The conserved poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PAR) pathway consists of three genetic components that are potential targets to modulate the plant's energy homeostasis upon stress with the aim to improve yield stability in crops and help secure food supply. We studied the role of the PAR pathway component ADP-ribose/NADH pyrophosphohydrolase (AtNUDX7) in yield and mild drought stress by using a transgenic approach in Arabidopsis thaliana and maize (Zea mays). Arabidopsis AtNUDX7 cDNA was overexpressed in Arabidopsis and maize by means of the constitutive Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter and the strong constitutive Brachypodium distachyon pBdEF1α promoter, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple sclerosis (MS) often affects motor function, leading to an adverse effect on daily living. Rehabilitation is important in terms of improving mobility and activities of daily living. Virtual environments (VE) are increasing in popularity within this research area, but research in terms of VE is still rare, for both the upper and lower limb, in people with MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWeb-based exercise and physical activity interventions are being developed as a potential way to help people with multiple sclerosis achieve and maintain increased physical activity levels. Seeking feedback from people who have used such interventions will help guide the development process. In-depth interviews were used to explore the experiences of participants who used a web-based physiotherapy intervention as part of a feasibility randomized controlled trial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Lower extremity amputation (LEA) is more common in people from lower socio-economic groups. This study examined this further by investigating the influence of socio-economic status on mobility, participation, and quality of life (QoL) after LEA.
Methods: Prospective data were gathered for all LEAs performed in one year in one Scottish Health Board, commencing March 2014.
Purpose: The purposes of these analyses were to determine whether Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC), a multilevel, cardiovascular disease risk reduction program for overweight, sedentary rural women aged 40 or older, led to improved functional fitness, and if changes in fitness accounted for weight loss associated with program participation.
Methods: Sixteen rural communities were randomized to receive the SHHC intervention or a control program. Both programs involved groups of 12-16 participants.
Little is known about the relationship between perceived and objective measures of the built environment and physical activity behavior among rural populations. Within the context of a lifestyle-change intervention trial for rural women, Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC), we examined: (1) if Walk Score (WS), an objective built environment measure, was associated with perceived built environment (PBE); (2) if WS and PBE were associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); and (3) if MVPA changes were modified by WS and/or PBE. Accelerometers and questionnaires were used to collect MVPA and PBE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Rehabilitation interventions are recommended to manage multiple sclerosis (MS)-related fatigue. However, existing research has largely been generalized to those with relapsing-remitting MS, making it difficult to determine the effectiveness of these interventions in people with progressive MS. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the evidence related to the effectiveness of fatigue management interventions in reducing the severity and impact of fatigue in people with progressive MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Omipalisib (GSK2126458) is a potent inhibitor of PI3K/mTOR.A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, repeat dose escalation, experimental medicine study of omipalisib in subjects with IPF was conducted (NCT01725139) to test safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the implementation of a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention program for rural women: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities (SHHC).
Design: Mixed-methods process evaluation.
Setting/participants: A total of 101 women from 8 rural towns were enrolled in the SHHC program; 93 were enrolled as controls.
Metagenomic sequencing has the potential to transform microbial detection and characterization, but new tools are needed to improve its sensitivity. Here we present CATCH, a computational method to enhance nucleic acid capture for enrichment of diverse microbial taxa. CATCH designs optimal probe sets, with a specified number of oligonucleotides, that achieve full coverage of, and scale well with, known sequence diversity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Fatigue remains pervasive, disabling and challenging to manage across all inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs). Non-pharmacological interventions, specifically cognitive-behavioural approaches (CBAs) and graded exercise programmes designed to support and increase exercise, are valuable treatments which help patients with IRD to manage their fatigue. Yet, healthcare systems have encountered substantial barriers to the implementation of these therapeutic options.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Int Neuropsychol Soc
March 2019
Background: Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) involves congenital absence of all or part of the corpus callosum. Because the disorder can only be firmly diagnosed via neuroradiology, it has a short research history, and only recently has the cognitive syndrome become clear.
Purpose: Our purpose is to review the primary deficits in AgCC that constitute the core syndrome.
Objective: Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC) in individuals with general intelligence within the normal range results in a syndrome of mild to moderate deficiencies in cognitive, emotional, and social functioning that are still being explored. Anecdotal accounts from families suggest that these cognitive and psychosocial deficiencies affect the ability of these individuals to anticipate the consequences of their decisions and behaviors. This research was designed to clarify the nature of social and emotional cognition in AgCC with respect to imagination of the consequences of decisions by assessing responses from the Awareness of Consequences Scale (AOCS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Oxidative stress has been proposed as a contributor to pain in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). During incremental exercise in patients with ME/CFS, oxidative stress enhances sooner and antioxidant response is delayed. We explored whether oxidative stress is associated with pain symptoms or pain changes following exercise, and the possible relationships between oxidative stress and parasympathetic vagal nerve activity in patients with ME/CFS versus healthy, inactive controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdherence is a primary determinant of the effectiveness of any intervention. Exercise is considered essential in the management of spondyloarthritis (SpA); however, the overall adherence to exercise programmes and factors affecting adherence are unknown. The aim of this systematic review was to examine measures of, and factors influencing adherence to, prescribed exercise programmes in people with SpA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTubercular uveitis is a common manifestation of tuberculosis (TB) in TB-endemic countries. Due to lack of gold standard diagnostic tests for confirming intraocular TB, it is often either underdiagnosed or rarely over diagnosed. We report a case of a 28-year-old woman with diminution of vision in the left eye.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Fatigue is a complex and disabling symptom of Multiple Sclerosis (MS); however, there is conflicting evidence of the relationship between fatigue and clinical features of MS. Furthermore, few studies have considered these relationships specifically in a progressive MS population.
Aims: (1) estimate the prevalence of self-reported fatigue in people with MS; (2) evaluate the relationship between fatigue severity/impact and clinical features of MS; (3) compare the prevalence of fatigue, and the strength of relationship between fatigue severity/impact and clinical features of MS in progressive and non-progressive forms of MS.
How viruses evolve within hosts can dictate infection outcomes; however, reconstructing this process is challenging. We evaluate our multiplexed amplicon approach, PrimalSeq, to demonstrate how virus concentration, sequencing coverage, primer mismatches, and replicates influence the accuracy of measuring intrahost virus diversity. We develop an experimental protocol and computational tool, iVar, for using PrimalSeq to measure virus diversity using Illumina and compare the results to Oxford Nanopore sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Phys Chem Lett
February 2019
We present the novel observation that Duschinsky mixings can lead to the breakdown of Kasha's rule in a white light phosphor molecule, dibenzo[ b, d]thiophen-2-yl (4-chlorophenyl)methanone. Our theoretical analyses show the energy gap between the T and T states (0.48 eV) is too large to allow for any significant population of the T state at room temperature and instead the faster intersystem crossing (ISC) between the S and T states is rather due to strong Duschinsky mixing, leading to the emission from the T state as well.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnthropomorphism, the attribution of distinctively human mental characteristics to nonhuman animals and objects, illustrates the human propensity for extending social cognition beyond typical social targets. Yet, its processing components remain challenging to study because they are typically all engaged simultaneously. Across one pilot study and one focal study, we tested three rare people with basolateral amygdala lesions to dissociate two specific processing components: those triggered by attention to social cues (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrthopedic oncologic surgery requires preservation of a functioning limb at the essence of achieving safe margins. With most bone sarcomas arising from the metaphyseal region, in close proximity to joints, joint-salvage surgery can be challenging. Intraoperative guidance techniques like computer-assisted surgery (CAS) and patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) could assist in achieving higher surgical accuracy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect
December 2018
Background: Syphilitic uveitis is an infective uveitis and a great mimicker. Misdiagnosis can lead to delay in the specific treatment resulting in deterioration of uveitis and loss of vision.
Findings: A 38-year-old unmarried female presented with pain, redness, and blurring of vision in the left eye for the last 5 days.
Objective:: To examine the feasibility of a trial to evaluate web-based physiotherapy compared to a standard home exercise programme in people with multiple sclerosis.
Design:: Multi-centre, randomized controlled, feasibility study.
Setting:: Three multiple sclerosis out-patient centres.
Objectives: To determine prevalence and types of potentially serious incidental findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in apparently asymptomatic adults, describe factors associated with potentially serious incidental findings, and summarise information on follow-up and final diagnoses.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analyses.
Data Sources: Citation searches of relevant articles and authors' files in Medline and Embase (from inception to 25 April 2017).