Habituation to thaxtomin A increases resistance to common scab in 'Russet Burbank' potato.

Common scab is a potato disease characterized by the formation of scab-like lesions on the surface of potato tubers. The actinobacterium Streptomyces scabiei is the main causal agent of common scab. During infection, this bacterium synthesizes the phytotoxin thaxtomin A which is essential for the production of disease symptoms. While thaxtomin A can activate an atypical programmed cell death in plant cell suspensions, it is possible to gradually habituate plant cells to thaxtomin A to provide resistance to lethal phytotoxin concentrations. Potato 'Russet Burbank' calli were habituated to thaxtomin A to regenerate the somaclone RB9 that produced tubers more resistant to common scab than those obtained from the original cultivar. Compared to the Russet Burbank cultivar, somaclone RB9 generated up to 22% more marketable tubers with an infected tuber area below the 5% threshold. Enhanced resistance was maintained over at least two years of cultivation in the field. However, average size of tubers was significantly reduced in somaclone RB9 compared to the parent cultivar. Small RB9 tubers had a thicker phellem than Russet Burbank tubers, which may contribute to improving resistance to common scab. These results show that thaxtomin A-habituation in potato is efficient to produce somaclones with increased and durable resistance to common scab.

Pheochromocytoma presenting as inverted Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a case report and review of the literature.

The classical entity of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is well established in the literature, but mechanisms explaining it remain unelucidated. Recently, the uncommon inverted Takotsubo type (sparing apical ballooning) has been more frequently described. We report the case of a 26-year-old man admitted with gastrointestinal symptoms, whose clinical presentation for a stress-related cardiomyopathy, which usually presents with cardiopulmonary symptoms, was rather atypical. The cardiac assessment including echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a dilated cardiomyopathy, whereas coronary angiography showed the absence of atherosclerotic disease. The abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a left adrenal mass, and elevated urinary catecholamine levels were highly suggestive of a pheochromocytoma. Prompt medical and surgical treatments were instituted. During the left adrenalectomy the patient suffered from brief electromechanical dissociation requiring aggressive resuscitation. Postoperative course was unremarkable. Reverse Takotsubo heart failure is a recently recognized syndrome and a systematic review of the literature of 10 cases of pheochromocytoma-induced inverted Takotsubo is presented in the present article.

Influence of diagnostic classification on gender ratio in schizophrenia - a meta-analysis of youths hospitalized for psychosis.

BACKGROUND: The research literature on hospital admissions for psychoses in youths was reviewed in order to test whether there was a gender ratio discrepancy in diagnostic subgroups; the effect of the diagnostic criteria classification on this measure was also investigated. METHOD: A meta-analysis was conducted on 12 primary studies by assessing the male/female odds ratio (OR) in the schizophrenia and mood disorders with psychosis subgroups as well as the amount of variability between studies. Study inclusion criteria were: patients between the ages of 8 and 19, at least 15 patients with psychosis and a standardized diagnostic criteria classification system such as DSM, ICD or RDC. RESULTS: The male/female OR measured in this meta-analysis implies that a male subject with psychosis is 1.7 times as likely to obtain a diagnosis of schizophrenia; conversely, a female subject with psychosis is 2.1 times as likely to be assigned in the mood disorders with psychosis subgroup. Disparity in diagnostic criteria nomenclature (ICD-9 vs. DSM) could account for a statistically significant difference in male/female OR for the schizophrenia subgroup in a subset of 11 studies. CONCLUSIONS: Under the narrower definition of schizophrenia in studies using DSM diagnostic criteria classification, the shift towards a greater proportion of patients diagnosed with mood disorders with psychosis could be explained by the time criteria; the simultaneous emergence of the gender ratio difference is discussed. This study shows that subtle changes in diagnostic criteria in psychiatric illnesses can greatly influence observational data pertaining to youths.

Personal and family risk factors for adolescent suicidal ideation and attempts.

Despite research indicating that suicidal ideation is strongly related to future suicide attempts, there is limited data on variables associated with continued suicidal ideation and behaviors in adolescents. The objective of this study is to investigate whether personal, cognitive and family risk factors can differentiate adolescent suicidal ideation and attempts. Twenty-four attempters, 50 ideators and 50 non-suicidal adolescents (aged 14 to 25 years) were asked during an interview to complete individual and psychosocial measures. Both suicidal groups reported greater personal vulnerability and perceived their family as less functional than did the non-suicidal group. However, no differences were found between both suicidal groups. The results suggest the presence of common factors in both adolescent suicidal ideators and attempters.