Analysis of a Multi-Environment Trial for Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) Quality Traits.

U.S. black raspberry (BR) production is currently limited by narrowly adapted, elite germplasm. An improved understanding of genetic control and the stability of pomological traits will inform the development of improved BR germplasm and cultivars. To this end, the analysis of a multiple-environment trial of a BR mapping population derived from a cross that combines wild ancestors introgressed with commercial cultivars on both sides of its pedigree has provided insights into genetic variation, genotype-by-environment interactions, quantitative trait loci (QTL), and QTL-by-environment interactions (QEI) of fruit quality traits among diverse field environments. The genetic components and stability of four fruit size traits and six fruit biochemistry traits were characterized in this mapping population following their evaluation over three years at four distinct locations representative of current U.S. BR production. This revealed relatively stable genetic control of the four fruit size traits across the tested production environments and less stable genetic control of the fruit biochemistry traits. Of the fifteen total QTL, eleven exhibited significant QEI. Closely overlapping QTL revealed the linkage of several fruit size traits: fruit mass, drupelet count, and seed fraction. These and related findings are expected to guide further genetic characterization of BR fruit quality, management of breeding germplasm, and development of improved BR cultivars for U.S. production.

Safety and efficacy of risedronate in patients with age-related reduced renal function as estimated by the Cockcroft and Gault method: a pooled analysis of nine clinical trials.

UNLABELLED: The incidences of osteoporosis and renal insufficiency increase with age. We studied the influence of renal function on the safety and efficacy of risedronate 5 mg daily in osteoporotic women. Risedronate was safe and effective in osteoporotic women with mild, moderate, or severe age-related renal impairment. INTRODUCTION: The incidences of both osteoporosis and renal insufficiency increase with age; thus, the effect of renal impairment on the safety and efficacy of osteoporosis treatments is a clinical concern. Risedronate is a pyridinyl bisphosphonate well established as safe and effective in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. Currently, there is little available information about the effect of bisphosphonate treatment in patients with renal insufficiency. This retrospective analysis was conducted to study the influence of renal function on the safety and efficacy of risedronate in a population of osteoporotic women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Combined data from nine randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III risedronate trials were analyzed. The patients in these studies had no markedly abnormal laboratory parameters that were considered clinically significant and no evidence of significant disease. This analysis included patients who received placebo (n = 4,500) or risedronate 5 mg (n = 4,496) for up to 3 years (average duration of exposure, 2 years) and who had renal impairment (creatinine clearance [CrCl] < 80 ml/min). CrCl was estimated by the Cockcroft and Gault method, based on age, weight, and serum creatinine. Patients were categorized as having mild (CrCl >or=50 to <80 ml/min), moderate (CrCl >or=30 to <50 ml/min), or severe (CrCl < 30 ml/min) renal impairment. RESULTS: Of the patients studied, renal impairment at baseline was mild in 48% (mean [range] serum creatinine, 0.9 [0.4-1.6] mg/dl), moderate in 45% (1.1 [0.6-1.9] mg/dl), and severe in 7% (1.3 [0.7-2.7] mg/dl). In both the placebo and risedronate treatment groups, the patients with the most severe renal impairment were older and had more severe osteoporosis. The incidences of overall adverse events and of renal function-related adverse events were similar in the placebo and risedronate 5 mg groups regardless of renal function. Furthermore, evaluation of changes from baseline in serum creatinine revealed no difference in renal function between the placebo and risedronate 5 mg groups in any of the renal impairment subgroups at any time-point. In all three subgroups, risedronate effectively preserved BMD and reduced the incidence of vertebral fractures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that risedronate is safe and effective in osteoporotic women with age-related mild, moderate, or severe renal impairment.