in plastids is a prerequisite for the effective utilization of these plant organelles for the deployment of bioactive proteins. High-level accumulation of target proteins is considered as a positive feature of transplastomic plants, but excessive accumulation of foreign proteins may have deleterious effects on host plants. On the other hand, expression at low levels can result in ineffective phenotypes.

Prediction of cartilaginous tissue repair after knee joint distraction.

Background: For young patients (<65years), knee joint distraction (KJD) may be a joint-saving treatment option for end-stage knee osteoarthritis. Distracting the femur from the tibia by five millimeters for six to eight weeks using an external fixation frame results in cartilaginous tissue repair, in addition to clinical benefits. This study is a first attempt to predict the degree of cartilaginous tissue repair after KJD.

Early evolving joint degeneration by cartilage trauma is primarily mechanically controlled.

Background: Mechanical and inflammatory processes add to osteoarthritis (OA). To what extent both processes contribute during the onset of OA after a cartilage trauma is unknown. This study evaluates whether local cartilage damage leads to focally confined or more generalized cartilage damage with synovial inflammation in the early development of joint tissue degeneration.

Computerised versus conventional methodology of radiographic joint destruction assessment in early rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: To compare computerised and conventional methodology of radiographic joint destruction assessment in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We investigated the contribution of the 3rd-to-5th carpometacarpal joints (CMC3-5, which are excluded in computerised assessment so far owing to bone overlapping) to total joint space narrowing (JSN) scores in two cohorts of patients with early RA (n=392). Next, we investigated agreement between JSN scoring using single time point individual joint-based method (individual joint of a single time point (IJSTP), reflecting computerised reading) and conventional JSN scoring using the Sharp-van der Heijde (SvdH) method in a cohort of patients with early RA (n=59).

HIGH FREQUENCY GENETIC TRANSFORMATION OF CICHORIUM INTYBUS L. USING nptII GENE AS A SELECTIVE MARKER.

Cichorium intybus L. is an important vegetable crop used as salad (leaf form) and for the production of coffee substitutes (root form). At the same time these plants can also be used in biotechnologies for synthesis of pharmaceutical proteins.

MULTIPLEX PCR ASSAY FOR DETECTION OF HUMAN SOMATOTROPIN AND INTERFERON ALPHA2b GENES IN PLANT MATERIAL.

Using transgenic plants as factories for production of physiologically active human proteins arouses special concern because occasional escape of such transgenes into environment may cause health problems. Creation of plant varieties producing pharmaceutically valuable proteins should be accompanied by development of detection methods suitable for controlling the transgene behavior. Here we describe a multiplex PCR protocol for revealing of two human genes (encoding growth hormone and interferon alpha2b) that have been successfully introduced into plant genomes.

Screening of plant cell culture collection for efficient host species for Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression.

Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression is an approach for short-time expression of heterologous genes in plant systems. During the last decade transient expression was regarded as a potent protocol for high scale production of foreign proteins in plants including pharmaceutically valuable proteins. In vitro grown plant cell cultures represent a suitable system for accumulation of heterologous proteins under controlled conditions.

[Features of lettuce transgenic plants with ifn-alpha2b gene regenerated after Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation].

"Hairy" roots of lettuce Lactuca sativa and regenerated plants with interferon-alpha2b gene had been obtained via Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation. According to the results of PCR and rt-PCR analyses the studied plants had ifn-alpha2b gene. The regenerated plants differed from the plants of wild type by elongated internodes, early flower-bearing stem formation and purple coloration of leaves in artificial illumination conditions.

[Obtaining of hairy-root, callus and suspension carrot culture (Daucus carota L.) able to accumulate human interferon alpha-2b].

Here we report the obtaining of suspension, callus and hairy root culture initiated from carrot plants of Nantskaya and Perfektzya variety with the highest level of recombinant human interferon alpha-2b accumulation exhibited the highest level of plant protein extract antiviral activity (up to 12.8 x 10(3) IU/mg TSP). The antiviral activity of callus extracts was significantly lower comparing to the activity of plant extracts from parent organisms.

[Regeneration of transgenic plants from Cichorium intybus L. var. foliosum Hegi hairy roots].

Transgenic plants were regenerated from Cichorium intybus L. hairy roots transformed with genes of tuberculosis antigenes ESAT6 and Ag85B or human interferon alpha2b. The plant regeneration was light-dependent and occurred on the media without growth regulators.

Transgenic sugar beet tolerant to imidazolinone obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

Sugar beet is highly sensitive to imidazolinone herbicides thus rotational restrictions exist. In order to develop imidazolinone tolerant sugar beets als gene from Arabidopsis thaliana encoding acetolactate synthase with S653N mutation was used for genetic transformation. Transgenic sugar beet plants were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of aseptic seedlings using vacuum-infiltration.

Obtaining of transgenic French bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) resistant to the herbicide pursuit by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

The transgenic plants of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) resistant herbicide Pursuit and kanamycin have been obtained. The genetic transformation was carried out with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 containing binary vector carrying mutant ahas/als and selective nptII genes. Integration of the transgenes into plant genome was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.

[Effective agrobacterium-mediated transformation of chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) using vector with gene of tuberculosis antigene ESAT6].

The conditions of high efficient chicory transformation with Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigene ESAT6 have been determined. Transformation frequency was up to 86% when the cotyledons were cultivated within 3 days without cefotaxime and then 1 day without kanamycine. DNA PCR-analysis has shown the presence both of selective nptII and target esxA genes in all analysed plants.

Production of human interferon alfa 2b in plants of Nicotiana excelsior by Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression.

Human interferon alpha2b gene was transiently expressed in Nicotiana excelsior plants. Fusion with N. plumbaginifolia calreticulin signal peptide for improved apoplast targeting and carrying out the expression under optimized conditions resulted in maximal interferon activity of 3.

Reducing fracture risk with calcium and vitamin D.

Studies of vitamin D and calcium for fracture prevention have produced inconsistent results, as a result of different vitamin D status and calcium intake at baseline, different doses and poor to adequate compliance. This study tries to define the types of patients, both at risk of osteoporosis and with established disease, who may benefit from calcium and vitamin D supplementation. The importance of adequate compliance in these individuals is also discussed.

[Transposition of the maize transposable element dSpm in transgenic sugar beets].

Transgenic sugar beet plants carrying maize Spmn/dSpm transposable elements system have been constructed. Heterologous system of maize transposable elements Spm/dSpm was active in transgenic sugar beets that permits transposon-based gene tagging and obtaining of marker-free transgenic sugar beet.

[Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with vectors bearing genes of bacterial antigenes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis].

Transgenic plants of lettuce Lactuca sativa L. cv. Eralash, Sniezinka, Rubinovoje kruzevo with genes coding synthesis of tuberculosis antigenes have been obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

Relationships of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D to bone mineral density and serum parathyroid hormone and markers of bone turnover in older persons.

Context: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] may influence serum PTH and other parameters of bone health up to a threshold concentration, which may be between 25 and 80 nmol/liter.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the threshold serum 25(OH)D with regard to PTH, bone turnover markers, and bone mineral density (BMD).

Design And Setting: This was part of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, an ongoing cohort study.

[Somatic hybrids among transgenic Solanum tuberosum and transplastomic Solanum rickii].

The hybrid plants with transformed plastids were regenerated after fusion of mesophyll protoplasts of Solanum rickii with aadA chloroplast selective marker gene and Solanum tuberosum with nptII nuclear selective marker gene. The hybrid callus clones were selected on the medium containing streptomycine, spectinomycine and kanamycine. The hybrids were identified on the base of PCR analysis of nuclear and plastid DNAs.

A simple risk score for the assessment of absolute fracture risk in general practice based on two longitudinal studies.

The aim of this prospective study was to develop a risk score, based on putative risk factors in current guidelines, which can be used to identify women at high risk of fractures in general practice. The study sample included 4157 women >/=60 yr of age (mean +/- SD: 74.1 +/- 9.