Systematic analysis of Prx genes in the Brachypodium genus and their expression pattern under abiotic constraints.

Peroxiredoxins (Prx) are ubiquitous peroxidases required for the removal of excess free radicals produced under stress conditions. Peroxiredoxin genes (Prx) in the Brachypodium genus were identified using bioinformatics tools and their expression profiles were determined under abiotic stress using RT-qPCR. The promoter regions of Prx genes contain several cis-acting elements related to stress response. In silico expression analysis showed that B. distachyon Prx genes (BdPrx) are tissue specific. RT-qPCR analysis revealed their differential expression when exposed to salt or PEG-induced dehydration stress. In addition, the upregulation of BdPrx genes was accompanied by accumulation of H2 O2 . Exogenous application of H2 O2 induced expression of almost all BdPrx genes. The identified molecular interaction network indicated that Prx proteins may contribute to abiotic stress tolerance by regulating key enzymes involved in lignin biosynthesis. Overall, our findings suggest the potential role of Prx genes in abiotic stress tolerance and lay the foundation for future functional analyses aiming to engineer genetically improved cereal lines.

Variability in response to salinity stress in natural Tunisian populations of Hordeum marinum subsp. marinum.

Soil salinity is one of the most serious environmental factors affecting crop productivity around the world. In this study, we analysed morpho-physiological variation in responses to salt stress in Tunisian populations of Hordeum marinum subsp. marinum. The plants were grown under two treatments (0 and 200 mm NaCl) until maturity. A total of 19 quantitative traits were measured before and during the harvest. It was observed that most studied traits are influenced by the increasing salinity. High to moderate broad-sense heritability (H2 ) were noted for most of parameters under control and salt treatment, implying that salt tolerance is moderately heritable and environmental variation plays an equally important role. The majority of correlations between measured traits under the two treatments are positive, where the strongest correlations were between spike number (SN) and weight (SW). Based on the salt response index (SRI) values, SN and SW are the most affected by salinity. The 150 studied lines formed three groups according to the SRI values of the 19 quantitative parameters, of which 101 were moderately sensitive, 27 tolerant and 22 highly tolerant. Overall genetic variation of H. marinum in response to salt stress may provide novel insight to identify genes responsible for salt tolerance.

Surgical treatment of early-stage carcinoma of the oral tongue--wound adjuvant treatment be beneficial?

A group of 97 patients with clinical stage I and stage II squamous carcinoma of the oral tongue, treated by partial glossectomy alone, has been reviewed to define prognostic indicators. Sixty-seven patients were staged T1N0 and 30 were T2N0. Disease recurred in 28 patients (27%) and the most common site of failure was the ipsilateral neck (21%). The incidence of initial recurrence did not vary significantly with patient age, sex, T-stage, or when tumor size was examined in other subdivisions. The presence of perineural invasion significantly increased recurrence rate (P = 0.003) and decreased survival (P = 0.002). Disease-free survival at 5 yr was 73% for patients with T1 tumors, and 62% for T2 tumors. This difference was not significant. In this low-risk patient population with early stage carcinoma of the oral tongue, partial glossectomy is adequate treatment in most cases. However, we recommend postoperative radiation therapy to the primary site and ipsilateral neck for patients with perineural invasion. No evidence could be found to support adjuvant local therapy or elective neck treatment in the remaining patients.

Differential pulse polarography of cadmium-and lead-urate and adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of uric acid.

The complex formation between uric acid and zinc, cadmium and lead ions has been investigated using differential pulse polarography in 0.01M NaNO(3). It is found that the complexes formed by Cd(II) and Pb(II) ions with uric acid have the stoichiometry of 1:2 and the logarithmic values of the apparent stability constant are 9.47 and 11.7, respectively. On the other hand, zinc(II) ions do not give any indication of complexation with uric acid. A sensitive voltammetric method is developed for the quantitative determination of uric acid. This method is based on controlled adsorptive preconcentration of uric acid on the hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE), followed by tracing the voltammogram in the cathodic going potential scan. The modes used are direct current stripping voltammetry (DCSV) and differential pulse stripping voltammetry (DPSV). The detection limits found were 8 x 10(-9)M (quiescent period 15 sec) by DPSV and 1.6 x 10(-8)M by DCSV.

A small adrenocortical carcinoma with aggressive behavior. An evaluation of criteria for malignancy.

Adrenocortical carcinoma is an unusual tumor that tends to be larger than 100 g at diagnosis. Malignant adrenocortical tumors of less than 50 g have been reported rarely. We studied a small adrenocortical carcinoma that weighed 40 g and metastasized 3 1/2 years following bilateral adrenalectomy. The malignancy of adrenocortical tumors is frequently difficult to determine. Two recent studies have proposed histologic criteria for determining the malignancy of adrenal cortical tumors. Since the tumor we studied was initially judged to be benign, we sought to determine whether an extensive evaluation of this tumor using these recent criteria could have identified the tumor's potential for metastasizing. Careful application of these criteria indicated that the tumor was either a borderline lesion or a definitely malignant lesion. This emphasizes the need to approach systematically all adrenal neoplasms with regard to determining their malignant potential. Documenting small adrenocortical carcinomas also should help in setting criteria for evaluating adrenal masses discovered incidentally by sensitive radiologic methods.

Activity levels as a dimension of temperament in toddlers: its relevance for the organismic specificity hypothesis.

The objective of the present study was to follow up on hypotheses derived from earlier research on activity level as a possible mediator between environment and development. Of particular theoretical interest was the organismic specificity hypothesis, which states that early experiences differentially influence development because the impact of the environment is mediated by individual differences in the organism. Subjects were 52 15-month-old toddlers who were observed in their homes 6 times over a 4-week period. Measures of the caretaker's attention-focusing behaviors were aggregated across 4 of the visits. Measures of the child's home environment and exploratory ability were also obtained. ANOVA analyses indicated a significant interaction between activity level and intensity of stimulation in predicting both exploratory competence and total exploration. The findings provided clear support for the organismic specificity hypothesis. Implications of the results for clinical work and future research on activity level and individual differences are discussed.