Two wrongs make a right: heat stress reversion of a male-sterile Brassica napus line.

Male-sterile lines play important roles in plant breeding to obtain hybrid vigour. The male sterility Lembke (MSL) system is a thermosensitive genic male sterility system of Brassica napus and is one of the main systems used in European rapeseed breeding. Interestingly, the MSL system shows high similarity to the 9012AB breeding system from China, including the ability to revert to fertile in high temperature conditions. Here we demonstrate that the MSL system is regulated by the same restorer of fertility gene BnaC9-Tic40 as the 9012AB system, which is related to the translocon at the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts 40 (TIC40) from Arabidopsis. The male sterility gene of the MSL system was also identified to encode a chloroplast-localized protein which we call BnChimera; this gene shows high sequence similarity to the sterility gene previously described for the 9012AB system. For the first time, a direct protein interaction between BnaC9-Tic40 and the BnChimera could be demonstrated. In addition, we identify the corresponding amino acids that mediate this interaction and suggest how BnaC9-Tic40 acts as the restorer of fertility. Using an RNA-seq approach, the effects of heat treatment on the male fertility restoration of the C545 MSL system line were investigated. These data demonstrate that many pollen developmental pathways are affected by higher temperatures. It is hypothesized that heat stress reverses the male sterility via a combination of slower production of cell wall precursors in plastids and a slower flower development, which ultimately results in fertile pollen. The potential breeding applications of these results are discussed regarding the use of the MSL system in producing thermotolerant fertile plants.

Urine colour after radical prostatectomy predicts urinary leakage at the vesicourethral anastomosis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this investigation was to determine whether postoperative urine colour could be used as a predictor for the presence or absence of a urinary leakage at the vesicourethral anastomosis after open radical prostatectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this prospective study, the urine colour of 223 patients who underwent open radical prostatectomy due to histologically proven localized prostate cancer was assessed macroscopically and microscopically on postoperative day (POD) 6, 7 and 8. All patients underwent evaluation of perianastomotic extravasation by retrograde cystography on POD 8. Baseline characteristics included age; prostate-specific antigen; prostate volume; tumour, node, metastasis classification; and Gleason score. RESULTS: The urine colour was a highly significant predictor for perianastomotic extravasation in cystography when it was red on POD 6, 7 and 8. The sensitivity and specificity of urine colour as a predictor for extravasation were 71.4% and 83.2% on POD 6, 71.4% and 85.8% on POD 7, and 81.8% and 90.9% on POD 8, respectively, with a clear or slightly ensanguined urine colour. The negative and positive predictive values were 98.6% and 81.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A cystography can be omitted if the patient demonstrates a clear urine colour on POD 8, without an increased risk of missing a perianastomotic extravasation.

The impact of bladder neck mucosal eversion during open radical prostatectomy on bladder neck stricture and urinary extravasation.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the bladder neck mucosal eversion (BNM-eversion) during radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) reduces the risk of bladder neck stricture (BNS) and of peri-anastomotic extravasation (PAE) in postoperative cystography. METHODS: Two hundred and eleven patients with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent RRP and were prospectively randomized into patients with BNM-eversion (group I) and without BNM-eversion (group II). All patients underwent an evaluation of PAE by retrograde cystography on postoperative day 8. We assessed BNS after 6 months. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients with and 113 patients without BNM-eversion were included. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics, including age, TNM-classification, Gleason score, PSA, prostate volume, and blood loss in both groups. A complete follow-up of 6 months for BNS was available for 188 patients (89.1 %). Sixteen BNS out of 188 patients were recorded, 4.7 % (n = 4) in group I and 11.7 % (n = 12) in group II (p = 0.09). Data from 205 out of 211 patients were available for the evaluation of the extravasation by cystography. Peri-anastomotic extravasation was detectable in 11.96 %, (11/205) in group I and in 21.24 % (24/205) in group II (p = 0.08). CONCLUSION: BNM-eversion does not have a positive influence on the prevention of bladder neck strictures. Peri-anastomotic extravasation detected by cystography does not correlate with a formation of bladder neck stricture.

[Malnutrition after biliopancreatic diversion--postoperative management and complications]. / Malnutrition nach biliopankreatischer Teilung--postoperative Maßnahmen und Komplikationen.

The biliopancreatic diversion is currently the maximum variant of bariatric surgery. It presents several opportunities of typical surgical complications, beside the risks generally prevailing in bariatric surgery. In addition, there is the procedure-immanent risk of development of nutritional deficiencies in the long-term process, at significant percentages. These deficiencies can, to a great extent, be avoided by consistent supplementation within the scope of a structured follow-up program; they can also be corrected by a substitution therapy. In the future, the risk of malnutrition can possibly be lowered by technically modified procedures with equal bariatric effectiveness. Considering the very good long-term results with regard to stable weight reduction in connection with a high recovery rate of the comorbidities, combined with a consistent postal-surgical management, the problem of malnutrition appears to be of minor importance. However, an appropriate compliance of the patient is also required.