The generic position of Stachys tibetica Vatke and amalgamation of the genera Eriophyton and Stachyopsis (Lamiaceae subfam. Lamioideae)

We have investigated the phylogenetic position of Stachys tibetica by use of both plastid (rps16 intron, trnL-F region and matK) and nuclear ribosomal (ITS) DNA sequence data and both parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic methods. All data corroborate that S. tibetica is extraneous in Stachys (tribe Stachydeae) and suggest a phylogenetic affiliation in a different lamioid tribe, Lamieae. The molecular data suggest that the species is most closely related to the genus Stachyopsis, while most of the morphological data suggest an intermediate position between Stachyopsis and Eriophyton. Due to difficulties in distinguishing Stachyopsis and Eriophyton, and the possible embedding of the former in the latter genus, we prefer to amalgamate the two closely related genera and refer S. tibetica to the expanded Eriophyton. As a consequence, five new combinations are made: Eriophyton lamiflorum (Rupr.) Bräuchler, Eriophyton maleolens (Rech.f.) Salmaki, Eriophyton marrubioides (Regel) Ryding, Eriophyton oblongatum (Schrenk) Bendiksby and Eriophyton tibeticum (Vatke) Ryding.     

Microbial rRNA gene expression and co‐occurrence profiles associate with biokinetics and elemental composition in full‐scale anaerobic digesters

This study examined whether the abundance and expression of microbial 16S rRNA genes were associated with elemental concentrations and substrate conversion biokinetics in 20 full‐scale anaerobic digesters, including seven municipal sewage sludge (SS) digesters and 13 industrial codigesters. SS digester contents had higher methane production rates from acetate, propionate and phenyl acetate compared to industrial codigesters. SS digesters and industrial codigesters were distinctly clustered based on their elemental concentrations, with higher concentrations of NH₃‐N, Cl, K and Na observed in codigesters. Amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and reverse‐transcribed 16S rRNA revealed divergent grouping of microbial communities between mesophilic SS digesters, mesophilic codigesters and thermophilic digesters. Higher intradigester distances between Archaea 16S rRNA and rRNA gene profiles were observed in mesophilic codigesters, which also had the lowest acetate utilization biokinetics. Constrained ordination showed that microbial rRNA and rRNA gene profiles were significantly associated with maximum methane production rates from acetate, propionate, oleate and phenyl acetate, as well as concentrations of NH₃‐N, Fe, S, Mo and Ni. A co‐occurrence network of rRNA gene expression confirmed the three main clusters of anaerobic digester communities based on active populations. Syntrophic and methanogenic taxa were highly represented within the subnetworks, indicating that obligate energy‐sharing partnerships play critical roles in stabilizing the digester microbiome. Overall, these results provide new evidence showing that different feed substrates associate with different micronutrient compositions in anaerobic digesters, which in turn may influence microbial abundance, activity and function.     

Neuropathological and genomic characterization of glioblastoma-induced rat model: How similar is it to humans for targeted therapy?

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a unique aggressive tumor and mostly develops in the brain, while rarely spreading out of the central nervous system. It is associated with a high mortality rate; despite tremendous efforts having been made for effective therapy, tumor recurrence occurs with high prevalence. To elucidate the mechanisms that lead to new drug discovery, animal models of tumor progression is one of the oldest and most beneficial approaches to not only investigating the aggressive nature of the tumor, but also improving preclinical research. It is also a useful tool for predicting novel therapies' effectiveness as well as side effects. However, there are concerns that must be considered, such as the heterogeneity of tumor, biological properties, pharma dynamic, and anatomic shapes of the models, which have to be similar to humans as much as possible. Although several methods and various species have been used for this approach, the real recapitulation of the human tumor has been left under discussion. The GBM model, which has been verified in this study, has been established by using the Rat C6 cell line. By exploiting bioinformatic tools, the similarities between aberrant gene expression and pathways have been predicted. In this regard, 610 common genes and a number of pathways have been detected. Moreover, while magnetic resonance imaging analysis enables us to compare tumor features between these two specious, pathological findings provides most of the human GBM characteristics. Therefore, the present study provides genomics, pathologic, and imaging evidence for showing the similarities between human and rat GBM models.     

Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, Northeast Iran

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00588.x
Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, Northeast Iran Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, northeast of Iran. Background: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of oral lesions in the institutionalized elderly. Methods: In this survey, we studied all of the nursing homes in Mashhad; a total of five encompassing 237 residents. The subjects were examined and lesions recorded in a designed checklist. T‐test, chi‐square and Fisher’s exact tests were used for the analysis. Results: The mean age of the patients was 79.59 ± 8.88. Ninety‐eight per cent of cases had at least one oral mucosal lesion. The most common lesions were fissured tongue (66.5%), atrophic glossitis (48.8%), sublingual varicosity (42%) and xerostomia (38%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of denture‐related lesions (DRLs) between men and women (p > 0.05). Xerostomia was more prevalent in 70–79‐year‐old than in 60–69‐year‐old subjects. No case of oral malignant lesion was detected. Discussion: These findings revealed a higher prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in Mashhad city compared with other studies conducted in other major cities in Iran and abroad. The results emphasise the necessity of national programmes towards oral health promotion.     

Abdominal pain as presentation of Takayasu's arteritis in an adolescent male patient

We describe a boy with chronic abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and weight loss. The imaging was compatible with Takayasu's arteritis. Chronic mesenteric ischemia was the etiology of the patient's symptoms.     

Alloreactive CD4 T cell activation in vivo: an autonomous function of the indirect pathway of alloantigen presentation

Activation of alloreactive CD4 T cells occurs via the direct and indirect pathways of alloantigen presentation. A novel TCR/alloantigen transgenic system was designed that permitted in vivo visualization of CD4 T cell priming through these pathways. When both pathways of alloantigen presentation were intact, CD4 T cell activation in response to cardiac allografts was rapid and systemic by day 4 after transplantation, in contrast to that seen in response to skin allografts, which was delayed until 10-12 days after transplantation. Despite this systemic CD4 T cell activation in response to cardiac allografts, there was a paucity of activated graft-infiltrating CD4 T cells at 4 days posttransplantation. This finding suggests that the initial priming of alloimmune CD4 T cell responses occurs within draining lymphoid organs. Furthermore, alloantigens derived from cardiac allografts failed to promote thymic negative selection of developing thymocytes expressing the alloreactive TCR clonotype. In the absence of a functional direct pathway, the kinetics of activation, anatomic localization, and effector function of alloreactive CD4 T cells remained unchanged. Overall, the present study defines the anatomic and temporal characteristics of CD4 T cell alloimmune responses and demonstrates that CD4 T cell priming via the indirect pathway proceeds optimally in the absence of the direct pathway of alloantigen presentation.