Critical Care Management of Surgical Patients with Heart Failure or Left Ventricular Assist Devices: A Brief Overview.

Patients with heart failure, including those with implanted left ventricular assist devices, continue to increase in number. When they require noncardiac surgery, cardiac critical care expertise may not be immediately available to assist. This review serves to provide surgeons and surgical intensivists with a brief overview of the management of this patient population and common clinical scenarios and complications.

Comparative transcriptome expression analysis in susceptible and resistant potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars to common scab (Streptomyces scabies) revealed immune priming responses in the incompatible interaction.

Common scab disease in potato has become a widespread issue in major potato production areas, leading to increasing economic losses. Varietal resistance is seen as a viable and long-term scab management strategy. However, the genes and mechanisms of varietal resistance are unknown.

A triticale tapetal non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) is translocated to the pollen cell wall.

A Triticeae type III non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) was shown for the first time to be translocated from the anther tapetum to the pollen cell wall. Two anther-expressed non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) were identified in triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack). LTPc3a and LTPc3b contain a putative signal peptide sequence and eight cysteine residues in a C-Xn-C-Xn-CC-Xn-CXC-Xn-C-Xn-C pattern.

Investigating Triticeae anther gene promoter activity in transgenic Brachypodium distachyon.

In this report, we demonstrate that Brachypodium distachyon could serve as a relatively high throughput in planta functional assay system for Triticeae anther-specific gene promoters. There remains a vast gap in our knowledge of the promoter cis-acting elements responsible for the transcriptional regulation of Triticeae anther-specific genes. In an attempt to identify conserved cis-elements, 14 pollen-specific and 8 tapetum-specific Triticeae putative promoter sequences were analyzed using different promoter sequence analysis tools.

Paraphyletic genus Ditylenchus Filipjev (Nematoda, Tylenchida), corresponding to the D. triformis-group and the D. dipsaci-group scheme.

The genus Ditylenchus has been divided into 2 groups: the Ditylenchus triformis-group, and the Ditylenchus dipsaci-group based on morphological and biological characters. A total of 18 populations belong to 5 species of Ditylenchus was studied: Ditylenchus africanus, Ditylenchus destructor, Ditylenchus myceliophagus and dipsaci, Ditylenchus weischeri, the first 3 belong to the Ditylenchus triformis-group, the last 2 the Ditylenchus dipsaci-group. The species of Ditylenchus triformis-group were cultured on fungi, while the species from Ditylenchus dispaci-group cultured on excised roots of plant hosts in petri dish.

Impact of Post-visit Contact on Emergency Department Utilization for Adolescent Women with a Sexually Transmitted Infection.

Study Objectives: To understand Emergency Department (ED) utilization patterns for women who received sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and explore the impact of post-visit telephone contact on future ED visits.

Design, Setting, Participants: We performed a secondary analysis on a prospectively collected dataset of ED patients ages 14-21 years at a children's hospital.

Interventions And Main Outcome Measures: The dataset documented initial and return visits, STI results, race, age and post-visit contact success (telephone contact ≤7 days of visit).

Elimination of bioweapons agents from forensic samples during extraction of human DNA.

Collection of DNA for genetic profiling is a powerful means for the identification of individuals responsible for crimes and terrorist acts. Biologic hazards, such as bacteria, endospores, toxins, and viruses, could contaminate sites of terrorist activities and thus could be present in samples collected for profiling. The fate of these hazards during DNA isolation has not been thoroughly examined.

A molecular and proteomic investigation of proteins rapidly released from triticale pollen upon hydration.

Analysis of Triticale (×Triticosecale Wittmack cv. AC Alta) mature pollen proteins quickly released upon hydration was performed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry. A total of 17 distinct protein families were identified and these included expansins, profilins, and various enzymes, many of which are pollen allergens.

Transgenic rice plants expressing a modified cry1Ca1 gene are resistant to Spodoptera litura and Chilo suppressalis.

Nucleotide sequence encoding the truncated insecticidal Cry1Ca1 protein from Bacillus thuringiensis was extensively modified based on the codon usage of rice genes. The overall G + C contents of the synthetic cry1Ca1 coding sequence were raised to 65% with an additional bias of enriching for G and C ending codons as preferred by monocots. The synthetic gene was introduced into the Chinese japonica variety, Xiushui 11, by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

Youth of west-Cameroon are at high risk of developing IDD due to low dietary iodine and high dietary thiocyanate.

Background: Hypothyroidism in utero leading to mental retardation is highly prevalent in developing countries where iodine deficiency and thiocyanate overload are combined.

Objective: To explore prevalence of IDD in Bamougoum, a mountain region of western Cameroon, by studying urinary iodine and thiocyanate excretion levels in children.

Methods: Bamougoum district in western Cameroon was selected for closer study due to its geographic location predisposing to iodine deficiency disorders (IDD).

Expression of Cry1Ac in transgenic tobacco plants under the control of a wound-inducible promoter (AoPR1) isolated from Asparagus officinalis to control Heliothis virescens and Manduca sexta.

Expression of cry1Ac gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was evaluated under the control of a wound-inducible AoPR1 promoter from Asparagus officinalis in transgenic tobacco plants. The leaves of transgenic plants were mechanically wounded to evaluate the activity of the AoPR1 promoter in driving the expression of Cry1Ac protein at the wound site. Our results indicate that mechanical wounding of transgenic plants was effective in inducing the expression of Cry1Ac protein.

Youth of West Cameroon are at high risk of developing IDD due to low dietary iodine and high dietary thiocyanate.

Objectives: Hypothyroidism in utero leading to mental retardation is highly prevalent and recurrent in developing countries where iodine deficiency and thiocyanate overload are combined. So, to explore and identify human population's risks for developing iodine deficiency disorders and their endemicity in Western Cameroon, with the aim to prevent this deficiency and to fight again it, urinary iodine and thiocyanate levels were determined.

Methods: The district of Bamougoum in Western Cameroon was selected for closer study due to its geographic location predisposing for iodine deficiency disorders (IDD).

Resistance to Tecia solanivora (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in three transgenic Andean varieties of potato expressing Bacillus thuringiensis CrylAc protein.

Transgenic potato, Solanum tuberosum L., plants containing a synthetic cry1Ac gene coding for the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crystalline insecticidal protein were produced and evaluated for resistance to Tecia solanivora Povolny (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), the larvae of which attack potato tubers. In total, 43 transgenic lines of commercial Andean potato varieties Diacol Capiro, Pardo Pastusa, and Pandeazúcar were obtained.

The Bt gene cry2Aa2 driven by a tissue specific ST-LS1 promoter from potato effectively controls Heliothis virescens.

Expression of the Cry2Aa2 protein was targeted specifically to the green tissues of transgenic tobacco Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi plants. This deployment was achieved by using the promoter region of the gene encoding the Solanum tuberosum leaf and stem specific (ST-LS1) protein.