Single and dual task gait training in people with Parkinson's Disease: A protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background  

Difficulty performing more than one task at a time (dual tasking) is a common and disabling problem experienced by people with Parkinson disease (PD). If asked to perform another task when walking, people with PD often take shorter steps or walk more slowly. Currently there is uncertainty about whether clinicians should teach people with PD to avoid dual tasking or whether they should encourage them to practice dual tasking with the hope that practice will lead to enhanced performance. This study will address this issue by comparing single to dual task gait training.     

Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene on postharvest physiological changes of ‘Zaohong’ plum

Plum is a highly perishable fruit and postharvest fruit softening limits its shelf life. The aim of this work was to study the specific effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment on physiological changes in ‘Zaohong’ plums. Plums were treated with 500 nL L⁻¹ 1-MCP at 20°C for 18 h followed by 20°C storage. The results showed that 1-MCP treatment significantly reduced endogenous ethylene production and the activities of ethylene biosynthetic enzymes’ (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase, ACS and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase, ACO) in plum fruit during storage when compared with untreated fruit. Although 1-MCP treatment inhibited ethylene production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) accumulation, it did not inhibit the accumulation of N-malonyl-ACC (MACC). Higher firmness was also found in 1-MCP-treated plums than in controls. During storage, superoxide anion (O₂^−·) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) levels decreased in 1-MCP-treated fruit. 1-MCP treatment also regulated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities during storage. Xylanase activity was upregulated while activities of polygalacturonase (PG), pectin methyl esterase (PME) and cellulase enzymes in the fruit were downregulated by 1-MCP treatment. In conclusion, 1-MCP might be a potent compound for extending both storage period and shelf life of ‘Zaohong’ plums by suppressing ethylene biosynthesis, regulating cell wall degradation enzymes and reducing fruit softening.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Amborella trichopoda</Emphasis>, plasmodesmata,and the evolution of phloem loading

Phloem loading is the process by which photoassimilates synthesized in the mesophyll cells of leaves enter the sieve elements and companion cells of minor veins in preparation for long distance transport to sink organs. Three loading strategies have been described: active loading from the apoplast, passive loading via the symplast, and passive symplastic transfer followed by polymer trapping of raffinose and stachyose. We studied phloem loading in Amborella trichopoda, a premontane shrub that may be sister to all other flowering plants. The minor veins of A. trichopoda contain intermediary cells, indicative of the polymer trap mechanism, forming an arc on the abaxial side and subtending a cluster of ordinary companion cells in the interior of the veins. Intermediary cells are linked to bundle sheath cells by highly abundant plasmodesmata whereas ordinary companion cells have few plasmodesmata, characteristic of phloem that loads from the apoplast. Intermediary cells, ordinary companion cells, and sieve elements form symplastically connected complexes. Leaves provided with ¹⁴CO₂ translocate radiolabeled sucrose, raffinose, and stachyose. Therefore, structural and physiological evidence suggests that both apoplastic and polymer trapping mechanisms of phloem loading operate in A. trichopoda. The evolution of phloem loading strategies is complex and may be difficult to resolve.     

The Role of Probiotics in the Treatment of Dysentery: a Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Diarrhea is considered as an important cause of morbidity and mortality, even though one of the main reasons of death following diarrhea is initiated by dysentery. In recent years, the consumption of probiotics has been proposed for the treatment of infectious diarrhea. Despite most of the studies on probiotics have focused on acute watery diarrhea, few studies in the field of dysentery have found beneficial effects of probiotics. This study is a randomized double-blind clinical trial. The patients were randomly placed into control and case groups. In the intervention group, the patients received probiotics in the form of Kidilact® sachet, which contained high amounts of 7-strain friendly bacteria strains of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium breve, and Streptococcus thermophiles. On the other hand, the patients in the control group received placebo sachets on a daily basis for 5 days. It is notable that the treatment protocol of acute dysentery was done on both groups. The results of this study showed significant differences in the duration of blood in diarrhea between probiotic consumers (2.62 days) and the control group (3.16 days) (P value = 0.05). Additionally, significant differences in the average length of hospitalization in probiotic consumers (3.16 days) and control (3.66 days), (P value = 0.02) could be claimed that the consumption of probiotics is effective in reducing the duration of dysentery and diarrhea. The results of this study suggest that the use of probiotics can be effective in reducing the duration of blood in diarrhea. This study was also recorded in the Iran center of clinical trials registration database (IRCT2014060617985N1).     

Increased tolerance to salt stress in the phosphate-accumulating <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> mutants <Emphasis Type="Italic">siz1</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">pho2</Emphasis>

High salinity is an environmental factor that inhibits plant growth and development, leading to large losses in crop yields. We report here that mutations in SIZ1 or PHO2, which cause more accumulation of phosphate compared with the wild type, enhance tolerance to salt stress. The siz1 and pho2 mutations reduce the uptake and accumulation of Na⁺. These mutations are also able to suppress the Na⁺ hypersensitivity of the sos3-1 mutant, and genetic analyses suggest that SIZ1 and SOS3 or PHO2 and SOS3 have an additive effect on the response to salt stress. Furthermore, the siz1 mutation cannot suppress the Li⁺ hypersensitivity of the sos3-1 mutant. These results indicate that the phosphate-accumulating mutants siz1 and pho2 reduce the uptake and accumulation of Na⁺, leading to enhanced salt tolerance, and that, genetically, SIZ1 and PHO2 are likely independent of SOS3-dependent salt signaling.     

Regional and local spatial genetic structure of Siberian primrose populations in Northern Europe

We have investigated the local and regional scale genetic structure of Siberian primrose (Primula nutans) populations in Northern Europe. The genetic diversity and structure of fifteen populations sampled from the Bothnian Bay in Finland, the Barents Sea in Norway and the White Sea in Russia were assessed using eleven microsatellite markers. We investigated the distribution of genetic variation within and between populations, and studied the local genetic structure using spatial autocorrelation analysis. We found very low genetic and allelic diversity in the Bothnian Bay and Barents Sea populations, and only slightly higher in the White Sea population. The level of genetic differentiation between the regions was very high, whereas differentiation between the populations within the regions was moderate. We found no spatial structuring of populations in any region suggesting efficient dispersal on a local scale. Clonal reproduction seemed to have no effect on genetic structure.     

Chromium (VI) Can Activate and Impair Antioxidant Defense System

The changes in glutathione-dependent cycle enzymes and catalase activities under Cr(VI)-induced oxidative stress were investigated in two distinct cell lines: L-41−human epithelial-like cells and HLF−fetal human diploid lung fibroblasts, which differ in tissue origin, proliferation, and antioxidant enzymes activities. The chromium concentrations from 1 to 5 μM cause nontoxic effects and activate antioxidant enzymes to overcome oxidative stress. In spite of some differences in the endogenous antioxidant activities, both cell lines reveal the same range of toxic concentrations (20–30 μM). The irreversible inhibition of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes develops under toxic concentrations and serves as a marker of toxicity. The endogenous antioxidant activity influences time-dependent expression of Cr(VI) toxicity and the dynamics of antioxidant enzymes activity under nontoxic conditions. The cell antioxidant defense system is an important marker of the cell adaptive capacity under nontoxic and toxic conditions.     

Breeding mute swan habitat selection when accounting for detectability: a plastic behaviour consistent with rapidly expanding populations

A number of native and exotic animal species show dramatic population increases in terms of both numbers and geographic range. Understanding the habitat selection processes behind such increases is crucial to implement adequate management measures. Mute swan (Cygnus olor) populations have experienced a tremendous demographic and geographic expansion in Western Europe during the twentieth century, colonizing a wide variety of aquatic habitats. We aimed at assessing how swans select nesting sites during the pre-laying and laying periods on medium to large fishponds (from 10 to 50 ha) in Eastern France, while accounting for detectability biases and testing for the effects of fishpond spatial configuration, vegetation resources, human disturbance and habitat management. Our results demonstrate that the mute swan is a non-selective species regarding its nesting habitat among such fishponds, using these independently from the parameters considered although fishpond characteristics varied. Although mute swan is one of the least cryptic Anatidae, owing to its white colour and large size, detection of breeding pairs remained imperfect for each over several sampling occasions. However, because we repeated the sampling sessions, detection of swan pairs by the end of the monitoring period was as high as 0.94. These results are consistent with previous assertions that the mute swan is a species of high ecological plasticity, which may partly explain its recent colonization rates. Given that even swan breeding events were imperfectly detected on each occasion, we highlight the fact that most studies of breeding ducks (which are more cryptic) would be considerably improved by better considering detection biases.     

Auxin-inducible protein depletion system in fission yeast

Background  

Inducible inactivation of a protein is a powerful approach for analysis of its function within cells. Fission yeast is a useful model for studying the fundamental mechanisms such as chromosome maintenance and cell cycle. However, previously published strategies for protein-depletion are successful only for some proteins in some specific conditions and still do not achieve efficient depletion to cause acute phenotypes such as immediate cell cycle arrest. The aim of this work was to construct a useful and powerful protein-depletion system in Shizosaccaromyces pombe.