Correlation between polymorphisms of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α Pro582Ser and type 2 diabetic nephropathy.

We examined the correlation between gene polymorphisms in hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) Pro582Ser and type 2 diabetic nephropathy (DN). A total of 244 subjects with type 2 diabetes were recruited. The 1285-bp locus polymorphism of HIF-1α exon was detected using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. C/T single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected at the site of 1285 bp of the HIF-1α exon, from a proline to a serine (Pro582Ser). The frequency of CT heterozygotes was significantly higher in DN patients than in diabetes patients (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that high hemoglobin A1c and low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were risk factors for DN, and Pro582Ser was excluded in the equation. HIF-1α Pro582Ser single nucleotide polymorphisms may be correlated with type 2 DN, which needs further exploration.

First Report of Bacterial Blight of Guar Caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. cyamopsidis in China.

Bacterial blight was observed on field-grown guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) for the first time in China. The disease outbreak occurred in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region after several weeks of unusually heavy rains during late summer 2013. The disease incidence was generally 40 to 50%, although values as high as 80% were observed in several fields. Initial field symptoms included water-soaked spots on leaves, pods, petioles, and stems. During later stages of infection, the color of the spots became dark. We also observed large, angular, necrotic lesions at leaf tips, black streaks on petioles and stems, split stems, defoliation, wilting or top withering, vascular necrosis, and dieback. Samples of diseased leaves, stems, petioles, pods, and seeds were surface sterilized, ground, and then plated onto King's B medium. Plates were incubated at 28°C for 72 h. Fifteen bacterial strains with yellow-pigmented, opaque, and round colonies were isolated. These strains were aerobic, gram-negative rods with a single, polar flagellum. They were positive for H2S, esculin, oxidase, tobacco hypersensitivity, indole production from tryptophan, nitrate reduction to nitrite, and the utilization of glucose, mannose, trehalose, galactose, and starch. The maximum salt tolerance of the strains was 2 to 3%. Pathogenicity tests using eight strains were conducted in July 2013. A bacterial culture was suspended in sterile water with a final concentration of 108 CFU/ml. Eight 4-week-old guar plants were inoculated by (i) spraying the bacterial suspension on the leaves until runoff, or (ii) puncturing the stems with a needle that had been dipped into the bacterial suspension. Sterile water was used as a negative control. Plants were kept in a mist room with 100% relative humidity for 24 h. Stem and leaf symptoms similar to those of the original plants were observed on the inoculated guar plants within 10 days of inoculation. No symptoms developed on the negative control plants. Yellow bacterial colonies re-isolated from inoculated plant tissues were morphologically identical to the original. 16S rDNA was amplified using universal primers (Pa 5'-AGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAG-3' and Ph 5'-TACCTTGTTACGACTTCGTCCCA-3') and sequenced. A BLAST search of the NCBI GenBank database indicated that the 16S rDNA sequences of three strains (accession nos. KF563926, KF563927, and KF563928) had 99.9% identity to Xanthomonas axonopodis strain XV938 (AF123091). Under greenhouse conditions, bacterial strains wilted asparagus bean and pea but rarely infected bean, kidney bean, faba bean, mung bean, soybean, red bean, pea, garbanzo bean, and peanut. Based on morphology, pathogenicity tests, 16S rDNA sequencing, and host plant specificity, the pathogen was confirmed as X. axonopodis pv. cyamopsidis (synonym: X. campestris pv. cyamopsidis [Patel et al., 1953]). To our knowledge, this is the first report of bacterial blight of guar caused by X. axonopodis pv. cyamopsidis in China. Guar has recently been introduced in Xinjiang Province. Our findings indicate that bacterial blight may pose a threat to the economic sustainability of guar production in the region. References: (1) I. A. Milyutina et a1. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 239:17, 2004. (2) I. M. G. Almeida et al. Summa Phytopathol. 18:255, 1992. (3) J. D. Mihail et al. Plant Dis. 69:811, 1985.

Association between IL-1RN gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis: a large Human Genome Epidemiology review and meta-analysis.

We made a Human Genome Epidemiology review and meta-analysis to examine a possible association between interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) polymorphisms and susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Studies of IL-1RN polymorphisms and susceptibility to AS were found by searching the Pubmed, Cochrane library, Embase, Web of Science, Springerlink, CNKI, and CBM databases. Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. The meta-analysis was performed with the Review Manager Version 5.1.6 and STATA Version 12.0 software. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated based on the extracted data. Thirteen studies with 5391 AS cases and 5239 healthy controls were retrieved. Seven IL-1RN polymorphisms were addressed, including rs30735, rs31017, rs419598, rs315951, rs315952, rs27810, and VNTR. Meta-analysis showed that the rs30735*C allele/carrier, the rs31017*G carrier and the rs315952*T carrier were positively and significantly associated with susceptibility to AS (OR = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.19-1.76; OR = 1.73, 95%CI = 1.34-2.24; OR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.01-1.69; OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.16-2.04). A subgroup analysis based on ethnicity revealed significant positive associations between the rs30735*C allele/carrier and the rs31017*G allele and susceptibility to AS in both Caucasian and Asian populations, while the positive association between the rs315952*T carrier and AS susceptibility was significant only in Asian populations (OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.16-2.04). This meta-analysis suggests that IL-1RN polymorphisms are involved in the pathogenesis of AS. The rs30735*C allele/carrier, and the rs31017*G allele may be risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis in Caucasians and Asians, while the rs315952*T carrier is associated with susceptibility to this disease only in Asians.

Effect of gestational subclinical hypothyroidism on early neurodevelopment of offspring.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of gestational subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on early neurodevelopment of offspring. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study included 106 infants born to mothers with gestational SCH and 106 infants born to mothers who were euthyroid during pregnancy. The neurodevelopment of 12 to 24-month-old infants was assessed and compared using the Gesell developmental test (revised version). RESULTS: Infants born to mothers with gestational SCH and those born to euthyroid mothers had similar scores on the Gesell development test. No correlations were observed between maternal TSH concentration and Gesell developmental test scores of offspring. Infants born to mothers who had gestational SCH during the first trimester specifically and those born to euthyroid mothers had similar scores on the Gesell development test. No significant correlations were detected between maternal TSH concentration during the first trimester and offspring neurodevelopment. CONCLUSIONS: No detectable neurodevelopment deficit was observed in offspring up to 24 months old from mothers who had gestational SCH.

Rapid simultaneous analysis of 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol in water samples by derivative variable-offset synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.

Derivative variable-offset synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy is developed to improve the spectral resolution and the selectivity of fluorescence measurements. 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol are employed to evaluate the proposed coupled technique and the various spectral comparisons are conducted. Second derivative variable-offset synchronous scanning permits the rapid simultaneous identification and quantitative determination of 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol in a mixture from a single spectrum. 6.7-2000 ng/ml 1-naphthol and 3.6-500 ng/ml 2-naphthol can be quantified with 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol ratios of 40: 1-1: 10. The determination of 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol in various spiked water samples gave a mean recovery of 100.7% with a relative standard deviation of 2.8% for 1-naphthol and mean recovery of 99.7% with a relative standard deviation (RSD of 2.6% for 2-naphthol, respectively.

Neuronal codes: reading them and learning how their structure influences network organization.

Our investigations of the primate visual system show that neuronal responses carry information in a multi-dimensional code that is superimposed onto the response envelope in a slow time varying fashion. The precision of timing is 30 ms or more. In primary visual cortex response latency and response strength are largely independent, with latency more closely coding contrast or visibility and strength more closely coding stimulus orientation, or perhaps shape. Adjacent neurons in both V1 and inferior temporal cortex share only about 10% of their stimulus-related information, which we demonstrate to be consistent with the idea that cortical layers were organized to minimize information loss.