Effects of reconstruction methods on dose distribution for lung stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment plans

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics - The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of tumour motion on various imaging strategies as well as on treatment plan accuracy for lung...     

Evolutionary origins of taro (Colocasia esculenta) in Southeast Asia

As an ancient clonal root and leaf crop, taro (Colocasia esculenta, Araceae) is highly polymorphic with uncertain genetic and geographic origins. We explored chloroplast DNA diversity in cultivated and wild taros, and closely related wild taxa, and found cultivated taro to be polyphyletic, with tropical and temperate clades that appear to originate in Southeast Asia sensu lato. A third clade was found exclusively in wild populations from Southeast Asia to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Our findings do not support the hypothesis of taro domestication in Papua New Guinea, despite archaeological evidence for early use or cultivation there, and the presence of apparently natural wild populations in the region (Australia and Papua New Guinea).     

Development of unit cost for the health services offered at King FAHD Central hospital Jazan,Saudi Arabia

BackgroundEfficiency remains one of the most important drivers of decision making in health care system. Fund allocators need to receive structured information about the cost healthcare services from hospitals for better decisions related to resource allocation and budgeting. The objective of the study was to estimate the unit cost for health services offered to inpatients in King Fahd Central hospital (KFCH) Jazan during the financial year 2018.MethodsWe applied a retrospective approach using a top-down costing method to estimate the cost of health care services. Clinical and Administrative departments divided into cost centres, and the unit cost was calculated by dividing the total cost of final care cost centres into the total number of patients discharged in one year. The average cost of inpatient services was calculated based on the average cost of each ward and the number of patients treated.ResultsThe average cost per patient stayed in KFCH was SAR 19,034, with the highest cost of SAR 108,561 for patients in the Orthopedic ward. The average cost of the patient in the Surgery ward, Plastic surgery, Neurosurgery, Medical ward, Pediatric ward and Gynecology ward was SAR 33,033, SAR 29,425, SAR 23,444, SAR 20,450, SAR 9579 and SAR 8636 respectively.ConclusionThis study provides necessary information about the cost of health care services in a tertiary care setting. This information can be used as a primary tool and reference for further studies in other regions of the country. Hence, this data can help to provide a better understanding of tertiary hospital costing in the region to achieve the privatization objective.     

The relationship between the presence of ADHD and certain candidate gene polymorphisms in a Turkish sample

Due to the high heritability of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), parents of children with ADHD appear to represent a good sample group for investigating the genetics of the disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between ADHD and six polymorphisms in five candidate genes [5-HT2A (rs6311), NET1 (rs2242447), COMT (rs4818), NTF3 (rs6332), SNAP-25 (rs3746544) and (rs1051312)]. We included 228 parents of children diagnosed with ADHD and 109 healthy parents as the control group. The polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays and analyzed using the chi-square test and the multinomial logit model. SNAP-25 (rs3746544) polymorphism was associated with loading for ADHD, while 5-HT2A (rs6311) and NET1 (rs2242447) polymorphisms were associated with ADHD. On the other hand, there was no significant association between the SNAP-25 (rs1051312), NTF3 (rs6332), or COMT (rs4818) gene polymorphisms and ADHD.     

Identification of chloroplast genome loci suitable for high‐resolution phylogeographic studies of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott (Araceae) and closely related taxa

Recently, we reported the chloroplast genome‐wide association of oligonucleotide repeats, indels and nucleotide substitutions in aroid chloroplast genomes. We hypothesized that the distribution of oligonucleotide repeat sequences in a single representative genome can be used to identify mutational hotspots and loci suitable for population genetic, phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies. Using information on the location of oligonucleotide repeats in the chloroplast genome of taro (Colocasia esculenta), we designed 30 primer pairs to amplify and sequence polymorphic loci. The primers have been tested in a range of intra‐specific to intergeneric comparisons, including ten taro samples (Colocasia esculenta) from diverse geographical locations, four other Colocasia species (C. affinis, C. fallax, C. formosana, C. gigantea) and three other aroid genera (represented by Remusatia vivipara, Alocasia brisbanensis and Amorphophallus konjac). Multiple sequence alignments for the intra‐specific comparison revealed nucleotide substitutions (point mutations) at all 30 loci and microsatellite polymorphisms at 14 loci. The primer pairs reported here reveal levels of genetic variation suitable for high‐resolution phylogeographic and evolutionary studies of taro and other closely related aroids. Our results confirm that information on repeat distribution can be used to identify loci suitable for such studies, and we expect that this approach can be used in other plant groups.     

Synthesis and evaluation of naphthalene-based thiosemicarbazone derivatives as new anticancer agents against LNCaP prostate cancer cells

Fourteen new naphthalene-based thiosemicarbazone derivatives were designed as anticancer agents against LNCaP human prostate cancer cells and synthesized. MTT assay indicated that compounds 6, 8 and 11 exhibited inhibitory effect on LNCaP cells. Among these compounds, 4-(naphthalen-1-yl)-1-[1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethylidene)thiosemicarbazide (6), which caused more than 50% death on LNCaP cells, was chosen for flow cytometric analysis of apoptosis. Flow cytometric analysis pointed out that compound 6 also showed apoptotic effect on LNCaP cells. Compound 6 can be considered as a promising anticancer agent against LNCaP cells owing to its potent cytotoxic activity and apoptotic effect.     

Oxynoemacheilus cemali,a new species of stone loach (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae) from the Çoruh River drainage,Turkey

Oxynoemacheilus cemali sp. nov. is described from the Çoruh River drainage in the eastern Black Sea basin. One molecular marker (coI), 25 morphometric and four meristic characters were analysed. Oxynoemacheilus cemali is distinguished from O. kosswigi, O. banarescui, O. samanticus and O. angorae in the Black Sea basin by having a suborbital groove in males, an axillary lobe at the pelvic-fin base, no dorsal adipose crest on the caudal peduncle, a slightly-forked caudal fin and 7–15 dark grey dorsal saddles. Morever, Oxynoemacheilus cemali is distinguished by commonly having 9–15 irregularly-shaped dark-grey bars on the flank posterior to the dorsal-fin origin or, rarely having a mottled pattern or 4–6 irregularly shaped dark-grey bars on the flank posterior to the dorsal-fin origin. Oxynoemacheilus cemali is also distinguished from the closely related species O. araxensis and O. cyri, distributed outside the Black Sea basin, by having 15 and 31 diagnostic nucleotide substitutions in the coI barcode region, respectively.     

The role of shoot-localized processes in the mechanism of Zn efficiency in common bean

Zn efficiency (ZE) is the ability of plants to maintain high yield under Zn-deficiency stress in the soil. Two bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes that differed in ZE, Voyager (Zn-efficient) and Avanti (Zn-inefficient), were used for this investigation. Plants were grown under controlled-environment conditions in chelate-buffered nutrient solution where Zn²⁺ activities were controlled at low (0.1 pM) or sufficient (150 pM) levels. To investigate the relative contribution of the root versus the shoot to ZE, observations of Zn-deficiency symptoms in reciprocal grafts of the two genotypes were made. After growth under low-Zn conditions, plants of nongrafted Avanti, self-grafted Avanti and reciprocal grafts that had the Avanti shoot scion exhibited Zn-deficiency symptoms. However nongrafted and self-grafted Voyager, as well as reciprocal grafts with the Voyager shoot scion, were healthy with no visible Zn-deficiency symptoms under the same growth conditions. More detailed investigations into putative shoot-localized ZE mechanisms involved determinations of leaf biomass production and Zn accumulation, measurements of subcellular Zn compartmentation, activities of two Zn-requiring enzymes, carbonic anhydrase and Cu/Zn-dependent superoxide dismutase (Co/ZnSOD), as well as the non-Zn-requiring enzyme nitrate reductase. There were no differences in shoot tissue Zn concentrations between the Zn-inefficient and Zn-efficient genotypes grown under the low-Zn conditions where differences in ZE were exhibited. Shoot Zn compartmentation was investigated using radiotracer (⁶⁵Zn) efflux analysis and suggested that the Zn-efficient genotype maintains higher cytoplasmic Zn concentrations and less Zn in the leaf-cell vacuole, compared to leaves from the Zn-inefficient genotype under Zn deficiency. Analysis of Zn-requiring enzymes in bean leaves revealed that the Zn-efficient genotype maintains significantly higher levels of carbonic anhydrase and Cu/ZnSOD activity under Zn deficiency. While these data are not sufficient to allow us to determine the specific mechanisms underlying ZE, they certainly point to the shoot as a key site where ZE mechanisms are functioning, and could involve processes associated with Zn compartmentation and biochemical Zn utilization.Abbreviations CA Carbonic anhydrase - NR Nitrate reductase - SOD Superoxide dismutase - ZE Zinc efficiency This research was supported by a graduate fellowship awarded to G.H. by The Republic of Turkey     

Effect of regular training on plasma thiols,malondialdehyde and carnitine concentrations in young soccer players

Physical activity is known to induce oxidative stress in individuals subjected to intense exercise. Contrarily, there are enzymatic and nonenzymatic defence systems against oxygen radicals in aerobic organisms. Sulphydryl groups such as thiol and glutathione (GSH) can be given as an example to non-enzymatic low molecular weight antioxidants. Carnitine may be related to the performance enhancement in high intensity intermittent exercises and might probably improve the aerobic capacity by stimulating lipid oxidation in muscle cells during long term exercise. But, the effects caused by this supplement during physical activity have not been fully described in the literature. The aim of the study was to compare plasma thiols (PSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carnitine levels and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2(max)) of the soccers under regular training with the values of the healthy controls. Our results demonstrates that soccers seem to be under less oxidative stress, as their MDA levels were significantly lower (P < 0.001) when compared with the control group while their PSH levels were significantly elevated (P < 0.001), during resting condition. In addition, the plasma carnitine concentrations of the soccer group yields lower values while the VO2(max) yields a higher value when compared with the control group. The differences between the soccer and the control groups are significant (for both, P < 0.001). The present research reveals the fact that regular soccer training shows beneficial effect on decreasing of lipid peroxidation levels. Furthermore; the sportsmen who are under intense training programs have low plasma carnitine values which do not cause negative effect on their sportive performance.