Evaluation of maize inbred lines resistance to ear rot disease and fumonisin accumulation in Moghan

Reaction of 10 maize inbred lines against Fusarium verticillioides and fumonisin accumulation were evaluated under field conditions with three replications in Pars Abad-e-Moghan, Iran. For artificial inoculation, the inbred lines were inoculated with spore suspension in concentration of 1 × 10⁶ ml^?1 7–10 days after emergence of silk, using nail punch method. To evaluate the development of the disease, its severity percent and grain yield (g plant^?1) was determined two months after inoculation. Total fumonisin produced on maize grains were also evaluated by ELISA kits. The results showed inbred lines K19, K19/1 and K74/1 were susceptible and the rest of the inbred lines were moderately resistant to the diseases. Among moderately resistant inbred lines, A679 and K18 had lowest fumonisin accumulation. Average of the fumonisin accumulation under natural infection condition (control) was 3.37 mg kg^?1 while it was 29 mg kg^?1 under artificial infection condition, which was 760% more than control.     

Design and implementation of microarray gene expression markup language (MAGE-ML)

Background

Meaningful exchange of microarray data is currently difficult because it is rare that published data provide sufficient information depth or are even in the same format from one publication to another. Only when data can be easily exchanged will the entire biological community be able to derive the full benefit from such microarray studies.

Results

To this end we have developed three key ingredients towards standardizing the storage and exchange of microarray data. First, we have created a minimal information for the annotation of a microarray experiment (MIAME)-compliant conceptualization of microarray experiments modeled using the unified modeling language (UML) named MAGE-OM (microarray gene expression object model). Second, we have translated MAGE-OM into an XML-based data format, MAGE-ML, to facilitate the exchange of data. Third, some of us are now using MAGE (or its progenitors) in data production settings. Finally, we have developed a freely available software tool kit (MAGE-STK) that eases the integration of MAGE-ML into end users' systems.

Conclusions

MAGE will help microarray data producers and users to exchange information by providing a common platform for data exchange, and MAGE-STK will make the adoption of MAGE easier.     

Identifying Catalytic Active Sites of Trimolybdenum Phosphide (Mo3P) for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

Solid‐state electrocatalysis plays a crucial role in the development of renewable energy to reshape current and future energy needs. However, finding an inexpensive and highly active catalyst to replace precious metals remains a big challenge for this technology. Here, tri‐molybdenum phosphide (Mo₃P) is found as a promising nonprecious metal and earth‐abundant candidate with outstanding catalytic properties that can be used for electrocatalytic processes. The catalytic performance of Mo₃P nanoparticles is tested in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results indicate an onset potential of as low as 21 mV, H₂ formation rate, and exchange current density of 214.7 µmol s^?1 g^?1_cat (at only 100 mV overpotential) and 279.07 µA cm^?2, respectively, which are among the closest values yet observed to platinum. Combined atomic‐scale characterizations and computational studies confirm that high density of molybdenum (Mo) active sites at the surface with superior intrinsic electronic properties are mainly responsible for the remarkable HER performance. The density functional theory calculation results also confirm that the exceptional performance of Mo₃P is due to neutral Gibbs free energy (ΔG_H*) of the hydrogen (H) adsorption at above 1/2 monolayer (ML) coverage of the (110) surface, exceeding the performance of existing non‐noble metal catalysts for HER.     

CXCL4 Plasma Levels Are Not Associated with the Extent of Coronary Artery Disease or with Coronary Plaque Morphology

Background

CXCL4 is a platelet chemokine released at micromolar concentrations upon platelet activation. CXCL4 has been shown to promote atherogenesis by various mechanisms. However, data on CXCL4 plasma levels in patients with coronary artery disease are largely inconclusive. Computed coronary artery angiography (CCTA) represents an excellent tool to quantify and characterize coronary atherosclerotic plaques. We hypothesized that increased CXCL4 plasma levels may be associated with features of plaque instability resulting in adverse cardiovascular events. Specifically, we sought to determine whether CXCL4 levels are correlated with specific features of coronary artery disease including (1) plaque volume, (2) calcium score, (3) degree of stenosis, or (4) vascular remodeling.

Methods and Results

CXCL4 plasma levels were measured by ELISA in 217 patients undergoing CCTA for suspected CAD (mean age 64.2 ± 9.4 years, 107 (49.3%) male). Mean CXCL4 plasma levels were 12.5 ± 4.6 ng/mL. There was no significant correlation between CXCL4 levels and any clinical or demographic parameters including cardiovascular risk factors. CXCL4 plasma levels did not differ between patient with or without coronary artery disease (CAD: 12.5 ± 4.5 ng/ml, no CAD: 12.5 ± 4.8 ng/ml). Neither univariate nor multivariate analysis showed an association between CXCL4 levels and plaque volume, total calcium score, degree of stenosis, or vascular remodeling. Subgroup analysis of patients with CAD as confirmed by CCTA did not show any association of CXCL4 levels with the extent of CAD.

Conclusions

While CXCL4 may be present and active within the arterial wall, local increase of CXCL4 may not translate into systemically elevated CXCL4 levels. Further studies will have to test whether CXCL4 may still represent a suitable therapeutic target in human atherosclerosis.     

Methyltetrahydrofolate vs Folic Acid Supplementation in Idiopathic Recurrent Miscarriage with Respect to Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T and A1298C Polymorphisms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose

To determine whether 5-methylenetetrahydrofolate (MTHF) is more effective than folic acid supplementation in treatment of recurrent abortion in different MTHFR gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms.

Methods

A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted April 2011-September 2014 in recurrent abortion clinics in Tehran, Iran. The participants were women with three or more idiopathic recurrent abortion, aged 20 to 45 years. Two hundred and twenty eligible women who consented to participate were randomly assigned to receive either folic acid or 5-MTHF according to the stratified blocked randomization by age and the number of previous abortions. Participants took daily 1 mg 5-methylentetrahydrofolate or 1 mg folic acid from at least 8 weeks before conception to the 20^th week of the pregnancy. The primary outcome was ongoing pregnancy rate at 20^th week of pregnancy, and the secondary outcomes were serum folate and homocysteine at the baseline, after 8 weeks, and at the gestational age of 4, 8, 12, and 20 weeks, MTHFR gene C677T and A1298C polymorphisms.

Results

There was no significant difference in abortion rate between two groups. Serum folate increased significantly in both groups over time; these changes were significantly higher in the group receiving 5-MTHF than the group receiving folic acid (value = 2.39, p<00.1) and the result was the same by considering the time (value = 1.24, p<0.01). Plasma tHcys decreased significantly in both groups over time; however these changes were not significantly different between the groups (value = 0.01, p = 0.47).

Conclusion

The results do not support any beneficial effect of 5-MTHF vs. folate supplementation in women with recurrent abortion with any MTHFR C677T and/or A1298C polymorphism.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01976676","term_id":"NCT01976676"}}NCT01976676     

Light-directed synthesis of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) chips

We report herein the light-directed synthesis of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) microarray using PNA monomers protected by photolabile protecting groups and a maskless technique that uses a digital micromirror array system to form virtual masks. An ultraviolet image from the virtual mask was cast onto the active surface of a glass substrate, which was mounted in a flow cell reaction chamber connected to a peptide synthesizer. Light exposure was followed by automatic chemical coupling cycles and these steps were repeated with different virtual masks to grow the desired PNA probes in a selected pattern. In a preliminary experiment, an array of PNA probes with dimensions of 4.11 mm × 4.11 mm was generated on each slide. Each synthesis region in the final array measured 210 μm × 210 μm for a total of 256 sites. The center-to-center space was 260 μm. It was observed from the hybridization pattern of the fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide targets that the fluorescence intensities of the matched, and mismatched sequences showed substantial difference, demonstrating specificity in the identification of complementary sequences. This opens the way to exploit processes from the microelectronics industry for the fabrication of PNA microarrays with high densities.     

Demand for human allograft tissue in Canada

There is relatively little known about the demand for allograft tissues in Canada. The Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation (CCDT) is a national advisory body that undertook a comprehensive “market survey” to estimate surgical demand for human allograft tissues in Canada. The report “Demand for Human Allograft Tissue in Canada” reflects survey results sent to 5 prominent User Groups. User Groups were identified as orthopaedic surgeons; neurosurgeons; corneal transplant surgeons; plastic surgeons, specifically those at Canadian Burn Units; and cardiac surgeons (adult and paediatric surgery). The demand for allograft grafts was determined and then extrapolated across the total User Group and then increases in allograft tissue use over the next 1–2 years across User Groups were predicted. The overall response rate for the survey was 21.4%. It varied from a low of 19.6% for the orthopaedic survey to a high of 40.5% for the corneal survey. The estimated current demand for allograft tissue in Canada ranges from a low of 34,442 grafts per year to a high of 62,098 grafts per year. The predicted increase in use of allograft tissue over the next 1–2 year period would suggest that annual demand could rise to somewhere in the range of 42,589–72,210 grafts. The highest rated preferences (98% and 94%) were for accredited and Canadian tissue banks, respectively. This study represents a key step in addressing the paucity of information concerning the demand for allograft tissue in Canada.