CaGLK2 regulates natural variation of chlorophyll content and fruit color in pepper fruit.

We provide multiple evidences that CaGLK2 underlies a quantitative trait locus controlling natural variation in chlorophyll content and immature fruit color of pepper via modulating chloroplast compartment size. Pepper fruit quality is attributed to a variety of traits, affecting visual appearance, flavor, chemical composition and nutritional value. Among the quality traits, fruit color is of primary importance because the pigments that confer color are associated with nutrition, health and flavor.

Host adaptation of Chlamydia pecorum towards low virulence evident in co-evolution of the ompA, incA, and ORF663 Loci.

Chlamydia (C.) pecorum, an obligate intracellular bacterium, may cause severe diseases in ruminants, swine and koalas, although asymptomatic infections are the norm. Recently, we identified genetic polymorphisms in the ompA, incA and ORF663 genes that potentially differentiate between high-virulence C.

Effects of tatariside G isolated from Fagopyrum tataricum roots on apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells.

Cervical cancer is the second most common female carcinoma. Current therapies are often unsatisfactory, especially for advanced stage patients. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of tatariside G (TG) on apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells and the possible mechanism of action involved.

Effects of age, nursing, and oral IGF1 supplementation on neonatal porcine cervical development.

Nursing supports neonatal porcine uterine and testicular development, however, lactocrine effects on cervical development are undefined. Studies were conducted to determine the effects of i) age and the imposition of the lactocrine-null state from birth (postnatal day 0 (PND0)) by milk replacer feeding on cervical histology; ii) imposition of the lactocrine-null state for 2 days from birth on cervical cell proliferation, as reflected by proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunostaining; and iii) a single feeding of colostrum or milk replacer, administered at birth, with or without oral IGF1, on cervical cell proliferation and phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) protein levels at 12 h postnatal. Cervical crypt depth and height of luminal epithelium (LE) increased with age by PND14, when both responses were reduced in replacer-fed gilts.

Three charged amino acids in extracellular loop 1 are involved in maintaining the outer pore architecture of CFTR.

The cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) bears six extracellular loops (ECL1-6); ECL1 is the site of several mutations associated with CF. Mutation R117H has been reported to reduce current amplitude, whereas D110H, E116K, and R117C/L/P may impair channel stability. We hypothesized that these amino acids might not be directly involved in ion conduction and permeation but may contribute to stabilizing the outer vestibule architecture in CFTR.

Medicinal plant cell suspension cultures: pharmaceutical applications and high-yielding strategies for the desired secondary metabolites.

The development of plant tissue (including organ and cell) cultures for the production of secondary metabolites has been underway for more than three decades. Plant cell cultures with the production of high-value secondary metabolites are promising potential alternative sources for the production of pharmaceutical agents of industrial importance. Medicinal plant cell suspension cultures (MPCSC), which are characterized with the feature of fermentation with plant cell totipotency, could be a promising alternative "chemical factory".

Crohn's disease-associated Escherichia coli survive in macrophages by suppressing NFκB signaling.

Background: Epidemiological and genetic studies suggest a role for enteric flora in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). Crohn's disease-associated Escherichia coli (CDEC) is characterized by their ability to invade epithelial cells and survive and induce high concentration of TNF-α from infected macrophages. However, the molecular mechanisms of CDEC survival in infected macrophages are not completely understood.

Nursing supports neonatal porcine testicular development.

The lactocrine hypothesis suggests a mechanism whereby milk-borne bioactive factors delivered to nursing offspring affect development of neonatal tissues. The objective of this study was to assess whether nursing affects testicular development in neonatal boars as reflected by: (1) Sertoli cell number and proliferation measured by GATA-4 expression and proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunostaining patterns; (2) Leydig cell development and steroidogenic activity as reflected by insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3), and P450 side chain cleavage (scc) enzyme expression; and (3) expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ESR1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A, and relaxin family peptide receptor (RXFP) 1. At birth, boars were randomly assigned (n = 6-7/group) to nurse ad libitum or to be pan fed porcine milk replacer for 48 h.

Multiple familial pilomatrixomas in three generations: an unusual clinical picture.

Pilomatrixomas are benign cutaneous tumors derived from hair matrix cells of unclear etiology. Pilomatrixomas commonly demonstrate somatic mutations in CTNNB1, a gene coding β-catenin, a protein involved with hair follicle development. Multiple familial pilomatrixomas rarely occur and are most often associated with autosomal dominant conditions such as myotonic dystrophy and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP).

Anti-arthritic activity of Xanthium strumarium L. extract on complete Freund׳s adjuvant induced arthritis in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Xanthium strumarium L. fruit (Xanthiu fruit) has been traditionally used as a medicinal herb in China for the treatment of many ailments including rheumatoid arthritis. However, the anti-arthritic activity of Xanthium strumarium fruit has still not been demonstrated.

Temporal variability of forest communities: empirical estimates of population change in 4000 tree species.

Long-term surveys of entire communities of species are needed to measure fluctuations in natural populations and elucidate the mechanisms driving population dynamics and community assembly. We analysed changes in abundance of over 4000 tree species in 12 forests across the world over periods of 6-28 years. Abundance fluctuations in all forests are large and consistent with population dynamics models in which temporal environmental variance plays a central role.

Assessing the complications and effectiveness of open carpal tunnel release in a tertiary care centre in a developing country.

Introduction: Open surgical release for carpal tunnel syndrome is not devoid of complications and its quantitative assessment with the Boston questionnaire in a developing country had not been conducted, where, lack of facilities and surgical technique can influence the outcome.

Presentation Of Case: This was a prospective study in which all cases of carpal tunnel syndrome undergoing open release between June 2007 and June 2012 and who returned for follow up were included. Each patient was requested to fill out the Boston questionnaire twice both pre and post op at 3 months.

Plasma cell myeloma with unusual morphology--a series of 6 cases.

Morphological variants of plasma cells have been described in cases of Plasma cell neoplasm. Presence of these atypical forms poses difficulty in morphological diagnosis and demands the use of ancillary techniques to ascertain the nature of these atypical cells. We hereby report a series of 6 such cases where the bone marrow examination showed plasma cells with atypical morphology, leading to varied differential diagnosis; however immunophenotyping by flow cytometry in adjunct to serum electrophoresis, immunofixation and free light chain assays confirmed the diagnosis.

Precipitating factor of seizure in epilepsy: experience in a tertiary care hospital.

Patients with epilepsy experience recurrent, unprovoked seizures. In most of the cases seizure occurs spontaneously, but there may be association with various triggers. These triggers may act as seizure precipitating factors (SPFs).

Hepatotoxic constituents and toxicological mechanism of Xanthium strumarium L. fruits.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: In the recent years, the international community has attached increasing importance to possible toxicity associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). And hepatotoxicity is one of the major concerns, a fundamental pathological process induced by toxicant. This paper is in an attempt to identify the hepatotoxic components in Xanthium strumarium L.

Simultaneous occurrence of chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia: report of an unusual case.

The coexistence of chronic myeloid leukaemia(CML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) has been reported occasionally in literature, with only seven cases of simultaneous occurrence of these two diseases. We present here a case of 57 yr male patient where a complete blood count and differential done using volume conductivity scatter (VCS) technology suggested a diagnosis of CML with CLL. It was further confirmed by immunophneotyping and cytogenetic analysis.

Microfilariae with acute myeloid leukemia: a common parasite with uncommon association.

Presence of microfilariae in bone marrow aspirate is an uncommon finding and its association with leukaemia has rarely been described. We present a case of young female from north India in which bancroftian microfilariae was seen in peripheral blood and bone marrow smears as an incidental finding along with 88 % myeloid blast that were positive on myeloperoxidase stain. There was no associated eosinophilia.

Quantitation of fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-specific protease activity in mouse, baboon and human fluids and organs.

The protease fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a specific marker of activated mesenchymal cells in tumour stroma and fibrotic liver. A specific, reliable FAP enzyme assay has been lacking. FAP's unique and restricted cleavage of the post proline bond was exploited to generate a new specific substrate to quantify FAP enzyme activity.

Flat-pressed wood plastic composites from sawdust and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET): physical and mechanical properties.

This study deals with the fabrication of composite matrix from saw dust (SD) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at different ratio (w/w) by flat-pressed method. The wood plastic composites (WPCs) were made with a thickness of 6 mm after mixing the saw dust and PET in a rotary type blender followed by flat press process. Physical i.

Antiepileptic drug utilization in Bangladesh: experience from Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Background: Epilepsy is a common health problem which carries a huge medical social psychological and economic impact for a developing country. The aim of this hospital-based study was to get an insight into the effectiveness and tolerability of low cost antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in Bangladeshi people with epilepsy.

Methods: This retrospective chart review was done from hospital records in weekly Epilepsy outdoor clinic of Department of Neurology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) from October 1998 to February 2013.

Elicitors from the endophytic fungus Trichoderma atroviride promote Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy root growth and tanshinone biosynthesis.

Biotic elicitors can be used to stimulate the production of secondary metabolites in plants. However, limited information is available on the effects of biotic elicitors from endophytic fungi on their host plant. Trichoderma atroviride D16 is an endophytic fungus isolated from the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza and previously reported to produce tanshinone I (T-I) and tanshinone IIA (T-IIA).

Isolation and biochemical analysis of vesicles from taurohyodeoxycholic acid-infused isolated perfused rat livers.

Aim: To isolate biliary lipid-carrying vesicles from isolated perfused rat livers after taurohyodeoxycholic acid (THDC) infusion. Biliary lipid vesicles have been implicated in hepatic disease and THDC was used since it increases biliary phospholipid secretion.

Methods: Rat livers were isolated and perfused via the hepatic portal vein with THDC dissolved in Krebs Ringer Bicarbonate solution, pH 7.

Comparative analysis of differential network modularity in tissue specific normal and cancer protein interaction networks.

Background: Large scale understanding of complex and dynamic alterations in cellular and subcellular levels during cancer in contrast to normal condition has facilitated the emergence of sophisticated systemic approaches like network biology in recent times. As most biological networks show modular properties, the analysis of differential modularity between normal and cancer protein interaction networks can be a good way to understand cancer more significantly. Two aspects of biological network modularity e.

Modeling the conformational changes underlying channel opening in CFTR.

Mutations in the gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein (CFTR) cause cystic fibrosis (CF), the most common life-shortening genetic disease among Caucasians. Although general features of the structure of CFTR have been predicted from homology models, the conformational changes that result in channel opening and closing have yet to be resolved. We created new closed- and open-state homology models of CFTR, and performed targeted molecular dynamics simulations of the conformational transitions in a channel opening event.