Nonea dumanii sp. nov. (Boraginaceae) from the Taurus mountains (south Turkey)

The new species Nonea dumanii, endemic to the mountains of the western Taurus in south Turkey (C4 Antalya), is described an illustrated based on original collections by the authors. Karyological observations and analysis of ITS1 DNA sequences showed that the species is probably hexaploid with 2n = 6x = 60 and has phylogenetic affinity to the diploid N. monticola from the Paphlagonian mountains as well as to the tetraploid N. anchusoides from northwest Iran and southeast Turkey. From these allopatric species it is morphologically distinct in characters of the indumentum, flower and fruit. Polyploidy is supported as a major driving force for speciation in Nonea, especially in the group of Anatolian mountain species with primary base number x = 10.     

Patterns of cervical metastasis from carcinoma of the oral tongue

Background  

Cancer of the oral tongue is the second most common cancer among males in various parts of India. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment the failure rates in cancer of the oral tongue are high and survival poor. Majority of these failures occur in untreated neck.     

Alterations in tumour suppressor gene p53 in human gliomas from Indian patients

Alterations in the tumour suppressorp53 gene are among the most common defects seen in a variety of human cancers. In order to study the significance of thep53 gene in the genesis and development of human glioma from Indian patients, we checked 44 untreated primary gliomas for mutations in exons 5–9 of thep53 gene by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing. Sequencing analysis revealed six missense mutations. The incidence of p53 mutations was 13⋅6% (6 of 44). All the six mutations were found to be located in the central core domain of p53, which carries the sequence-specific DNA-binding domain. These results suggest a rather low incidence but a definite involvement of p53 mutations in the gliomas of Indian patients.     

Single nucleotide polymorphism for animal fibre identification

Animal fibres are highly valuable industrial products often adulterated during marketing. Currently, there is no precise method available to identify and differentiate the fibres. In this study, a PCR-RFLP technique was exploited to differentiate cashmere and wool fibres derived from goat and sheep, respectively. The presence of DNA in animal hair shafts has enabled the isolation of DNA from scoured cashmere and wool fibres. The mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of both species were amplified by PCR using primers designed from conserved regions. The polymorphism observed between the two species was detected by restricting the amplified product by endonucleases viz., BamH1 and Ssp1. The RFLP profile clearly distinguishes the cashmere and wool fibres and this technique can also be exploited to test adulteration in animal fibres qualitatively.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the macaque sperm associated antigen 9 (SPAG9): an orthologue of human SPAG9 gene

The present study was conducted to isolate macaque proteomic homologue of human SPAG9 (EMBL nomenclature human sperm associated antigen 9: hSPAG9; Shankar et al., 1998: Biochem Biophys Res Commun 243:561-565) in order to find out whether the macaque can provide a suitable model for examining its immunocontraception effects. Macaque SPAG9 was cloned and sequenced from the macaque testis cDNA library. The macaque cDNA contained open reading frame encoding 712 amino acids. A 84.9% and 94% homology between macaque and human SPAG9 was found at protein and DNA levels. Northern analysis and RNA in situ hybridization experiments revealed testis- and stage-specific expressions of macaque SPAG9 mRNA, mainly confined to round spermatid suggesting haploid germ cell expression. Anti-human SPAG9 antibodies recognized native SPAG9 in macaque sperm extract in Western blotting and the acrosomal compartment region of macaque sperm in indirect immunofluorescence. Flow cytometry analysis further revealed surface localization of macaque SPAG9 in live macaque sperm. The amino acid sequence data for nonhuman primate SPAG9 suggest that antibodies generated by vaccinating macaque with hSPAG9 will recognize nonhuman primate SPAG9, supporting the testing of SPAG9 contraceptive vaccine based on hSPAG9 in the nonhuman primate model.     

Light Alters Cytosolic and Plastidic Phosphorylase Distribution in Pearl Millet Leaves

Treatment of pollinated pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Alaska, line V1) ovaries with 3,5-dioxo-4-butyryl-cyclohexane carboxylic acid ethyl ester (LAB), an acylcyclohexanedione derivative that competitively inhibits 2-oxoglutarate-dependent gibberellin (GA) dioxygenases, caused a reduction of pod elongation proportional to the amount of inhibitor applied. The effect of LAB was counteracted by GA1 and GA3, and partially by GA20. The inhibitor decreased the contents of GA1 and GA3 (the purported active GAs) and GA8, increased those of GA19 and GA20, and did not affect that of GA29 in both the pod and the developing seeds. These results provide evidence that GA1 and/or GA3 control pod development in pea and show that GA20 is not active per se. In contrast to its effect on pollinated ovaries, LAB promoted parthenocarpic development of unpollinated ovaries, which is associated with an increase of GA1 and GA8 content. The inhibitor enhanced the response of unpollinated ovaries to GA1 and GA20, but it did not alter the response to GA3. LAB is proposed to promote parthenocarpic development and enhance the response to exogenous GAs by blocking the 2[beta]-hydroxylation of GA1 more efficiently than 3[beta]-hydroxylation of GA20.     

The S7 ribosomal protein gene is truncated and overlaps a cytochrome c biogenesis gene in pea mitochondria

The pea mitochondrial genome contains a truncated rps7 gene lacking ca. 40 codons at its 5 terminus. This single-copy sequence is immediately downstream of and slightly overlapping an actively transcribed and edited reading frame of 744 bp (designated ccb248) homologous to the bacterial helC gene which encodes a subunit of the ABC-type heme transporter involved in cytochrome c biogenesis. This region of mitochondrial DNA appears recombinogenic, and the carboxy-termini of helC-type proteins are predicted to vary in sequence and length among plants. Sequences corresponding to the 5 coding region of rps7 were not detected elsewhere in the pea mitochondrial genome using wheat rps7 probes, and only a very short internal rps7 segment was observed in soybean mitochondrial DNA. The presence of rps7-homologous sequences in the nuclear genomes of pea and soybean is consistent with the recent transfer of a functional mitochondrial rps7 gene to the nucleus in certain plant lineages.     

The relationship between chronotype,sleep disturbance,severity of fibromyalgia,and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia

ABSTRACT

Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) report high levels of sleep disturbance and chronic diffuse musculoskeletal pain. These patients experience diminished quality of life (QoL) due to pain and other comorbidities. Chronotype preferences have been suggested as a potential factor connecting increased severity of FM, sleep disturbances, and poor overall QoL. The present study is the first study examining the possible association between chronotype preferences, sleep disturbance, severity of FM, and QoL in patients with FM.

One hundred drug-free patients diagnosed with FM participated in this cross-sectional study. Of them, 79 (79%) were females and 21 (21%) were males. The mean age was 41.65 ± 9.17 years (range: 21–62 years). The severity of FM symptoms, chronotype preferences, and QoL was evaluated using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life: Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF). The participants’ anxiety/depressive symptoms and sleep problems were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

The participants were classified according to their MEQ scores as evening type (score: 16–41), neither type (score: 42–58), and morning type (score: 59–86). It was found that there were significant differences in the FIQ score between the three groups (p < .001). It was determined that the total PSQI score was significantly higher in the evening type than the other two types (p < .05). It was found that there were significant differences in the general health, physical health, psychological, and environmental domain scores of the WHOQOL-BREF between the three groups (p < .05). It was detected that there were significant correlations between MEQ scores, WHOQOL-BREF subscale scores, FIQ scores, HADS-A and HADS-D scores, and PSQI scores. According to hierarchical regression analysis, eveningness preference explained an additional 21.9% of the variation in FM severity, thereby causing a statistically significant change in R-squared.

Our results indicated that eveningness preference was directly related to increased FM symptom severity and poorer QoL. Based on these findings, neglecting to take chronotype preference into account may not result in optimal response to standard treatment for some patients with FM.