Screening for Resistant Bacteria, Antimicrobial Resistance Genes, Sexually Transmitted Infections and spp. in Tissue Samples from Predominantly Vaginally Delivered Placentae in Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Medical complications during pregnancy have been frequently reported from Western Africa with a particular importance of infectious complications. Placental tissue can either become the target of infectious agents itself, such as, e.g.

Effects of ligandrol as a selective androgen receptor modulator in a rat model for osteoporosis.

Introduction: The selective androgen receptor modulator ligandrol (LGD-4033 or VK5211) has been shown to improve muscle tissue. In the present study, the effect of ligandrol on bone tissue was investigated in ovariectomized rat model.

Materials And Methods: Three-month-old Sprague Dawley rats were either ovariectomized (OVX, n = 60) or left intact (NON-OVX, n = 15).

Epidemiology of Plasmids in and with Acquired Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Genes Isolated from Chronic Wounds in Ghana.

Little information is available on the local epidemiology of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids harboring acquired beta-lactamase genes in Western African Ghana. In the present study, we screened for plasmids in three and four isolates expressing extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) mediated by the gene from chronically infected wounds of Ghanaian patients. Bacterial isolates were subjected to combined short-read and long-read sequencing to obtain the sequences of their respective plasmids.

Inhibition of Lipoxygenases Showed No Benefit for the Musculoskeletal System in Estrogen Deficient Rats.

Background: In previous studies, we reported the beneficial impact of two lipoxygenase-inhibitors, Baicalein and Zileuton, on osteoporotic bone in a postmenopausal rat model. Whereas subcutaneous Baicalein predominantly improved cortical bone, Zileuton enhanced vertebral and femoral trabecular bone. In this study, we aimed to reveal whether the oral administration of Baicalein caused similar effects on bone and whether a combined administration of Baicalein and Zileuton could act synergistically to ameliorate the formerly reported effects in the musculoskeletal system.

Clonal Clusters, Molecular Resistance Mechanisms and Virulence Factors of Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Chronic Wounds in Ghana.

Wound infections are common medical problems in sub-Saharan Africa but data on the molecular epidemiology are rare. Within this study we assessed the clonal lineages, resistance genes and virulence factors of Gram-negative bacteria isolated from Ghanaian patients with chronic wounds. From a previous study, 49 , 21 complex members and 12 were subjected to whole genome sequencing.

Effect of the lipoxygenase inhibitor baicalein on bone tissue and bone healing in ovariectomized rats.

Background: Osteoporosis is one of the world's major medical burdens in the twenty-first century. Pharmaceutical intervention currently focusses on decelerating bone loss, but phytochemicals such as baicalein, which is a lipoxygenase inhibitor, may rescue bone loss. Studies evaluating the effect of baicalein in vivo are rare.

Construction of a map-based reference genome sequence for barley, Hordeum vulgare L.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a cereal grass mainly used as animal fodder and raw material for the malting industry. The map-based reference genome sequence of barley cv.

A chromosome conformation capture ordered sequence of the barley genome.

Cereal grasses of the Triticeae tribe have been the major food source in temperate regions since the dawn of agriculture. Their large genomes are characterized by a high content of repetitive elements and large pericentromeric regions that are virtually devoid of meiotic recombination. Here we present a high-quality reference genome assembly for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.

Comparative genomics to explore phylogenetic relationship, cryptic sexual potential and host specificity of Rhynchosporium species on grasses.

Background: The Rhynchosporium species complex consists of hemibiotrophic fungal pathogens specialized to different sweet grass species including the cereal crops barley and rye. A sexual stage has not been described, but several lines of evidence suggest the occurrence of sexual reproduction. Therefore, a comparative genomics approach was carried out to disclose the evolutionary relationship of the species and to identify genes demonstrating the potential for a sexual cycle.

Impaired Planar Germ Cell Division in the Testis, Caused by Dissociation of RHAMM from the Spindle, Results in Hypofertility and Seminoma.

Hypofertility is a risk factor for the development of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT), but the initiating event linking these pathologies is unknown. We hypothesized that excessive planar division of undifferentiated germ cells promotes their self-renewal and TGCT development. However, our results obtained from mouse models and seminoma patients demonstrated the opposite.

Genetic Factors of the Disease Course After Sepsis: Rare Deleterious Variants Are Predictive.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to infection. For its clinical course, host genetic factors are important and rare genomic variants are suspected to contribute. We sequenced the exomes of 59 Greek and 15 German patients with bacterial sepsis divided into two groups with extremely different disease courses.

Genetic Factors of the Disease Course after Sepsis: A Genome-Wide Study for 28Day Mortality.

Sepsis is the dysregulated host response to an infection which leads to life-threatening organ dysfunction that varies by host genomic factors. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 740 adult septic patients and focused on 28day mortality as outcome. Variants with suggestive evidence for an association (p≤10) were validated in two additional GWA studies (n=3470) and gene coding regions related to the variants were assessed in an independent exome sequencing study (n=74).

The distribution of α-kleisin during meiosis in the holocentromeric plant Luzula elegans.

Holocentric chromosomes occur in a number of independent eukaryotic lineages, and they form holokinetic kinetochores along the entire poleward chromatid surfaces. Due to this alternative chromosome structure, Luzula elegans sister chromatids segregate already in anaphase I followed by the segregation of the homologues in anaphase II. However, not yet known is the localization and dynamics of cohesin and the structure of the synaptonemal complex (SC) during meiosis.

A Homolog of Blade-On-Petiole 1 and 2 (BOP1/2) Controls Internode Length and Homeotic Changes of the Barley Inflorescence.

Inflorescence architecture in small-grain cereals has a direct effect on yield and is an important selection target in breeding for yield improvement. We analyzed the recessive mutation laxatum-a (lax-a) in barley (Hordeum vulgare), which causes pleiotropic changes in spike development, resulting in (1) extended rachis internodes conferring a more relaxed inflorescence, (2) broadened base of the lemma awns, (3) thinner grains that are largely exposed due to reduced marginal growth of the palea and lemma, and (4) and homeotic conversion of lodicules into two stamenoid structures. Map-based cloning enforced by mapping-by-sequencing of the mutant lax-a locus enabled the identification of a homolog of BLADE-ON-PETIOLE1 (BOP1) and BOP2 as the causal gene.

Multiplex sequencing of bacterial artificial chromosomes for assembling complex plant genomes.

Hierarchical shotgun sequencing remains the method of choice for assembling high-quality reference sequences of complex plant genomes. The efficient exploitation of current high-throughput technologies and powerful computational facilities for large-insert clone sequencing necessitates the sequencing and assembly of a large number of clones in parallel. We developed a multiplexed pipeline for shotgun sequencing and assembling individual bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) using the Illumina sequencing platform.

Insights into Sex Chromosome Evolution and Aging from the Genome of a Short-Lived Fish.

The killifish Nothobranchius furzeri is the shortest-lived vertebrate that can be bred in the laboratory. Its rapid growth, early sexual maturation, fast aging, and arrested embryonic development (diapause) make it an attractive model organism in biomedical research. Here, we report a draft sequence of its genome that allowed us to uncover an intra-species Y chromosome polymorphism representing-in real time-different stages of sex chromosome formation that display features of early mammalian XY evolution "in action.

Narrowing down the distal border of the copy number variable beta-defensin gene cluster on human 8p23.

Background: Copy number variation (CNV) in the range from 2 to 12 per diploid genome is an outstanding feature of the beta-defensin gene (DEFB) cluster on human chromosome 8p23.1 numerously demonstrated by different methods. So far, CNV was proven for a 115 kb region between DEFB4 and 21 kb proximal of DEFB107 but the borders for the entire CNV repeat unit are still unknown.

8p23 beta-defensin copy number determination by single-locus pseudogene-based paralog ratio tests risk bias due to low-frequency sequence variations.

Background: The copy number variation (CNV) in beta-defensin genes (DEFB) on human chromosome 8p23 has been proposed to contribute to the phenotypic differences in inflammatory diseases. However, determination of exact DEFB CN is a major challenge in association studies. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), paralog ratio tests (PRT) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) have been extensively used to determine DEFB CN in different laboratories, but inter-method inconsistencies were observed frequently.

Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes from closely related Rhynchosporium species reveals extensive intron invasion.

We sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of four closely related Rhynchosporium species that diverged ∼14,000-35,000years ago. During this time frame, three of the mt genomes expanded significantly due to an invasion of introns into three genes (cox1, cox2, and nad5). The enlarged mt genomes contained ∼40% introns compared to 8.

Distribution, functional impact, and origin mechanisms of copy number variation in the barley genome.

Background: There is growing evidence for the prevalence of copy number variation (CNV) and its role in phenotypic variation in many eukaryotic species. Here we use array comparative genomic hybridization to explore the extent of this type of structural variation in domesticated barley cultivars and wild barleys.

Results: A collection of 14 barley genotypes including eight cultivars and six wild barleys were used for comparative genomic hybridization.

The transcript catalogue of the short-lived fish Nothobranchius furzeri provides insights into age-dependent changes of mRNA levels.

Background: The African annual fish Nothobranchius furzeri has over recent years been established as a model species for ageing-related studies. This is mainly based on its exceptionally short lifespan and the presence of typical characteristics of vertebrate ageing. To substantiate its role as an alternative vertebrate ageing model, a transcript catalogue is needed, which can serve e.

Genomics-based high-resolution mapping of the BaMMV/BaYMV resistance gene rym11 in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Soil-borne barley yellow mosaic virus disease, caused by different strains of Barley yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) and Barley mild mosaic virus (BaMMV), is one of the most important diseases of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in Europe and East Asia. The recessive resistance gene rym11 located in the centromeric region of chromosome 4HL is effective against all so far known strains of BaMMV and BaYMV in Germany.

Association studies of the copy-number variable ß-defensin cluster on 8p23.1 in adenocarcinoma and chronic pancreatitis.

Background: Human ß-defensins are a family of antimicrobial peptides located at the mucosal surface. Both sequence multi-site variations (MSV) and copy-number variants (CNV) of the defensin-encoding genes are associated with increased risk for various diseases, including cancer and inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis and acute pancreatitis. In a case-control study, we investigated the association between MSV in DEFB104 as well as defensin gene (DEF) cluster copy number (CN), and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and chronic pancreatitis (CP).