Plant Secondary Metabolites with an Overview of Populus

Populus trees meet continuous difficulties from the environment through their life cycle. To warrant their durability and generation, Populus trees exhibit various types of defenses, including the production of secondary metabolites. Syntheses derived from the shikimate-phenylpropanoid pathway are a varied and plentiful class of secondary metabolites manufactured in Populus. Amongst other main classes of secondary metabolites in Populus are fatty acid and terpenoid-derivatives. Many of the secondary metabolites made by Populus trees have been functionally described. Any others have been associated with particular ecological or biological processes, such as resistance against pests and microbial pathogens or acclimatization to abiotic stresses. Still, the functions of many Populus secondary metabolites are incompletely understood. Furthermore, many secondary metabolites have therapeutic effects, leading to more studies of secondary metabolites and their biosynthesis. This paper reviews the biosynthetic pathways and therapeutic impacts of secondary metabolites in Populus using a genomics approach. Compared with bacteria, fewer known pathways produce secondary metabolites in Populus despite P. trichocarpa having had its genome sequenced.

Luminescent film: Biofouling investigation of tetraphenylethylene blended polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane

Despite the huge contribution of membrane-based brine and wastewater purification systems in today's life, biofouling still affects sustainability of membrane engineering. Aimed at reducing membrane modules wastage, the need to study biofouling monitoring as one of contributory factors stemmed from the short time between initial attachment and irreversible biofoulant adhesion. Hence, a membrane for monitoring is introduced to determine the right cleaning time by using fluorescent sensing as a non-destructive and scalable approach. The classical solid-state emissive fluorophore, tetraphenylethylene (TPE), was introduced as a sustainable, safe and sensitive fluorescent indicator in order to show the potential of the method, and polyethersulfone (PES) and nonsolvent-induced phase separation method, the most popular material and method, are used to fabricate membrane in industry and academia. Since the employed filler has an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic, it can track the biofouling throughout the operation. The fabricated membranes have certain characterizations (i.e. morphology assessment, flux, antibiogram, flow cytometry, surface free energy, and protein adsorption) which indicate that hybrid membrane with 5 wt % of TPE has identical biofouling activity compared to neat PES membrane and its optimal luminescence properties make it an appropriate candidate for non-destructive and online biofouling monitoring.

The Effect of Curcumin Phytosome on the Treatment of Patients with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health problem with increasing prevalence among overweight and obese patients. It is strongly associated with conditions of insulin resistance including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. It has detrimental consequences ranged from simple steatosis to irreversible hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis. Curcumin is a dietary polyphenol with potential effect in improving NAFLD. Therefore, the aim of this trial was to examine the effect of curcumin supplementation on various aspects of NAFLD. In this trial, a total number of 80 patients were randomised to receive either curcumin at 250 mg daily or placebo for 2 months. Lipid profiles, hepatic enzymes, anthropometric indices and hepatic fat mass were assessed at the baseline and the end of the trial, and compared within the groups. The grade of hepatic steatosis, and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly reduced in the curcumin group (p = 0.015 and p = 0.007, respectively) compared to the placebo. There was also a significant reduction in high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and anthropometric indices in both groups with no significant differences between the two groups. Low dose phospholipid curcumin supplementation each day for 2 months showed significant reduction in hepatic steatosis and enzymes in patients with NAFLD compared to placebo. Further studies of longer duration and higher dosages are needed to assess its effect on other parameters of NAFLD including cardiovascular risk.

Identification, evolution, expression, and docking studies of fatty acid desaturase genes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Backgrounds

Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) introduce a double bond into the fatty acids acyl chain resulting in unsaturated fatty acids that have essential roles in plant development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Wheat germ oil, one of the important by-products of wheat, can be a good alternative for edible oils with clinical advantages due to the high amount of unsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the wheat FAD gene family (TaFADs).

Results

68 FAD genes were identified from the wheat genome. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, wheat FADs clustered into five subfamilies, including FAB2, FAD2/FAD6, FAD4, DES/SLD, and FAD3/FAD7/FAD8. The TaFADs were distributed on chromosomes 2A-7B with 0 to 10 introns. The Ka/Ks ratio was less than one for most of the duplicated pair genes revealed that the function of the genes had been maintained during the evolution. Several cis-acting elements related to hormones and stresses in the TaFADs promoters indicated the role of these genes in plant development and responses to environmental stresses. Likewise, 72 SSRs and 91 miRNAs in 36 and 47 TaFADs have been identified. According to RNA-seq data analysis, the highest expression in all developmental stages and tissues was related to TaFAB2.5, TaFAB2.12, TaFAB2.15, TaFAB2.17, TaFAB2.20, TaFAD2.1, TaFAD2.6, and TaFAD2.8 genes while the highest expression in response to temperature stress was related to TaFAD2.6, TaFAD2.8, TaFAB2.15, TaFAB2.17, and TaFAB2.20. Furthermore, docking simulations revealed several residues in the active site of TaFAD2.6 and TaFAD2.8 in close contact with the docked oleic acid that could be useful in future site-directed mutagenesis studies to increase the catalytic efficiency of them and subsequently improve agronomic quality and tolerance of wheat against environmental stresses.

Conclusions

This study provides comprehensive information that can lead to the detection of candidate genes for wheat genetic modification.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-020-07199-1.

The complete chloroplast genome and characteristics analysis of Callistemon rigidus R.Br

Callistemon rigidus R.Br. one of the traditional Chinese medicinal plants, is acrid-flavored and mild-natured, with the prominent effects reducing swelling, resolving phlegm, and dispelling rheumatism. Clinically, it has been commonly used to treat cold, cough and asthma, pain and swelling from impact injuries, eczema, rheumatic arthralgia. The chloroplast genome study on Callistemon rigidus R.Br. is a few seen. This study demonstrates the data collected from the assembly and annotation of the chloroplast (cp) genome of Callistemon rigidus R.Br., followed by furthers comparative analysis with the cp genomes of closely related species. C. rigidus R.Br. showed a cp genome in the size of 158, 961 bp long with 36.78% GC content, among which a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26, 671 bp separated a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87, 162 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18, 457 bp. Altogether 131 genes were hosted, including 37 transfer RNAs, 8 ribosomal RNAs, and 86 protein-coding genes. 284 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were also marked out. A comparative analysis of the genome structure and the sequence data of closely related species unveiled the conserved gene order in the IR and LSC/SSC regions, a quite constructive finding for future phylogenetic research. Overall, this study providing C. rigidus R.Br. genomic resources could positively contribute to the evolutionary study and the phylogenetic reconstruction of Myrtaceae.

Overexpression of PtHMGR enhances drought and salt tolerance of poplar

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Soil salinization and aridification are swiftly engulfing the limited land resources on which humans depend, restricting agricultural production. Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) is important in the biosynthesis of terpenoids, which are involved in plant growth, development and responses to environmental stresses. This study aimed to provide guidance for producing salt- and drought-resistant poplar.

METHODS

A protein expression system was used to obtain PtHMGR protein, and high-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect the activity of PtHMGR protein in vitro. In addition, a simplified version of the leaf infection method was used for transformation of 'Nanlin895' poplar (Populus×euramericana). qRT-PCR was used to identify expression levels of genes.

KEY RESULTS

PtHMGR catalysed a reaction involving HMG-CoA and NADPH to form mevalonate. Overexpression of PtHMGR in Populus × euramericana 'Nanlin895' improved drought and salinity tolerance. In the presence of NaCl and PEG6000, the rates of rooting and survival of PtHMGR-overexpressing poplars were higher than those of wild-type poplars. The transgenic lines also exhibited higher proline content and peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, and a lower malondialdehyde level under osmotic stress. In addition, the expression of genes related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and formation was altered by osmotic stress. Moreover, the effect of osmotic stress on transcript levels of stress-related genes differed between the transgenic and wild-type poplars.

CONCLUSION

PtHMGR catalysed a reaction involving HMG-CoA and NADPH to form mevalonate in vitro. Overexpression of PtHMGR promoted root development, increased the expression of ROS scavenging-related genes, decreased the expression of ROS formation-related genes, and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes in transgenic poplars, enhancing their tolerance of osmotic stress. In addition, overexpression of PtHMGR increased expression of the stress-related genes KIN1, COR15 and AAO3 and decreased that of ABI, MYB, MYC2 and RD22, enhancing the stress resistance of poplar.

Overexpression of PtDefensin enhances resistance to Septotis populiperda in transgenic poplar

Plant defensins have been implicated in the plant defense system, but their role in poplar immunity is still unclear. In the present study, we present evidence that PtDefensin, a putative plant defensin, participates in the defense of poplar plants against Septotis populiperda infection. After the construction of recombinant plasmid PET-32a-PtDefensin, PtDefensin protein was expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3) and purified through Ni-IDA resin affinity chromatography. The Trx-PtDefensin fusion protein displayed no cytotoxic activity against RAW264.7 cells but had cytotoxic activity against E. coli K12D31 cells. Analyses of PtDefensin transcript abundance showed that the expression levels of PtDefensin responded to abiotic and biotic stresses. Overexpression of PtDefensin in 'Nanlin 895' poplars (Populus × euramericana cv 'Nanlin895') increased resistance to Septotis populiperda, coupled with upregulation of MYC2 (basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor) related to jasmonic acid (JA) signal transduction pathways and downregulation of Jasmonate-zim domain (JAZ), an inhibitor in the JA signal transduction pathway. We speculate that systemic acquired resistance (SAR) was activated in non-transgenic poplars after S. populiperda incubation, and that induced systemic resistance (ISR) was activated more obviously in transgenic poplars after S. populiperda incubation. Hence, overexpression of PtDefensin may improve the resistance of poplar plants to pathogens.

Toward safer highways, application of XGBoost and SHAP for real-time accident detection and feature analysis

Detecting traffic accidents as rapidly as possible is essential for traffic safety. In this study, we use eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)-a Machine Learning (ML) technique-to detect the occurrence of accidents using a set of real time data comprised of traffic, network, demographic, land use, and weather features. The data used from the Chicago metropolitan expressways was collected between December 2016 and December 2017, and it includes 244 traffic accidents and 6073 non-accident cases. In addition, SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanation) is employed to interpret the results and analyze the importance of individual features. The results show that XGBoost can detect accidents robustly with an accuracy, detection rate, and a false alarm rate of 99 %, 79 %, and 0.16 %, respectively. Several traffic related features, especially difference of speed between 5 min before and 5 min after an accident, are found to have relatively more impact on the occurrence of accidents. Furthermore, a feature dependency analysis is conducted for three pairs of features. First, average daily traffic and speed after accidents/non-accidents time at the upstream location are interpreted jointly. Then, distance to Central Business District and residential density are analyzed. Finally, speed after accidents/non-accidents time at upstream location and speed after accidents/non-accidents time at downstream location are evaluated with respect to the model's output.

Increase in Cell Wall Thickening and Biomass Production by Overexpression of PmCesA2 in Poplar

Cellulose, the most abundant constituent material of the plant cell walls, is a major structural component of plant biomass. Manipulating cellulose synthesis (CesA) genes by genetic engineering technology, to increase cellulose production may thus offer novel opportunities for plant growth and development. To investigate this, here we produced transgenic "Populus 895 plants" overexpressing the cellulose synthase (CesA2) gene derived from Pinus massoniana under the control of constitutive 35S promoter, via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Relative expression levels of PmCesA2 were functionally characterized in poplar hybrid clone "Nanlin895" (Populus deltoides × Populus euramericana). The results demonstrated the transgenic lines showed enhanced growth performance with increased biomass production than did the untransformed controls. It is noteworthy that the overexpression of PmCesA2 in poplar led to an altered cell wall polysaccharide composition, which resulted in the thickening of the secondary cell wall and xylem width under scanning electron microscopy. Consequently, the cellulose and lignin content were increased. Hence, this study suggests that overexpression of PmCesA2 could be used as a potential candidate gene to enhance cellulose synthesis and biomass accumulation in genetically engineered trees.

Characterization, Expression Profiling, and Functional Analysis of PtDef, a Defensin-Encoding Gene From Populus trichocarpa

PtDef cloned from Populus trichocarpa contained eight cysteine domains specific to defensins. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that PtDef was expressed in all tissues tested, with lower expression in leaves and higher expression in petioles, stems, and roots. Purified fused PtDef inhibited Aspergillus niger, Alternaria Nees, Mucor corymbifer, Marssonina populi, Rhizopus sp., and Neurospora crassa. PtDef also inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli by triggering autolysis. PtDef overexpression in Nanlin895 poplar (Populus × euramericana cv. Nanlin895) enhanced the level of resistance to Septotinia populiperda. qRT-PCR analysis also showed that the expression of 13 genes related to salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signal transduction differed between transgenic and wild-type (WT) poplars before and after inoculation, and that PR1-1 (12–72 h), NPR1-2, TGA1, and MYC2-1 expression was higher in transgenic poplars than in WT. During the hypersensitivity response (HR), large amounts of H₂O₂ were produced by the poplar lines, particularly 12–24 h after inoculation; the rate and magnitude of the H₂O₂ concentration increase were greater in transgenic lines than in WT. Overall, our findings suggest that PtDef, a defensin-encoding gene of P. trichocarpa, could be used for genetic engineering of woody plants for enhanced disease resistance.

Bradykinin-Potentiating Factors of Venom from Iranian Medically Important Scorpions

The venom of animals, including snakes, scorpions, and spiders is a complex combination of proteins, peptides, and other biomolecules as well as some minerals. Among the biomolecules of some animal’s venom, small peptides that lack disulfide bands known as Non-Disulfide Bridge Peptides (NDBPs) potentiate the bradykinin by preventing the conversion of angiotensin 1 to angiotensin 2 using the mechanism of inhibiting the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme activity and finally reducing the blood pressure in the victims. This feature of the NDBPs of animal’s venom is suggested as the potential of biological drugs. This study aimed to isolate venom components of three species of Iranian medically important scorpions and study the bradykinin potentiating effect of them. The scorpion specimens were collected from the venomous animals and antivenom production department of Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Karaj, Iran. Moreover, venom extraction was performed by electrical shock (5 volts). The obtained liquid venom of three species specimens was frozen and lyophilized immediately and then preserved in a cool and dried place. The isolation of the venom components for each scorpion was carried out using high-performance liquid chromatography. The obtained ranges of venom fractions (zones) were tested on isolated tissues of guinea-pig ileum and rat uterus using organ bath instrumentation in several replicates. The bioassays resulted in the peptides, including Z1 and Z2 regions in the venom fractionsof the Hottentotta saulcyi, Z2 in Odontobuthus doriae, as well as Z2 and Z3 in Mesobuthus eupeus demonstrated bradykinin potentiating effect. It is concluded that Bradykinin Potentiating Factors were traceable in the venom of all three scorpion species. Therefore, these venoms have the therapeutic potential to exploit biological-based drugs.

Identification and Characterization of an OSH1 Thiol Reductase from Populus Trichocarpa

Interferon gamma-induced lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) is abundantly expressed in antigen-presenting cells and participates in the treatment and presentation of antigens by major histocompatibility complex II. Also, GILT catalyzes the reduction of disulfide bonds, which plays an important role in cellular immunity. (1) Background: At present, the studies of GILT have mainly focused on animals. In plants, GILT homologous gene (Arabidopsis thalianaOSH1: AtOSH1) was discovered in the forward screen of mutants with compromised responses to sulphur nutrition. However, the complete properties and functions of poplar OSH1 are unclear. In addition, CdCl2 stress is swiftly engulfing the limited land resources on which humans depend, restricting agricultural production. (2) Methods: A prokaryotic expression system was used to produce recombinant PtOSH1 protein, and Western blotting was performed to identify its activity. In addition, a simplified version of the floral-dip method was used to transform A. thaliana. (3) Results: Here, we describe the identification and characterization of OSH1 from Populus trichocarpa. The deduced PtOSH1 sequence contained CQHGX2ECX2NX4C and CXXC motifs. The transcript level of PtOSH1 was increased by cadmium (Cd) treatment. In addition, recombinant PtOSH1 reduced disulfide bonds. A stress assay showed that PtOSH1-overexpressing (OE) A. thaliana lines had greater resistance to Cd than wild-type (WT) plants. Also, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in PtOSH1-OE plants were significantly higher than those in WT A. thaliana. These results indicate that PtOSH1 likely plays an important role in the response to Cd by regulating the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging system. (4) Conclusions: PtOSH1 catalyzes the reduction of disulfide bonds and behaves as a sulfhydryl reductase under acidic conditions. The overexpression of PtOSH1 in A. thaliana promoted root development, fresh weight, and dry weight; upregulated the expression levels of ROS scavenging-related genes; and improved the activity of antioxidant enzymes, enhancing plant tolerance to cadmium (Cd) stress. This study aimed to provide guidance that will facilitate future studies of the function of PtOSH1 in the response of plants to Cd stress.

Association between the serum concentrations of 12 cytokines and growth factors and metabolic syndrome in patients undergoing angiography

We aimed to compare the concentrations of serum cytokines in patients undergoing coronary angiography and finding their possible associations with metabolic syndrome. Twelve serum cytokines and growth factors (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, MCP-1, IFN-γ, EGF, and VEGF) were measured by sandwich chemiluminescence assays, on the Evidence Investigator^® system. There were significant differences regarding sex, height, weight, BMI, WC, HC, FPG, TG and HDL-C between those with and without MetS in patients undergoing angiography (p < .05). Serum concentrations of IL-6 and INF-γ were significantly higher in subjects with MetS, compared to those without MetS (p = .031 and p = .035, respectively). However, only serum IL-6 was associated with the presence of MetS (β = 1.215, CI = 1.047-1.409, p = .010). From several serum cytokines and growth factors assessed in patients, IL-6 was the only serum cytokine that was significantly different between those with and without MetS after correction for confounding factors.

Characterization and Function of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase in Populus trichocarpa: Overexpression of PtHMGR Enhances Terpenoids in Transgenic Poplar

In the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) is considered the first rate-limiting enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis. In this study, we cloned a full-length cDNA from Populus trichocarpa with an open reading frame of 1,734 bp. The deduced PtHMGR sequence contained two HMG-CoA motifs and two NADPH motifs, which exhibited homology with HMGR proteins from other species. Subsequently, truncated PtHMGR was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells, and enzyme activity analysis revealed that the truncated PtHMGR protein could catalyze the reaction of HMG-CoA and NADPH to form MVA. Relative expression analysis suggests that PtHMGR expression varies among tissues and that PtHMGR responds significantly to abscisic acid (ABA), NaCl, PEG6000, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and cold stresses. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to select transgenic Nanlin 895 poplars (Populus× euramericana cv.) and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to show that PtHMGR expression levels were 3- to 10-fold higher in transgenic lines than in wild-type (WT) poplars. qRT-PCR was also used to determine transcript levels of methylerythritol phosphate (MEP)-, MVA-, and downstream-related genes, indicating that overexpression of PtHMGR not only affects expression levels of MVA-related genes, but also those of MEP-related genes. We also measured the content of terpenoids including ABA, gibberellic acid (GA), carotenes, and lycopene. PtHMGR overexpression significantly increased ABA, GA, carotene, and lycopene content, indicating that PtHMGR participates in the regulation of terpenoid compound synthesis.

Evaluation, characterization, expression profiling, and functional analysis of DXS and DXR genes of Populus trichocarpa

1-Deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthasse (DXS) and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) are key enzymes in terpenoid biosynthesis. DXS catalyzes the formation of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) from pyruvate and D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. DXR catalyzes the formation of 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) from DXP. Previous studies of the DXS and DXR genes have focused on herbs, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Amomum villosum, but few studies have been conducted on woody plants. For that reason, we chose Populus trichocarpa as a model woody plant for investigating the DXS and DXR genes. PtDXS exhibited the highest expression level in leaves and the lowest expression in roots. PtDXR showed maximum expression in young leaves, and the lowest expression in mature leaves. The expression profiles revealed by RT-PCR following different elicitor treatments such as abscisic acid, NaCl, PEG₆₀₀₀, H₂O₂, and cold stress showed that PtDXS and PtDXR were elicitor-responsive genes. Our results showed that the PtDXS gene exhibited diurnal changes, but PtDXR did not. Moreover, overexpression of PtDXR in transgenic poplars improved tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Those results showed that the PtDXR encoded a functional protein, and widely participates in plant growth and development, stress physiological process.

Strategies to Increase On-Target and Reduce Off-Target Effects of the CRISPR/Cas9 System in Plants

The CRISPR/Cas9 system (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated protein 9) is a powerful genome-editing tool in animals, plants, and humans. This system has some advantages, such as a high on-target mutation rate (targeting efficiency), less cost, simplicity, and high-efficiency multiplex loci editing, over conventional genome editing tools, including meganucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs). One of the crucial shortcomings of this system is unwanted mutations at off-target sites. We summarize and discuss different approaches, such as dCas9 and Cas9 paired nickase, to decrease the off-target effects in plants. According to studies, the most effective method to reduce unintended mutations is the use of ligand-dependent ribozymes called aptazymes. The single guide RNA (sgRNA)/ligand-dependent aptazyme strategy has helped researchers avoid unwanted mutations in human cells and can be used in plants as an alternative method to dramatically decrease the frequency of off-target mutations. We hope our concept provides a new, simple, and fast gene transformation and genome-editing approach, with advantages including reduced time and energy consumption, the avoidance of unwanted mutations, increased frequency of on-target changes, and no need for external forces or expensive equipment.

Overexpression of PtDXS Enhances Stress Resistance in Poplars

1-Deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the plastidial methylerythritol phosphate pathway (MEP). In this study, PtDXS (XM_024607716.1) was isolated from Populus trichocarpa. A bioinformatics analysis revealed that PtDXS had high homology with the DXSs of other plant species. PtDXS expression differed among plant tissues and was highest in young leaves and lowest in roots. The recombinant protein was produced in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), purified, and its activity evaluated. The purified protein was capable of catalyzing the formation of 1-deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate (DXP) from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and pyruvate. A functional color assay in E. coli harboring pAC-BETA indicated that PtDXS encodes a functional protein involved in the biosynthesis of isoprenoid precursors. The treatment of P. trichocarpa seedlings with 200 μM abscisic acid (ABA), 200 mM NaCl, 10% polyethylene glycol6000, and 2 mM H₂O₂ resulted in increased expression of PtDXS. The ABA and gibberellic acid contents of the transgenic lines (Poplar Nanlin 895) were higher than wild types, suggesting that DXS is important in terpenoid biosynthesis. Overexpression of PtDXS enhanced resistance to S. populiperda infection. Furthermore, the transgenic lines showed decreased feeding by Micromelalopha troglodyta, supporting the notion that PtDXS is a key enzyme in terpenoid biosynthesis.

Perceptions and practices related to clinical alarms

BACKGROUND

Clinical alarms represent the top hazard listed in the "Top Ten Health Technology Hazards" report. Frequent false alarms can disrupt patient care and reduce trust in alarms.

AIM

The aim of the present study was to investigate the perceptions and practices of critical and noncritical care nurses regarding clinical alarms.

METHODOLOGY

This was a descriptive analytical study conducted from October 2016 to February 2017 at three hospitals on 197 nurses at Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences in Neyshabur, Northeastern Iran. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling. The perceptions were measured through the 2011 Health care Technology Foundation Clinical Alarms Survey.

RESULTS

More than half of the nurses believed that frequent false alarms reduced trust in alarms, leading nurses to inappropriately disable alarms. The nurses ranked frequent false alarms as the most important issue in response to alarms. More than 60% of the nurses indicated that they needed more training on the use of bedside and central monitors.

CONCLUSION

The result of this study suggested that frequent false alarms, as the most important issue related to alarms, should be taken into account by hospital administrators and researchers to decrease alarm fatigue and improve alarm system safety. More specialized clinical policies and procedures for alarm management should also be considered.

Evaluation of safety standards accomplishment in educational hospitals of Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences-Iran

Patient’s safety and staff in hospital is one issue that has always been considered as an important principle by experts in health systems. Therefore, for increase safety, standards and safety regulations must be considered. This study aims to evaluation of safety standards accomplishment in educational hospitals of Neyshabur University of medical Sciences. This cross-sectional descriptive study, safety standard status of all wards including 17 various wards from 22 Bahman hospital and 14 various wards from hakim Hospital in Neyshabur city (2016) was investigated. Data were collected using a questionnaire safety standard status hospitals (264 questions). Also data analyzed by SPSS16 software, using descriptive (Mean ± SD) and inferential statistics (T-Test). The results revealed that Safety standard status in 22bahman and hakim hospital were weak (2.42 ± 0.14) and moderate (3.04 ± 0.18) respectively. Also result showed in Hakim hospital, the highest and lowest safety standard status in Internal and Administrative-financial unit was (3.42 ± 0.19) (1.36 ± 0.58) respectively. In addition in hakim hospital, the highest and lowest safety standard status in operation room and administrative-financial unit (3.53 ± 0.28), 1.36 ± 0.58) respectively. According to the result, the safety condition in hospitals of Neyshabur city is moderate and poor status. However, imperfect implementation of safety protocols can endanger safety conditions in hospital. Therefore, it is necessary to take the required correcting measures to ensure full safety in hospitals.

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Safety is defined by development of systems for preventing incidents, injuries, and other unpleasant events in organizations.

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This article showed the safety status is not appropriate in most units of hospitals, which can lead to dangers for patients and personnel.

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It is suggested for future studies to compare the safety status of different provinces.

Dataset on the nurses' knowledge, attitude and practice towards palliative care

When a patient enters the end stage of life threatening disease like cancer, treatment of pain and other symptoms must be considered to preserve quality of life (Gielen et al., 2011) [1]. Nurses have an important role in the care of patients who suffered from life threatening diseases. End of life cares is one of the routine activities of nurses (Gott et al., 2012) [2]. We surveyed knowledge, attitude and practice of nurses who worked in the hospitals of Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences towards palliative care from January 2016 to May 2016. A self-administered Persian questionnaire was used for data collection. The attitude scale was adopted from Frommelt Attitude toward Care of the Dying (Frommelt, 1991) and the knowledge questions were adopted from the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (Ross et al., 1996). The practice questions were also adopted from different related studies. Data analysis was performed by SPSS Statistics software for windows version 16. Our study showed that majority of nurses had favorable attitude but poor knowledge and practice towards palliative care. The results emphasize the importance and need for developing palliative care services in our hospitals.

Functional analyses of PtRDM1 gene overexpression in poplars and evaluation of its effect on DNA methylation and response to salt stress

Epigenetic modification by DNA methylation is necessary for all cellular processes, including genetic expression events, DNA repair, genomic imprinting and regulation of tissue development. It occurs almost exclusively at the C5 position of symmetric CpG and asymmetric CpHpG and CpHpH sites in genomic DNA. The RNA-directed DNA methylation (RDM1) gene is crucial for heterochromatin and DNA methylation. We overexpressed PtRDM1 gene from Populus trichocarpa to amplify transcripts of orthologous RDM1 in 'Nanlin895' (P. deltoides × P. euramericana 'Nanlin895'). This overexpression resulted in increasing RDM1 transcript levels: by ∼150% at 0 mM NaCl treatment and by ∼300% at 60 mM NaCl treatment compared to WT (control) poplars. Genomic cytosine methylation was monitored within 5.8S rDNA and histone H3 loci by bisulfite sequencing. In total, transgenic poplars revealed more DNA methylation than WT plants. In our results, roots revealed more methylated CG contexts than stems and leaves whereas, histone H3 presented more DNA methylation than 5.8S rDNA in both WT and transgenic poplars. The NaCl stresses enhanced more DNA methylation in transgenic poplars than WT plants through histone H3 and 5.8 rDNA loci. Also, the overexpression of PtRDM1 resulted in hyper-methylation, which affected plant phenotype. Transgenic poplars revealed significantly more regeneration of roots than WT poplars via NaCl treatments. Our results proved that RDM1 protein enhanced the DNA methylation by chromatin remodeling (e.g. histone H3) more than repetitive DNA sequences (e.g. 5.8S rDNA).

Functional analysis of overexpressed PtDRS1 involved in abiotic stresses enhances growth in transgenic poplar

Drought and salinity are two main abiotic stressors that can disrupt plant growth and survival. Various biotechnological approaches have been used to alleviate the problem of drought stress by improving water stress resistance in forestry and agriculture. The drought sensitive 1 (DRS1) gene acts as a regulator of drought stress, identified in human, yeast and some model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, but there have been no reports of DRS1 transformation in poplar plants to date. In this study, we transformed the DRS1 gene from Populus trichocarpa into Populus deltoides × Populus euramericana 'Nanlin895' using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. We confirmed that the DRS1 gene was transformed into 'Nanlin895' poplar genomes using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), multiplex PCR, real-time PCR, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All transformed and wild-type (WT) plants were then transferred into a greenhouse for complementary experiments. We analyzed the physiological and biochemical responses of transgenic plants under drought and salt stresses in the greenhouse, and the results were compared with control WT plants. Responses to abiotic stress were greater in transgenic plants compared with WT. Based on our results, introduction of the DRS1 gene into poplar 'Nanlin895' plants significantly enhanced the resistance of those plants to water deficit and high salinity, allowing higher growth rates of roots and shoots in those plants. Additionally, the clawed root rate increased in transformed poplars grown in culture media or in soil, and improved survival under drought and salt stress conditions.

24-Hour survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation is reduced in patients with diabetes mellitus

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Some recent studies have shown an association between diabetes and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidence and survival. We aimed to investigate whether there is an association between the presence of diabetes mellitus and survival after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in patients with an in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the period of January to February 2014, among 80 cases of cardiopulmonary arrest in patients at Qaem hospital of Mashhad, Iran. A code 99 was announced after a cardiac arrest was identified, and CPR was performed by the cardiac arrest team. Twenty four hour survival was compared in diabetic and non-diabetic patients who had a return to spontaneous circulation after CPR. We used SPSS statistics for Windows version 16 for data analysis.

Results: The return to spontaneous circulation in the diabetic group was not significantly lower than for the non-diabetic group (42.9% versus 61.0% [P = 0.15]). However, the 24-hour survival in the diabetic group was significantly lower than for the non-diabetic group (19.0% versus 44.1% [P = 0.04]).

Conclusion: The presence of diabetes mellitus is associated with a significantly lower rate of survival after CPR.

Functional analyses of NDPK2 in Populus trichocarpa and overexpression of PtNDPK2 enhances growth and tolerance to abiotic stresses in transgenic poplar

Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) are multifunctional proteins that regulate a variety of eukaryotic cellular activities, including cell proliferation, development, and differentiation. NDPK2 regulates the expression of antioxidant genes in plants. In a previous study, the Arabidopsis thaliana NDPK2 gene (AtNDPK2) was found to be associated with H₂O₂-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proteins from transgenic plants overexpressing AtNDPK2 showed higher levels of autophosphorylation and NDPK activity and lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) than those of wild-type (WT) plants. Therefore, constitutive overexpression of AtNDPK2 in Arabidopsis plants conferred enhanced tolerance to multiple environmental stresses that elicit ROS accumulation in situ. In this study, we cloned the Populus trichocarpa NDPK2 gene and analyzed its molecular structure and function. We generated and evaluated transgenic poplar plants expressing the PtNDPK2 gene under the control of the 35S promoter to achieve enhanced tolerance to various abiotic stresses. Transgenic poplar plants showed enhanced tolerance to salt and drought stress at the whole-plant level. The transgenic poplar plants showed significantly greater tolerance to 200 mM NaCl and drought stresses than WT poplar plants. In addition, the transgenic plants exhibited better growth due to increased expression of auxin-related indole acetic acid genes under normal growth conditions compared with WT plants. Our results suggest that induction of PtNDPK2 overexpression in poplars will be useful for increasing biomass production in the presence of various abiotic stresses.