Genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium, and population structure of tetraploid wheat landraces originating from Europe and Asia.

BACKGROUND: Durum wheat is one of the most important crops, especially in the Mediterranean region. Insight into the genetic diversity of germplasm can improve the breeding program management in various traits. This study was done using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers to characterize the genetic distinctiveness and differentiation of tetraploid wheat landraces collected from nine European and Asian countries. A sum of 23,334 polymorphic SNPs was detected in 126 tetraploid wheat landraces in relation to the reference genome. RESULTS: The number of identified SNPs was 11,613 and 11,721 in A and B genomes, respectively. The highest and lowest diversity was on 6B and 6 A chromosomes, respectively. Structure analysis classified the landraces into two distinct subpopulations (K = 2). Evaluating the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and weighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (WPGMA) clustering results demonstrated that landraces (99.2%) are categorized into one of the two chief subpopulations. Therefore, the grouping pattern did not clearly show the presence of a clear pattern of relationships between genetic diversity and their geographical derivation. Part of this result could be due to the historical exchange between different germplasms. Although the result did not separate landraces based on their region of origin, the landraces collected from Iran were classified into the same group and cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) also confirmed the results of population structure. Finally, Durum wheat landraces in some countries, including Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, were highly diverse, while others, including Iran and China, were low-diversity. CONCLUSION: The recent study concluded that the 126 tetraploid wheat genotypes and their GBS-SNP markers are very appropriate for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The core collection comprises two distinct subpopulations. Subpopulation II genotypes are the most diverse genotypes, and if they possess desired traits, they may be used in future breeding programs. The degree of diversity in the landraces of countries can provide the ground for the improvement of new cultivars with international cooperation. linkage disequilibrium (LD) hotspot distribution across the genome was investigated, which provides useful information about the genomic regions that contain intriguing genes.

Identification of novel putative alleles related to important agronomic traits of wheat using robust strategies in GWAS.

Principal component analysis (PCA) is widely used in various genetics studies. In this study, the role of classical PCA (cPCA) and robust PCA (rPCA) was evaluated explicitly in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We evaluated 294 wheat genotypes under well-watered and rain-fed, focusing on spike traits. First, we showed that some phenotypic and genotypic observations could be outliers based on cPCA and different rPCA algorithms (Proj, Grid, Hubert, and Locantore). Hubert's method provided a better approach to identifying outliers, which helped to understand the nature of these samples. These outliers led to the deviation of the heritability of traits from the actual value. Then, we performed GWAS with 36,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) based on the traditional approach and two robust strategies. In the conventional approach and using the first three components of cPCA as population structure, 184 and 139 marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified for five traits in well-watered and rain-fed environments, respectively. In the first robust strategy and when rPCA was used as population structure in GWAS, we observed that the Hubert and Grid methods identified new MTAs, especially for yield and spike weight on chromosomes 7A and 6B. In the second strategy, we followed the classical and robust principal component-based GWAS, where the first two PCs obtained from phenotypic variables were used instead of traits. In the recent strategy, despite the similarity between the methods, some new MTAs were identified that can be considered pleiotropic. Hubert's method provided a better linear combination of traits because it had the most MTAs in common with the traditional approach. Newly identified SNPs, including rs19833 (5B) and rs48316 (2B), were annotated with important genes with vital biological processes and molecular functions. The approaches presented in this study can reduce the misleading GWAS results caused by the adverse effect of outlier observations.

The Effect of Inhalation Aromatherapy and Music Therapy on Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Shockwave Lithotripsy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Patients undergoing shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) have a high level of anxiety. This study was aimed to compare the effect of music therapy and aromatherapy on patients' anxiety levels during SWL. In this clinical trial, 176 patients undergoing SWL were randomly assigned to four groups: music therapy, aromatherapy, combined music therapy and aromatherapy, and control. The state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) was used to collect data. In the aromatherapy group, three drops of rosemary essential oil were used during SWL. For the music therapy group, soft music was played during SWL. In the music therapy and aromatherapy group, soft music and three drops of rosemary essential oil were used simultaneously. In the control group, three drops of aromatic distilled water were used. The results showed that all patients had moderate anxiety before the intervention. The analysis of variance test did not show a statistically significant difference between the groups, but this difference was significant after the intervention. The levels of anxiety after the intervention were higher in the music therapy, aromatherapy, and combined music therapy and aromatherapy groups than in the control group. The results of the paired t-test showed the level of anxiety after the intervention was significantly increased in the intervention group (P < 001). In conclusion, the results indicated that music therapy, aromatherapy, and combined music therapy and aromatherapy had no effect on reducing patients' anxiety during SWL.

Dissection of the genetic basis of genotype-by-environment interactions for grain yield and main agronomic traits in Iranian bread wheat landraces and cultivars.

Understanding the genetic basis of performance stability is essential to maintain productivity, especially under severe conditions. In the present study, 268 Iranian bread wheat landraces and cultivars were evaluated in four well-watered and two rain-fed conditions for different traits. According to breeding programs, cultivars were in a group with a high mean and stability in terms of GY, GN, and SW traits, while in terms of PH, they had a low mean and high stability. The stability of cultivars and landraces was related to dynamic and static stability, respectively. The highest number of marker pairs and lowest LD decay distance in both cultivars and landraces was observed on the B genome. Population structure differentiated indigenous cultivars and landraces, and the GWAS results for each were almost different despite the commonalities. Chromosomes 1B, 3B, 7B, 2A, and 4A had markers with pleiotropic effects on the stability of different traits. Due to two rain-fed environments, the Gene Ontology (GO) confirmed the accuracy of the results. The identified markers in this study can be helpful in breeding high-performance and stable genotypes and future breeding programs such as fine mapping and cloning.

Effects of Tamsulosin and Tolterodine on double J stent-related symptoms: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Ureteral double J stent are routinely applied for urologic patients although stent-related symptoms are common. Several attempts have been reported to minimize these symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To compare Tolterodine, Tamsulosin, and placebo effects on double J stent-related symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In all, 125 patients (82 males and 43 females) with double J stent were randomly divided into three groups (group 1, n: 42, group2, n: 40 and group 3, n: 43). Each patient randomly received one pack of drug in different colors by a nurse unaware of the content to take Tamsulosin 0.4 mg before sleep (MODALUSINE), Tolterodine 2 mg twice a day or placebo once daily (capsules filled with starch): group 1 received placebo, group 2 Tamsulosin and group 3 Tolterodine for 1 month in a double-blind manner. Ureteral stent-related morbidity indices which analyzed include urinary symptom, pain, general health, quality of work and sex scores. All of indices measured by Ureteral Symptom Score Questionnaire for first and fourth weeks after drug consumption and the first week after double J stent removal (labeled as w1, w4, and w5, respectively). RESULT: The mean age was 44.8 years (range: 15-83 years). There was no statistically significant difference in background characteristics between groups (p value > 0.05). The most important and statistically significant results were Tolterodine-reduced urinary symptom score (p value = 0.001) and improved general health score (p value = 0.007) of the fourth week. The pain score in groups of Tamsulosin and Tolterodine significantly reduced between weeks 4 and 1 and 5 and 1 (both with the p value < 0.05), but in other indices, there was no significant difference between them. CONCLUSION: According to our results, we suggest Tolterodine to minimize stent-related urinary symptom and improve general health in patients with double J stent.

Safety and efficacy of clomiphene citrate and L-carnitine in idiopathic male infertility: a comparative study.

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of L-carnitine with clomiphene citrate in idiopathic infertile men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two men with idiopathic infertility were recruited in this randomized controlled trial. They were randomly assigned into 2 treatment groups, group 1 (n = 20) and group 2 (n = 32), who received L-carnitine 25 mg/day and clomiphene citrate 2 gr/day, respectively, for a period of 3 months. RESULTS: Comparing the effect of L-carnitine and clomiphene on sperm parameters before and after the treatment, both medications had influence on sperm count and motility (P = .01). L-carnitine significantly increased the semen volume (P = .001), while clomiphene citrate was significantly associated with the motility percentage and normal morphology (P = .008). CONCLUSION: It seems that the use of clomiphene citrate and L-carnitine, either individually or in combination, as the first step of idiopathic male infertility treatment is reasonable, safe, and effective.