Beyond movement: expanding functional landscape of luteovirus movement proteins.

Viruses explore the potential multifunctional capacity of the proteins encoded in their compact genome to establish infection. P4 of luteoviruses has emerged as one such multifunctional protein. Expressed from an open reading frame (ORF) nested within coat protein ORF, it displays diverse subcellular localizations and interactions, reflecting its complex role in virus infection.

Genetic regions determine tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in European elite bread wheats grown under contrasting nitrogen stress scenarios.

Clustering 24 environments in four contrasting nitrogen stress scenarios enabled the detection of genetic regions determining tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in European elite bread wheats. Increasing the nitrogen use efficiency of wheat varieties is an important goal for breeding. However, most genetic studies of wheat grown at different nitrogen levels in the field report significant interactions with the genotype.

Psychometric properties of a Creole version of Medical Outcome Study - Short Form 36 among type II diabetes patients on Reunion Island.

Introduction: Health quality of life assessment is particularly important to measure the impact of chronic diseases. The aims of this study were to provide a cross-culturally adapted Creole-translation of the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form 36 (SF-36) and to assess psychometric performance of the Creole and French versions of the SF-36 among patients with type II diabetes in Reunion Island.

Materials And Methods: The Creole translation and cross-cultural adaptation processes were based on the International Quality Of Life Assessment (IQOLA) methods.

Quality of life assessment in diabetic patients: validity of the creole version of the EQ-5D-5L in Reunion Island.

Introduction: Due to the high prevalence of diabetes and its complications, evaluating the patient's quality of life is critical. EQ-5D-5L is a valid tool for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in chronic diseases, including diabetes. However, no psychometric measures have been validated in a Creole-speaking population.

Genetic Analysis of Platform-Phenotyped Root System Architecture of Bread and Durum Wheat in Relation to Agronomic Traits.

Roots are essential for water and nutrient uptake but are rarely the direct target of breeding efforts. To characterize the genetic variability of wheat root architecture, the root and shoot traits of 200 durum and 715 bread wheat varieties were measured at a young stage on a high-throughput phenotyping platform. Heritability of platform traits ranged from 0.

Breeding for Economically and Environmentally Sustainable Wheat Varieties: An Integrated Approach from Genomics to Selection.

There is currently a strong societal demand for sustainability, quality, and safety in bread wheat production. To address these challenges, new and innovative knowledge, resources, tools, and methods to facilitate breeding are needed. This starts with the development of high throughput genomic tools including single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays, high density molecular marker maps, and full genome sequences.

Identification of QTLs affecting post-anthesis heat stress responses in European bread wheat.

The response of a large panel of European elite wheat varieties to post-anthesis heat stress is influenced by 17 QTL linked to grain weight or the stay-green phenotype. Heat stress is a critical abiotic stress for winter bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) especially at the flowering and grain filling stages, limiting its growth and productivity in Europe and elsewhere.

Using environmental clustering to identify specific drought tolerance QTLs in bread wheat (T. aestivum L.).

Environmental clustering helps to identify QTLs associated with grain yield in different water stress scenarios. These QTLs could be useful for breeders to improve grain yields and increase genetic resilience in marginal environments. Drought is one of the main abiotic stresses limiting winter bread wheat growth and productivity around the world.

Trends in initiation of direct oral anticoagulant therapies for atrial fibrillation in a national population-based cross-sectional study in the French health insurance databases.

Objective: Unlike several other national health agencies, French health authorities recommended that the newer direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) agents only be prescribed as second choice for the treatment of newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) remaining the first choice. We investigated the patterns of use of DOACs versus VKA in the treatment of NVAF in France over the first 5 years of DOAC availability. We also identified the changes in patient characteristics of those who initiated DOAC treatment over this time period.

Leprosy on Reunion Island, 2005-2013: Situation and Perspectives.

Background: Reunion Island is a French overseas territory located in the south-western of Indian Ocean, 700 km east of Madagascar. Leprosy first arrived on Reunion Island in the early 1700s with the African slaves and immigration from Madagascar. The disease was endemic until 1980 but improvement of health care and life conditions of inhabitants in the island have allowed a strong decrease in new cases of leprosy.

Differential expression and function of CD27 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells expressing ZAP-70.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a malignancy driven by abberant B cell signaling and survival. Leukemic B cells accumulate in the peripheral blood and the lymphoid organs where contact with stromal cells and T cells provide critical survival signals. Clinical severity of CLL is associated with several prognostic markers including expression of the kinase ZAP-70.

A genome-wide identification of chromosomal regions determining nitrogen use efficiency components in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

This study identified 333 genomic regions associated to 28 traits related to nitrogen use efficiency in European winter wheat using genome-wide association in a 214-varieties panel experimented in eight environments. Improving nitrogen use efficiency is a key factor to sustainably ensure global production increase. However, while high-throughput screening methods remain at a developmental stage, genetic progress may be mainly driven by marker-assisted selection.

Nasal-skin-fold transposition flap for upper lip reconstruction in a French bulldog.

Upper-lip reconstruction after mast-cell tumor-resection in a French bulldog was achieved by using a transposition flap from the nasal-skin-fold and an oral mucosal flap. The new technique is an alternative for reconstruction of extensive upper-lip defects in brachycephalic dogs and achieves satisfactory functional and cosmetic results.

A multi-environmental study of recent breeding progress on nitrogen use efficiency in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

By comparing 195 varieties in eight trials, this study assesses nitrogen use efficiency improvement in high and low nitrogen conditions in European winter wheat over the last 25 years. In a context where European agriculture practices have to deal with environmental concerns and nitrogen (N) fertiliser cost, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has to be improved. This study assessed genetic progress in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.

Adhesion of ZAP-70+ chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells to stromal cells is enhanced by cytokines and blocked by inhibitors of the PI3-kinase pathway.

CLL cell survival and proliferation is enhanced through direct contact with supporting cells present in lymphoid tissues. PI3Ks are critical signal transduction enzymes controlling B cell survival and activation. PI3K inhibitors have entered clinical trials and show promising therapeutic activity; however, it is unclear whether PI3K inhibitor drugs differentially affect ZAP-70 positive versus negative CLL cells or target specific microenvironmental interactions.

Frequent occurrence of highly expanded but unrelated B-cell clones in patients with multiple myeloma.

Clonal diversity in multiple myeloma (MM) includes both MM-related and MM-unrelated clonal expansions which are subject to dominance exerted by the MM clone. Here we show evidence for the existence of minor but highly expanded unrelated B-cell clones in patients with MM defined by their complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) peak. We further characterize these clones over the disease and subsequent treatment.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling pathway in normal and malignant B cells: activation mechanisms, regulation and impact on cellular functions.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is a central signal transduction axis controlling normal B cell homeostasis and activation in humoral immunity. The p110δ PI3K catalytic subunit has emerged as a critical mediator of multiple B cell functions. The activity of this pathway is regulated at multiple levels, with inositol phosphatases PTEN and SHIP both playing critical roles.

Association of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 with poor prognosis in elderly patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

In population studies, the relative survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) decreases with age. In this study, we demonstrated in a cohort of 189 patients from a CLL clinic that overall survival was lower in the sub-cohort of patients aged ≥ 70 years, but causes of death were similar for all age groups, being progressive CLL, secondary malignancies and infections. As normal individuals age, the plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8, can increase.

Complexes between nuclear factor-κB p65 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 are key actors in inducing activation-induced cytidine deaminase expression and immunoglobulin A production in CD40L plus interleukin-10-treated human blood B cells.

The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) transcription factor pathway plays an important role in many biological phenomena. STAT3 transcription is triggered by cytokine-associated signals. Here, we use isolated human B cells to analyse the role of STAT3 in interleukin (IL)-10 induced terminal B cell differentiation and in immunoglobulin (Ig)A production as a characteristic readout of IL-10 signalling.

Cross-genome map based dissection of a nitrogen use efficiency ortho-metaQTL in bread wheat unravels concerted cereal genome evolution.

Monitoring nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in plants is becoming essential to maintain yield while reducing fertilizer usage. Optimized NUE application in major crops is essential for long-term sustainability of agriculture production. Here, we report the precise identification of 11 major chromosomal regions controlling NUE in wheat that co-localise with key developmental genes such as Ppd (photoperiod sensitivity), Vrn (vernalization requirement), Rht (reduced height) and can be considered as robust markers from a molecular breeding perspective.

Donor platelets stored for at least 3 days can elicit activation marker expression by the recipient's blood mononuclear cells: an in vitro study.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that infused platelets (PLTs) can promote inflammation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of storage of transfusion-grade PLTs on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) of the recipient.

Study Design And Methods: An in vitro cell model system was established to measure the degree of activation of donor PLTs during 5 days of their storage and then to measure immune cell activation by detecting marker expression in coculture experiments.

Identification of two subpopulations of purified human blood B cells, CD27- CD23+ and CD27high CD80+, that strongly express cell surface Toll-like receptor 9 and secrete high levels of interleukin-6.

B-cell expression of certain Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is important in linking innate and adaptive immune responses in normal and pathological conditions. The expression of TLR9 plays a role in the recognition of conserved pathogen motifs in a manner that is dependent on B-cell localization, deduced from B-cell phenotype. The nature of TLR9 function is unclear.

Toll-like receptor 4 ligand can differentially modulate the release of cytokines by human platelets.

Blood platelets link the processes of haemostasis and inflammation. This study examined the immunomodulatory factors released by platelets after Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) engagement on their surfaces. Monoclonal anti-human FcgammaRII Ab (IV.