Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing a wheat salt stress root protein (TaSSRP) exhibit enhanced tolerance to heat stress.

BACKGROUND: Heat stress is a detrimental abiotic stress that limits the development of many plant species and is linked to a variety of cellular and physiological problems. Heat stress affects membrane fluidity, which leads to negative effects on cell permeability and ion transport. Research reveals that heat stress causes severe damage to cells and leads to rapid accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which could cause programmed cell death. METHODS AND RESULTS: This current study aimed to validate the role of Triticum aestivum Salt Stress Root Protein (TaSSRP) in plants' tolerance to heat stress by modulating its expression in tobacco plants. The Relative Water Content (RWC), total chlorophyll content, and Membrane Stability Index (MSI) of the seven distinct transgenic lines (T0 - 2, T0 - 3, T0 - 6, T0 - 8, T0 - 9, T0 - 11, and T0 - 13), increased in response to heat stress. Despite the fact that the same tendency was detected in wild-type (WT) plants, changes in physio-biochemical parameters were greater in transgenic lines than in WT plants. The expression analysis revealed that the transgene TaSSRP expressed from 1.00 to 1.809 folds in different lines in the transgenic tobacco plants. The gene TaSSRP offered resistance to heat stress in Nicotiana tabacum, according to the results of the study. CONCLUSION: These findings could help to improve our knowledge and understanding of the mechanism underlying thermotolerance in wheat, and the novel identified gene TaSSRP could be used in generating wheat varieties with enhanced tolerance to heat stress.

Zinner Syndrome: Ipsilateral Renal Agenesis and Seminal Vesicle Cyst Presenting With Bony Metastasis.

Zinner syndrome is a rare congenital triad of mesonephric duct abnormality encompassing unilateral renal agenesis or dysgenesis, ipsilateral seminal vesicle cyst, and ejaculatory duct obstruction. Literature has reported 214 cases, with the most common presentation being lower urinary tract symptoms and abdominal pain. Most cases are incidentally diagnosed, and MRI has been the choice of radiological diagnosis. We report the case of an 81-year-old male who presented with a three-month history of a fungating elbow lesion, elbow pain, and weight loss. Imaging revealed an ipsilateral seminal vesicle cyst, absent kidney, and ejaculatory duct obstruction, i.e., Zinner syndrome with bone metastasis. A bone biopsy revealed a urothelial primary, and cyst aspiration and cytology revealed spermatozoa and malignant cells representing an adenocarcinoma. This patient was managed with symptom control, radiotherapy to the elbow, and palliative chemotherapy, but later succumbed to the condition.

A case report of uncommon paratesticular liposarcoma of spermatic cord presenting as a scrotal mass.

Paratesticular liposarcomas are uncommon malignancies, often misdiagnosed preoperatively, that present as a painless scrotal mass. There is no universal consensus on their management due to scarcity of reported cases. Early detection and prompt surgical intervention provide the best disease outcome. We present the case of a 74-year-old man with a painless left testicular mass. Ultrasound and CT scan showed a paratesticular tumour. He underwent left high inguinal orchidectomy. Histopathological, immunohistochemical and cytogenetics studies confirmed the diagnosis of a Grade 2 well differentiated paratesticular liposarcoma with clear surgical margins. The case was referred to our regional sarcoma centre and currently undergoes regular follow-up.

Villous adenoma of the urachal remnant: A diagnostic conundrum.

Villous adenoma is a rare pathology seen in the urinary tract; it is mostly found in the large bowel. When encountered in the urinary tract, it mainly originates from intestinal segments of urinary reconstruction. Villous adenoma is commonly seen in patients more than 50 years and has a male predominance. In the urinary tract, it has been reported in the urachus, bladder dome and trigone. A few cases of villous adenoma have been described in the literature. We report a case of primary villous adenoma in the remnant of the urachus and discuss the pathophysiology, investigation and management.

Non-operative management of an isolated lateral collateral ligament injury in an adolescent patient and review of the literature.

We present a rare case of isolated traumatic pure ligamentous rupture of the lateral collateral ligament of the knee in an adolescent high-level footballer managed non-operatively with a good functional outcome and return to sport in 4 months.

The value of laparoscopy in the management of chronic groin pain.

BACKGROUND: Chronic groin pain problem represents a diagnostic and management challenge. This study is reporting all patients who underwent laparoscopic exploration of the groin and pelvis for undiagnosed chronic groin pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study. Evaluators were not involved in the operations. Laparoscopic exploration and mesh insertion using Trans-Abdominal Pre-Preitoneal (TAPP) approach was performed for all patients. Follow up in the; clinic at 2 weeks and 6 months was arranged. This was a consecutive series of patients who were presented with chronic groin pain and no pre-operative radiological, orthopedic, gynecological or urologic abnormalities. Patients who were diagnosed with clinical hernia or other positive finding were excluded. RESULTS: Data were collected and analyzed for 92 patients. The operation had successfully managed the groin pain in 81 patients (88.04%), and the pain was improved in another 3 patients (3.26%). Six patients (6.52%) had no change in their symptoms, and worse pain was reported in two patient (2.17%). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic groin exploration is an effective method to diagnose the chronic groin pain that under diagnosed by clinical, ultrasound and MRI tests. Laparoscopic management had resulted in resolution of the pain in the majority of the patients. The procedure is effective in athletes' patients who did not have clinical, radiological and laparoscopic evidence of groin hernia.

Detailed characterization of bio-oil from pyrolysis of non-edible seed-cakes by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques.

Bio-oil obtained from pyrolysis is highly complicated mixture with valued chemicals. In order to reduce the complexity for unambiguous characterization of components present in bio-oil, solvent extractions using different solvents with increasing polarity have been adopted. The fractions have been analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for identifying the functional groups and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), for detailed characterization of components present in various fractions, thereby providing in-depth information at molecular level of various components in bio-oil. This paper reveals the potential of the analytical techniques in identification and brings out the similarities as well as differences in the components present in the bio-oil obtained from two non-edible oil seed-cakes, viz., Jatropha and Karanjia.

Predictive factors for early mortality after percutaneous endoscopic and radiologically-inserted gastrostomy.

BACKGROUND: Gastrostomy insertion is of benefit to selected patients, but 30-day mortality is as high as 54% in some patient groups. The current study examines risk factors associated with 30-day mortality in a cohort of patients who underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) or radiologically-inserted gastrostomy (RIG) in a district general hospital over a 2.5 year period. METHODS: A retrospective review of case notes was performed for all patients who underwent a PEG (n=53) or RIG (n=40) insertion in the period January 2009-July 2011. PEG/RIG re-insertions were excluded. Demographic, clinical, and biochemical data were analysed. Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for early mortality after gastrostomy insertion. RESULTS: The indications for gastrostomy insertion were similar in the PEG and RIG groups and included mainly dysphagic stroke, chronic neuromuscular disease and head and neck cancer. The patients in the RIG group were older and had a higher incidence of cardiovascular co-morbidities. The overall 30-day mortality was 11% in the PEG and 40% in the RIG group. The multivariate regression analysis suggested that cardiovascular co-morbidities and RIG insertion were independent risk factors for early mortality. The main cause of death 30 days after gastrostomy insertion was pneumonia, which was significantly more common in the RIG group. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that PEG should be the procedure of choice when considering gastrostomy insertion and RIG should be reserved as a second-line approach for cases in which PEG is technically difficult or contraindicated.

Role of ethylene receptors during senescence and ripening in horticultural crops.

The past two decades have been rewarding in terms of deciphering the ethylene signal transduction and functional validation of the ethylene receptor and downstream genes involved in the cascade. Our knowledge of ethylene receptors and its signal transduction pathway provides us a robust platform where we can think of manipulating and regulating ethylene sensitivity by the use of genetic engineering and making transgenic. This review focuses on ethylene perception, receptor mediated regulation of ethylene biosynthesis, role of ethylene receptors in flower senescence, fruit ripening and other effects induced by ethylene. The expression behavior of the receptor and downstream molecules in climacteric and non climacteric crops is also elaborated upon. Possible strategies and recent advances in altering the ethylene sensitivity of plants using ethylene receptor genes in an attempt to modulate the regulation and sensitivity to ethylene have also been discussed. Not only will these transgenic plants be a boon to post-harvest physiology and crop improvement but, it will also help us in discovering the mechanism of regulation of ethylene sensitivity.

A novel ethylene receptor homolog gene isolated from ethylene-insensitive flowers of gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflora hort.).

Gladiolus is an ethylene insensitive flower whose exogenous ethylene and ethylene inhibitors have no effect on the petal senescence process. To study which processes in gladiolus are associated with changes in ethylene perception, two types of gladiolus genes, named GgERS1a and GgERS1b, respectively, homologous to the Arabidopsis ethylene receptor gene ERS1 were isolated. GgERS1a is conserved in terms of exon numbers and intron positions, whereas GgERS1b is almost same with GgERS1a except lacking 636 nucleotide encoding first and second histidine kinase (HisKA) motifs. The sequence data on full length genomic DNA indicated that both GgERS1a and b were spliced from different genomic DNA. As the result of mRNA expression study, in spite of lacking the two significant motifs, the expression of GgERS1b dramatically changed with advance in petal senescence, whereas the level of GgERS1a expressed highly and constitutively. The result suggests that both the genes possess a significant role for the subfunctionalization process to provide ethylene insensitivity in gladiolus flowers.