Altered uterine contractility in response to β-adrenoceptor agonists in ovarian cancer

Abstract

We aimed to prospectively examine β-adrenoceptor-mediated uterine contractility in women suffering from gynecological malignancies. Myometrial specimens were obtained from non-pregnant women undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecological disorders, and ovarian, endometrial, synchronous ovarian–endometrial, and cervical cancer. Contractions of myometrial strips in an organ bath before and after cumulative dosages of β₂- and β₃-adrenoceptor agonists with preincubation of propranolol, SR 59230A, and butoxamine were studied. All agonists induced a dose-dependent attenuation for uterine contractility in endometrial or cervical cancer, similar to that observed in the reference group. Contradictory effects were observed for ovarian cancer alone or in combination with endometrial cancer. CL 316243 or ritodrine abolished the relaxation, whereas BRL 37344 increased the uterine contractility in ovarian cancer. Moreover, β-adrenoceptor antagonists caused varied effects for β₂- or β₃-adrenoceptor agonists. Our experiments demonstrate that ovarian cancer, alone or as synchronous ovarian–endometrial cancer, substantially alters uterine contractility in response to β-adrenoceptor agonists.

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Association of Crohn’s Disease and Celiac Disease: Causal link or only coincidence?

2016-11-12T09-12-54Z
Source: Disease and Molecular Medicine
Tolga Duzenli, Mustafa Kaplan, Alpaslan Tanoglu, Demet Altun, Hakan Cermik.
Crohns disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects any part of the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly terminal ileum and proximal colon; and Celiac Disease (CeD) is immuno-mediated systemic disease caused by gluten and similar prolamins in genetically susceptible individuals. Concomitant occurrence of CD and CeD is rare and there are limited literature data regarding the association of CeD to CD. Although, recent findings propose shared mechanisms, genetics and functional pathways. Herein, we report a case that has co-occurrence of CD and CeD and rewiew the literature of the association between these two diseases.


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World’s Heaviest Spleen Removed

2016-11-12T07-28-51Z
Source: The Southeast Asian Journal of Case Report and Review
Arjun Goel, Brahm Dutt Pathak, Vikrant Singh Chauhan, Laxmi Goel.
A 33 yr old man with hepatosplenomegaly, presented with abdominal pain and distension. After establishing the diagnosis of type I Gauchers disease, splenectomy was done which weighed a massive 14.96 kilograms. The heaviest spleen reported till date. A case report of splenectomy for massive splenomegaly with comparison of other reports is presented. Splenectomy in gaucherss disease have been reported in the past for hypersplenism and splenomegaly. Splenomegaly and hypersplenism causes poor quality of life with abdominal distension and discomfort, recurrent blood transfusions, increased risk of bleeding, pancytopenia. The main indication in our case was massive splenomegaly extending well below the umbilicus and reaching upto the opposite iliac fossa (Hacketts grade V). Such massive sized spleens have never been reported in the past as patients present before reaching this level. Performing splenectomy in this case was in itself an arduous task. Our patient was operated by conventional midline laparotomy and recovered well after surgery.


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Transcriptomic profiling of soybean in response to UV-B and Xanthomonas axonopodis treatment reveals shared gene components in stress defense pathways

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max [L.]) has evolved to survive under abiotic and biotic stress conditions by utilizing multiple signaling pathways. Although several studies have revealed shared defense signaling pathways in plants, the majority of components at the convergence points of signaling pathways triggered by both abiotic and biotic stress remain poorly understood. Here, we profiled the overall transcriptional responses of soybean to two different types of stress using the UV-B-resistant cultivar, Buseok, and the UV-B-sensitive cultivar, Cheongja 3, as well as two near isogenic lines carrying bacterial leaf pustule (BLP) disease-resistant and -susceptible alleles. We compared transcript abundance and identified genes that commonly respond to UV-B stress and BLP disease. In addition, we surveyed the co-localization of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their paralogs with abiotic and biotic stress-related quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on the soybean genome. Among 14 DEGs that respond to both stresses, five DEGs are involved in the jasmonic acid (JA) metabolic pathway, encoding Jasmonate ZIM (Zinc-finger protein expressed in Inflorescence Meristem) domain-containing protein 1 (JAZ 1), a negative regulator of JA signaling. Two DEGs for JAZ 1 were co-localized with biotic stress-related QTLs. One DEG encoding the stress-induced protein starvation-associated message 22 and its two paralogs were co-localized with both abiotic and biotic stress-related QTLs. The results of this study help elucidate general responses to abiotic and biotic stress in soybean, thereby helping breeders improve stress-resistant soybean cultivars.

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Organic acid anions: An effective defensive weapon for plants against aluminum toxicity and phosphorus deficiency in acidic soils

Publication date: Available online 11 November 2016
Source:Journal of Genetics and Genomics
Author(s): Zhi Chang Chen, Hong Liao
Aluminum (Al) toxicity and phosphorous (P) deficiency are two major limiting factors for plant growth on acidic soils. Thus, the physiological mechanisms for Al tolerance and P acquisition have been intensively studied. A commonly observed trait is that plants have developed the ability to utilize organic acid anions (OAs; mainly malate, citrate and oxalate) to combat Al toxicity and P deficiency. OAs secreted by roots into the rhizosphere can externally chelate Al³⁺ and mobilize phosphate (Pi), while OAs synthesized in the cell can internally sequester Al³⁺ into the vacuole and release free Pi for metabolism. Molecular mechanisms involved in OA synthesis and transport have been described in detail. Ensuing genetic improvement for Al tolerance and P efficiency through increased OA exudation and/or synthesis in crops has been achieved by transgenic and marker-assisted breeding. This review mainly elucidates the crucial roles of OAs in plant Al tolerance and P efficiency through summarizing associated physiological mechanisms, molecular traits and genetic manipulation of crops.



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Complete mitochondrial genomes of Thai and Lao populations indicate an ancient origin of Austroasiatic groups and demic diffusion in the spread of Tai–Kadai languages

Abstract

The Tai–Kadai (TK) language family is thought to have originated in southern China and spread to Thailand and Laos, but it is not clear if TK languages spread by demic diffusion (i.e., a migration of people from southern China) or by cultural diffusion, with native Austroasiatic (AA) speakers switching to TK languages. To address this and other questions, we obtained 1234 complete mtDNA genome sequences from 51 TK and AA groups from Thailand and Laos. We find high genetic heterogeneity across the region, with 212 different haplogroups, and significant genetic differentiation among different samples from the same ethnolinguistic group. TK groups are more genetically homogeneous than AA groups, with the latter exhibiting more ancient/basal mtDNA lineages, and showing more drift effects. Modeling of demic diffusion, cultural diffusion, and admixture scenarios consistently supports the spread of TK languages by demic diffusion.

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A cross-sectional study of morbidity and social profile of geriatric population in Singanodi sub centre, Raichur, Karnataka, India

2016-11-12T04-58-10Z
Source: International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Pavan S. Kalasker, Brunda N. K., Bhaskar Kurre.
Background: India has around 100 million elderly populations which constitute about 8% of countrys population. They form a vulnerable group not only from the point of view of health problems but also from other aspects namely economic, social, nutritional and others. Hence a study was conducted to know the socio-demographic profile, morbidity pattern and social problems faced by elderly. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out in six villages of Singanodi sub centre in Raichur Karnataka, India. All elderly population above 60 years were interviewed by house to house visit and clinical examination done. Results: Out of total 513 elderly population, majority were in 60-69 years age group, 94.5% were illiterates and large number of subjects belonged to class IV and V of modified BG Prasad socio-economic classification. Most common morbidity was musculoskeletal disorders and 23.8% of study subjects felt neglected by family. Conclusions: The existing health care services are not sufficient to meet the needs of the geriatric population hence scaling up of existing services is needed as in future more people will be added to geriatric pool.


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