Genetics of fruit body production in higher basidiomycetes II. Monokaryotic and dikaryotic fruiting in schizophyllum commune

In the wood destroying fungus Schizophyllum commune, a well known subject for genetic studies, fruit bodies are produced not only in the course of the sexual cycle but also asexually. Sexual fruiting requires the establishment of a dikaryon which is under the control of the incompatibility factors A and B. Asexual fruiting, however, starts directly from a monokaryon. The initiation of monokaryotic fruiting requires the presence of a single gene leading to the differentiation of fruit body initials. The action of at least two more genes is required for the further morphogenetic steps resulting eventually in the production of fruit bodies which differ in shape from dikaryotic fruit bodies. As a consequence of a mitosis their basidia produce two spores only. The three genes responsible for monokaryotic fruiting are pleiotropic and determine synergistically the timing of dikaryotic fruiting within a range between 6 to 20 d or longer. A fourth gene was found which codes epistatically for the formation of dome-like masses of stromatic tissue, thus directing morphogenesis into a side track.

Knowledge of diabetes mellitus among pregnant women in three districts of Nepal

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus is an emerging health problem in developing world with the consumption of energy dense diet and inactive lifestyle. The problem of diabetes is further expanded due to ignorance and lack of knowledge. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of diabetes among pregnant women in three districts of Nepal.

METHODS

A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in three districts in mountain, hilly and plain areas of Nepal. A total of 590 pregnant women were interviewed during the period of July 2009 to June 2010. A knowledge score system was applied. Poor score was <40%, average (40-60%) and good (>60%) of the total score. Statistical software SPSS 11.5 was used for data entry, data management and analysis.

RESULTS

Out of 590 pregnant women, only 41% had heard about diabetes mellitus. Majority of the participants (75%) from age group >30 years had not heard about diabetes. Among the 241 with some knowledge, the knowledge score median percent(range) on the meaning, symptoms, risk factors, treatment, prevention, complications and overall knowledge were 50%(0-100), 25% (0-75), 20% (0-60), 20% (0-100), 25% (0-100), 20% (0-60) and 26% (0- 58) respectively. According to defined category, majority of those who ever heard about diabetes had poor knowledge (95%). Knowledge among literate women (p=.001), women residing in Kailali district (plain region) (p=.003) and those with positive family history of diabetes (p=.003) was found to be significant.

CONCLUSIONS

As large proportions of Nepalese pregnant women do not have any knowledge or have poor knowledge regarding diabetes, extensive health education and health promotion programs are urgently recommended to prevent diabetes in Nepal.

Atopic profile of asthmatic children in Bahrain

This study aimed to define the profile of asthmatic children in Bahrain and the prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens and foods. A total of 95 children who were clinically diagnosed with asthma were enrolled: 71.6% mild, 20.0% moderate and 8.4% severe asthma (NIH criteria). Serum IgE concentrations were elevated (> 200 kU/L) in 21.1% of patients and highly elevated (> 400 kU/L) in 9.5%. Absolute eosinophil counts were elevated (> 350 × 106/L) in 54.8%. Overall, 67.4% of children were atopic; 56.8% were sensitive to inhalant allergens and 39.0% to foods. The atopic profile was generally similar to asthmatic children in the region and worldwide. Conditions significantly associated with atopic asthma included food allergies, allergic rhinitis and eczema.

Phytoestrogen intake and cardiovascular risk markers in Bangladeshi postmenopausal women

Menopause is the transitional event of female life creating a considerable degree of clinical and psychological as well as social problem and it is known to affect the risk markers of cardiovascular diseases. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was though to be a cornerstone in the management of menopause, but evidences accumulated in the recent past have raised serious questions regarding its safety and usability. In this context, phytoestrogens are getting increasingly more attention for therapeutic (as an alternate of HRT) and dietary interventions. Menopause is a special problem for women in developing countries and intake of phytoestrogens can be highly useful also from the economic point of views. The nutraceuticals of specific vitamins, minerals and especially phytoestrogens supplementations are a vital component of the strategy to reduce health problem. The present study was aimed to assess the association of phytoestrogens and risk markers of cardiovascular diseases in postmenopausal women. A total of 111 postmenopausal subjects [age, (years, M±SD) 52±5.35] were studied. The dietary intake of phytoestrogens by study subjects was calculated by a specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Serum fasting homocysteine was measured by AxSYM system. Serum glucose was estimated by glucose-oxidase method. Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-C were estimated by enzymatic-colorimetric method LDL-C was estimated by the Friedewald's formula. The intake of total phytoestrogens, isoflavones and lignans (mean±SD, mg/day) were 7.65±3.33, 0.32±0.16, 7.32±3.28 respectively in postmenopausal women. The intake of diadzein, genistein, formononetin, biochanin A (mean±SD, mg/day) were 0.085±0.035, 0.168±0.101, 0.074±0.052 and 0.001±0.0008 respectively. The intake of matairesinol and secoisolaiciresinol (SILR) (mean±SD, mg/day) were 0.022±0.006 and 7.30±3.28 respectively. The total phytoestrogens (r=-0.19, p=0.03) and SILR, one specific type of lignans (r=-0.19, p=0.04) consumption in this study were inversely significantly associated with serum glucose level. The dietary formononetin, one specific type of isoflavones was negatively significantly associated with LDL-cholesterol (r=-0.18, p=0.04). There was no significant relationship found between phytoestrogen intake and serum homocysteine level (r=-0.11, p=0.23). Phytoestrogens containing food intake should be encouraged for reducing risk markers of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.

Young coconut juice significantly reduces histopathological changes in the brain that are induced by hormonal imbalance: a possible implication to postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Some degenerative diseases of the nervous system have been linked to hormonal imbalance in postmenopausal women. It is argued that young coconut juice (YCJ) could have some estrogen-like characteristics, but this is still debatable. Our aim was to investigate this argument, and to examine whether YCJ has any neuroprotective effects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Four groups of female rats (10 in each group) were included in this study. These included sham-operated, overiectomized (ovx), ovx and receiving estradiol benzoate (EB) injections intraperitoneally, and ovx and receiving YCJ orally. At the end of the five-week study, the rats were sacrificed, and their serum estradiol (E2) level was measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay. Moreover, the rat brains were excised, and the cortical pyramidal neurons were examined using markers of neuronal cell death, namely anti-neurofilament (NF200) and anti-parvalbumin (PV) antibodies.

RESULTS

Our results showed that the rat group which received YCJ had its serum E2 level significantly (P<0.05) higher than the ovx group which did not receive any treatment, and the sham-operated group. A similar trend was observed with the group which received EB injections, but no significant difference was present when the latter was compared with the sham-operated group. In addition, a significant reduction in neuronal cell death was observed in the YCJ-treated group, as compared to the ovx group which did not receive any treatment. This was indicated by the significantly (P<0.05) higher number of neurons which were immunopositive for NF200 and PV. Interestingly, the number of these neurons was also significantly (P<0.05) higher in the YCJ group, as compared to the EB group.

CONCLUSION

This study confirms the argument that YCJ has estrogen-like characteristics, and it also adds more evidence to the observation that hormonal imbalance could induce some brain pathologies in females.

An effective combination of carbohydrases that enables reduction of dietary protein in broilers: importance of hemicellulase

After observing the effects of purified cellulase (C), hemicellulase (H), pectinase (P), and their combinations on the in vitro digestibility of a corn-soybean meal broiler diet, we examined the associations between pectin breakdown and the digestibilities of CP and DM by using free galacturonic acid (GA) as an index of pectin breakdown. There was no significant effect of the single enzymes except for H. However, the enzyme combinations H + P, C + H, and C + H + P significantly increased CP and DM digestibilities, whereas the combination of C + P was not effective. Because H has activities of both H and P, these enzymes were considered to be important in stimulating digestion. Furthermore, when the enzymes increased CP and DM digestibilities, GA concentration was significantly higher, and clear correlations between CP and DM digestibilities and GA concentration were observed, whereas correlations between the digestibilities and concentration of glucose or xylose + mannose as indices of cellulose and hemicellulose breakdown, respectively, were not significant. From these observations, we hypothesized that a mixture of enzymes could increase the protein digestibility of broiler feed. Thus, in the in vivo experiment, low-protein (19% CP) diets made mainly of corn and soybean meal with or without mixed enzymes were prepared and given to broiler chicks. The birds given the diet containing mixed enzymes showed significantly higher BW gain, with higher CP and DM digestibilities than the birds given the diet without the mixed enzymes. Moreover, the growth rate was same as that of the birds given the normal (21% CP) diet. The results indicate that the mixed enzyme preparation can effectively degrade indigestible cell constituents and thus enable the protein of the broiler feed to become more digestible. Furthermore, the results indicate the importance of H as a rate-limiting factor of cell wall breakdown.

Use of garden organic compost in vegetable production under contrasting soil P status

Little research has been carried out on the agronomic value of compost produced from garden organics for vegetable production. A field experiment was established in Camden, near Sydney, Australia, to (i) evaluate the effect of the compost on vegetable production and soil quality relative to conventional practice, (ii) compare vegetable production under high and low soil P status, and (iii) monitor the changes in soil P concentration under two compost treatments relative to conventional farmers’ practice. After three successive crops (broccoli, eggplant and cabbage), results indicate that compost (120 dry t/ha) and half-compost (60 dry t/ha supplemented by inorganic fertilisers) treatments can produce similar yield to the conventional practice of using a mixture of poultry manure and inorganic fertiliser. Furthermore, similar yields were achieved for three different crops grown under high and low P soil conditions, clearly demonstrating that the high extractable soil P concentrations currently found in the vegetable farms of Sydney are not necessary for maintaining productivity. The compost treatments also significantly increased soil organic carbon and soil quality including soil structural stability, exchangeable cations, and soil biological properties. Importantly, the compost treatment was effective in reducing the rate of accumulation of extractable soil P compared with the conventional vegetable farming practice. Our results highlight the potential for using compost produced from source separated garden organics in reversing the trend of soil degradation observed under current vegetable production, without sacrificing yield.

Invasive cribriform breast carcinomas in patients with grade 1 and stage IIA (T2 N0 M0) breast cancer strongly express the v3 and v6, but not the v4 isoforms of the metastatic marker CD44

Patients with breast carcinomas of the invasive cribriform (IC) histological type often have excellent prognosis. Nevertheless, prognostic markers such as CD44v3, v4, and v6 isoforms have never been evaluated in this histological type. Cases seen between 1996 and 2006 at two major public hospitals in Kuwait were reviewed. We selected the cases which still had enough tissue in the paraffin blocks, had pure rather than mixed typical histological type, did not receive hormonal or any other type of therapy prior to or at the time the tumor was excised, and which were grade 1, and stage IIA (T2, N0, M0). This is to control for confounding factors that could affect the degree of tumor expression of the above isoforms. Sections were immunostained using a highly sensitive roxidase-anti-peroxidase kit, and scoring of immunostaining was performed in a semi-quantitative manner as established in the literature. An extensive expression of the CD44v3 and v6 isoforms was seen in 83.3% of the IC tumours, while 83.3% lacked the expression of the v4 isoform. A significant association between the histological type and degree of expression of CD44 isoforms was found only with the v3 isoform. The degree of expression of the v3 isoform was significantly different in the IC tumors as compared to the papillary, invasive lobular, and invasive ductal (NOS) ones. There was a significant negative correlation (rs= - 0.201) between the expression of the v4 and v6 isoforms. IC tumors seem to have a strong expression of the prognostic markers v3 and v6 isoforms of the transmembrane molecule CD44, and to lack the expression of the v4 isoform.

A mixture of pure cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase improves broiler performance

1. The effects of a mixture of pure enzymes (cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase) and a commercial enzyme, Energex, were examined on performance and metabolisabilities in broiler chicks given a maize-soybean meal diet. Composition of the mixed enzyme was similar to Energex except that protease was not present. 2. Chicks were divided into three groups: control, mixed enzyme and Energex with 7 replicates per group. Male broiler chicks were raised at 25 degrees C in wire-floored cages for 12 d from 15 d of age. Feed and water were offered ad libitum. 3. The Energex group gained significantly more weight and the mixed enzyme group tended to gain more than the control. Feed intakes were similar and thus the feed conversion ratio of Energex was significantly improved while it tended to be improved by the mixed enzyme. 4. The mixed enzyme group showed significant improvement in carcase and muscle weight when compared with the control group. The mixed enzyme group also showed significant improvement in organic matter and crude protein metabolisabilities. In the groups given enzyme, abdominal fat weight tended to decrease. 5. It is concluded that a combination of cellulase, hemicellulase and pectinase is effective in improving organic matter and crude protein metabolisabilities and carcase yield of broilers on a maize-soybean meal diet.

The relationship between blood pressure and serum parathyroid hormone with special reference to urinary calcium excretion: the Tromsø study

The aim of the present cross-sectional epidemiological study from Tromsø, Northern Norway, was to evaluate the relation between blood pressure and serum PTH, and to examine whether this relation can be explained by a blood pressure-induced increase in urinary calcium. Ten thousand-four hundred and nineteen subjects were invited to participate and 8,128 attended. Those with serum calcium outside the reference range (2.20-2.60 mmol/l), with increased serum creatinine (upper limit 120 micromol/l for men and 100 micromol/l for women) and those using antihypertensive medication were excluded. Three thousand- six hundred and twenty subjects had complete data on outcome measures. Height, weight, blood pressure, serum calcium, PTH, and creatinine were measured and smoking status recorded. A morning urine sample was collected and urinary calcium, sodium and creatinine measured. The urinary calcium/urinary creatinine ratio (Uca/Ucr) and urinary sodium/urinary creatinine ratio (Una/Ucr) were calculated. There was a significant association between both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and serum PTH. The Uca/Ucr increased with increasing blood pressure. However, the Uca/Ucr did not affect the association between blood pressure and serum PTH in a multiple linear regression model. The relationship between blood pressure and serum PTH was also seen in subjects with similar Uca/Ucr, and a negative association between serum PTH and the Uca/Ucr was found. In conclusion, blood pressure and serum PTH are associated. This association cannot be explained by the urinary calcium excretion alone.

A journey across the wall of varicose veins: what physicians do not often see with the naked eye

OBJECTIVE

To examine varicose veins (VVs) from inside out in order to help surgeons and general practitioners better understand the pathogenesis of the disease and improve their management.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A comprehensive examination of the wall of VVs was performed using transmission electron microscopy. The ultrastructural morphology of the collagen, elastin and smooth muscle content of the wall was analyzed in a sample of 10 patients (4 male and 6 female) and 10 matched controls aged between 37 and 50 years.

RESULTS

Analysis of the tunica media revealed that the smooth muscle cells were significantly separated from each other by a marked increase in amorphous and fibrous tissue in which many of the collagen and elastin fibers lost their normal structural arrangement. The cells contained a large number of membrane-bound intracellular vesicles and cytoplasmic vacuoles. The collagen fibers were smaller and thinner than what is commonly seen in normal veins, and they were widely separated from each other. A light electron-lucent center was observed in the middle of the fibers. Similar changes were also seen in the intima and were associated with irregular plaque-like intimal thickening.

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed a significant separation among smooth muscle cells in the wall of VVs, and the presence of an abnormal amorphous extracellular matrix and intracytoplasmic vacuoles could reflect 'unusual' possible secretory and phagocytic roles of smooth muscle cells. This could provide an important explanation for the abnormal contractile function of these cells in VVs.

Direct Evidence on the Immune-Mediated Spontaneous Regression of Human Cancer: An Incentive for Pharmaceutical Companies to Develop a Novel Anti-Cancer Vaccine

To develop an effective pharmaceutical treatment for a disease, we need to fully understand the biological behavior of that disease, especially when dealing with cancer. The current available treatment for cancer may help in lessening the burden of the disease or, on certain occasions, in increasing the survival of the patient. However, a total eradication of cancer remains the researchers' hope. Some of the discoveries in the field of medicine relied on observations of natural events. Among these events is the spontaneous regression of cancer. It has been argued that such regression could be immunologically-mediated, but no direct evidence has been shown to support such an argument. We, hereby, provide compelling evidence that spontaneous cancer regression in humans is immunologically-mediated, hoping that the results from this study would stimulate the pharmaceutical industry to focus more on cancer vaccine immunotherapy. Our results showed that patients with >3 primary melanomas (very rare group among cancer patients) develop significant histopathological spontaneous regression of further melanomas that they could acquire during their life (P=0.0080) as compared to patients with single primary melanoma where the phenomenon of spontaneous regression is absent or minimal. It seems that such regression resulted from the repeated exposure to the tumor which mimics a self-immunization process. Analysis of the regressing tumors revealed heavy infiltration by T lymphocytes as compared to non-regressing tumors (P<0.0001), the predominant of which were T cytotoxic rather than T helper. Mature dendritic cells were also found in significant number (P<0.0001) in the regressing tumors as compared to the non regressing ones, which demonstrate an active involvement of the different arms of the immune system in the multiple primary melanoma patients in the process of tumor regression. Also, MHC expression was significantly higher in the regressing versus the non-regressing tumors (P <0.0001), which reflects a proper tumor antigen expression. Associated with tumor regression was also loss of the melanoma common tumor antigen Melan A/ MART-1 in the multiple primary melanoma patients as compared to the single primary ones (P=0.0041). Furthermore, loss of Melan A/ MART-1 in the regressing tumors significantly correlated with the presence of Melan A/ MART-1-specific CTLs in the peripheral blood of these patients (P=0.03), which adds to the evidence that the phenomenon of regression seen in these patients was immunologically-mediated and tumor-specific. Such correlation was also seen in another rare group of melanoma patients, namely those with occult primary melanoma. The lesson that we could learn from nature in this study is that inducing cancer regression using the different arms of the immune system is possible. Also, developing a novel cancer vaccine is not out of reach.