The establishment of pollen–pistil compatibility is strictly regulated by factors derived from both male and female reproductive structures. Highly diverse small cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) have ...been found to play multiple roles in plant reproduction, including the earliest stages of the pollen–stigma interaction. Secreted CRPs found in the pollen coat of members of the Brassicaceae, the pollen coat proteins (PCPs), are emerging as important signalling molecules that regulate the pollen–stigma interaction.
Using a combination of protein characterization, expression and phylogenetic analyses we identified a novel class of Arabidopsis thaliana pollen-borne CRPs, the PCP-Bs (for pollen coat protein B-class) that are related to embryo surrounding factor (ESF1) developmental regulators. Single and multiple PCP-B mutant lines were utilized in bioassays to assess effects on pollen hydration, adhesion and pollen tube growth.
Our results revealed that pollen hydration is severely impaired when multiple PCP-Bs are lost from the pollen coat. The hydration defect also resulted in reduced pollen adhesion and delayed pollen tube growth in all mutants studied.
These results demonstrate that AtPCP-Bs are key regulators of the hydration ‘checkpoint’ in establishment of pollen–stigma compatibility. In addition, we propose that interspecies diversity of PCP-Bs may contribute to reproductive barriers in the Brassicaceae.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
•Heavy drinkers with high exposure to alcohol on social media were less moved by traditional PNF.•Gamified PNF that included social media-like features increased efficacy among these students.•Peer ...profiles and avatars may help combat social media alcohol influence in the PNF context.
Research suggests that the social media platforms popular on college campuses may reflect, reinforce, and even exacerbate heavy drinking practices among students. The present study was designed to directly examine: (1) whether exposure to alcohol-related content on social media diminishes the efficacy of a traditional web-based personalized normative feedback (PNF) alcohol intervention among first-year drinkers; and (2) if social media inspired features and digital game mechanics can be integrated into a PNF intervention to combat social media-based alcohol influence and increase efficacy.
Alcohol experienced first-year college students (N = 223) completed a pre-survey that assessed exposure to alcohol-related content and social media and were randomized to 1 of 3 web-based alcohol PNF conditions (traditional, gamified only, or social media inspired gamified). One month later, participants’ alcohol consumption was reassessed.
Among participants who received traditional PNF, social media-based alcohol exposure interacted with pre-intervention drinking such that traditional PNF was less effective in reducing drinking among heavier drinkers reporting greater exposure to alcohol-related social media content. Further, when regression models compared the efficacy of all three conditions, the social media inspired gamified PNF condition was significantly more effective in reducing drinking than was traditional PNF among moderate and heavy drinkers reporting greater exposure to alcohol on social media.
Although additional research is needed, these findings suggest that representing the population of students on whom normative statistics are based with social media-like user avatars and profiles may enhance the degree to which alcohol PNF is relatable and believable among high-risk students.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
A consensus conference sponsored by the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS), American Society of Transplantation (AST), United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and American Society of ...Nephrology (ASN) convened to examine simultaneous liver‐kidney transplantation (SLK). Directors from the 25 largest liver transplant programs along with speakers with recognized expertise attended. The purposes of this conference were to propose indications for SLK, to establish a prospective data registry and, most importantly, to recommend standard listing criteria for these patients. Scientific registry of transplant recipients data, and single center data regarding chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) in conjunction with liver failure as a basis for SLK was presented and discussed. The consensus was that Regional Review Boards (RRB) should determine listing for SLK, as with other MELD exceptions, with automatic approval for: (i) End‐stage renal disease with cirrhosis and symptomatic portal hypertension or hepatic vein wedge pressure gradient ≥ 10 mm Hg (ii) Liver failure and CKD with GFR ≤ 30 mL/min (iii) AKI or hepatorenal syndrome with creatinine ≥ 2.0 mg/dL and dialysis ≥ 8 weeks (iv) Liver failure and CKD and biopsy demonstrating > 30% glomerulosclerosis or 30% fibrosis. The RRB would evaluate all other requests to determine appropriateness.
This report highlights the most recent data on simultaneous liver‐ kidney transplantation and consensus on indications and recommendations for standardized listing criteria for patients with severe renal and liver disease being considered for combined transplants.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Parent-based interventions (PBIs) and living at home with one’s parents both have been shown to mitigate alcohol risk associated with the first year of college. The current study extends these ...findings by examining the independent and interactive effects of these two constructs on first-year drinking. The sample included 82 parent-student dyads. Parents were randomized to receive an online PBI that either did (intervention; n = 44) or did not (n = 38) include alcohol-related content in December 2020. Students completed online surveys assessing college residence and drinking (typical weekly and peak) in August 2020 (T1) and February 2021 (T2). Hierarchical zero-inflated Poisson models assessed the main and interaction effects of having a parent in the intervention group (vs control) and living with parents (vs without) on drinking outcomes, controlling for T1 alcohol use. Results revealed that living with parents predicted decreases in typical weekly drinking and having a parent in the intervention predicted decreases in the number of drinks consumed on one’s peak drinking occasion at T2. Treatment*residence was also significantly associated with typical weekly drinking in the inflated model. These results suggest that moving out was associated with a greater likelihood of not drinking during a typical week if students had a parent in the intervention and a lower likelihood of not drinking during a typical week if they had a parent in the control application. Together, findings support continued exploration of this online PBI as it appears to reduce peak drinking during the first year of college and reduces the odds of students drinking during a typical week when they move out of their parents’ home.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Echoplanar MRI is associated with significant acoustic noise, which can interfere with the presentation of auditory stimuli, create a more challenging listening environment, and increase discomfort ...felt by participants. Here we investigate a scanning sequence that significantly reduces the amplitude of acoustic noise associated with echoplanar imaging (EPI). This is accomplished using a constant phase encoding gradient and a sinusoidal readout echo train to produce a narrow-band acoustic frequency spectrum, which is adapted to the scanner's frequency response function by choosing an optimum gradient switching frequency. To evaluate the effect of these nonstandard parameters we conducted a speech experiment comparing four different EPI sequences: Quiet, Sparse, Standard, and Matched Standard (using the same readout duration as Quiet). For each sequence participants listened to sentences and signal-correlated noise (SCN), which provides an unintelligible amplitude-matched control condition. We used BOLD sensitivity maps to quantify sensitivity loss caused by the longer EPI readout duration used in the Quiet and Matched Standard EPI sequences. We found that the Quiet sequence provided more robust activation for SCN in primary auditory areas and comparable activation in frontal and temporal regions for Sentences>SCN, but less sentence-related activity in inferotemporal cortex. The increased listening effort associated with the louder Standard sequence relative to the Quiet sequence resulted in increased activation in the left temporal and inferior parietal cortices. Together, these results suggest that the Quiet sequence is suitable, and perhaps preferable, for many auditory studies. However, its applicability depends on the specific brain regions of interest.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
A randomized controlled trial of blood flow and stenosis surveillance of hemodialysis grafts.
It is widely accepted that hemodialysis graft surveillance combined with correction of stenosis reduces ...thrombosis and prolongs graft survival. Nevertheless, few randomized controlled trials have evaluated this approach.
In this randomized controlled trial, 101 patients were assigned to control, flow (Qa), or stenosis groups, and were followed for up to 28months. All patients had monthly Qa measured by ultrasound dilution and quarterly percent stenosis measured by duplex ultrasound. Referral for angiography was based on the following criteria: (1) control group (N = 34), clinical criteria; (2) flow group (N = 32), Qa <600mL/min or clinical criteria; and (3) stenosis group (N = 35), stenosis>50% or clinical criteria. Stenosis ≥50% during angiography was corrected by preemptive percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA).
The preemptive PTA rate in the control group (0.22/patient year) was two thirds the rate in the flow group (0.34/patient year), and was highest in the stenosis group (0.65/patient year, P < 0.01). The percentage of grafts that thrombosed was similar in the control (47%) and flow groups (53%), but reduced in the stenosis group (29%, P = 0.10). Two-year graft survival was similar in the control (62%), flow (60%), and stenosis groups (64%) (P = 0.89).
Qa and stenosis surveillance were not associated with improved graft survival, although thrombosis was reduced in the stenosis group. The most important factors in this result may be that monthly Qa and quarterly stenosis measurements were not accurate or timely indicators of risk of thrombosis or progressive stenosis. This study does not support the concept that Qa or stenosis surveillance are superior to aggressive clinical monitoring.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
To report outcome data on the first 5000 consecutive cataract cases at a new paperless eye unit and benchmark against the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' National Ophthalmology Database (RCOphth ...NOD).
Using the in-built audit tool of the electronic medical records system, data from all cataract operations performed between 1 April 2014 and 13 January 2017 were compiled.
Five thousand and eight cases were recorded of which the overall intra-operative complication rate was 2.4%, the most common being posterior capsular rupture-1.14%. Follow-up data on post-operative complications were recorded in 98.6% of cases. Pre- and post-operative visual acuities was measured in 98.0% of cases. In all, 40.8% of eyes achieved a visual acuity of 6/6 or better and 90.7% achieved 6/12 or better.
A data set of >5000 consecutive cataract operations was obtained in this eye department. The recording of pre- and post-operative visual acuity in 98% of cases compare very favourably to the RCOphth NOD Audit Report 2017 where pre- and post-operative visual acuities were recorded in only 57.1% of operations. Despite this difference, the outcome measures from this unit and RCOphth NOD were very similar, validating the results of the RCOphth NOD audit reports. Significantly, when applying the RCOphth NOD audit criteria for measuring post-operative visual acuity, approximately 15% of cases were excluded from the data set, reducing the completeness of the data set. Paperless ophthalmology units are feasible in today's NHS and can produce near complete cataract data sets; this can ultimately lead to more comprehensive and reliable aggregate cataract outcome data.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Christian de Duve first coined the expression "autophagy" during his seminal work on the discovery of lysosomes, which led to him being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974. The ...term was adopted to distinguish degradation of intracellular components from the uptake and degradation of extracellular substances that he called "heterophagy". Studies until the 1990s were largely observational/morphological-based until in 1993 Yoshinori Oshumi described a genetic screen in yeast undergoing nitrogen deprivation that led to the isolation of autophagy-defective mutants now better known as ATG (AuTophaGy-related) genes. The screen identified mutants that fell into 15 complementation groups implying that at least 15 genes were involved in the regulation of autophagy in yeast undergoing nutrient deprivation, but today, 41 yeast ATG genes have been described and many (though not all) have orthologues in humans. Attempts to identify the genetic basis of autophagy led to an explosion in its research and it's not surprising that in 2016 Yoshinori Oshumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Our aim here is not to exhaustively review the ever-expanding autophagy literature (>60 papers per week), but to celebrate Yoshinori Oshumi's Nobel Prize by highlighting just a few aspects that are not normally extensively covered. In an accompanying mini-review we address the role of autophagy in early-diverging eukaryote parasites that like yeast, lack lysosomes and so use a digestive vacuole to degrade autophagosome cargo and also discuss how parasitized host cells react to infection by subverting regulation of autophagy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In two commentaries, Kostromina and Grishina (
2018
) and Mironenko (
2018
) offered constructive thoughts and questions in response to an article by Giordano (2018, Culture & Psychology, 23, ...502–518) on the merits of an approach to understanding individual personality that focuses on the processes rather than structures of personality. In this reply, the authors seek to clarify some of the points made in the original article. The authors also describe a personality process-structure duality, whereby personality is conceptualized in terms of processes or structures based on the methods used to study it. If the goal is to understand the dynamic and emergent properties of
individual
personality, the authors continue to argue for the merits of a process-centric approach and the avoidance of structural thinking.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Clinically useful predictors of weight gain could be used to reduce the epidemic of post‐kidney transplant obesity and resulting co‐morbidities. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors ...of weight gain at 12 months following kidney transplant in a cohort of 96 recipients. Demographic, clinical, and environmental data were obtained at transplant and 12 months. Descriptive, correlational, and Bayesian network analysis were used to identify predictors. For the 52 (55.9%) recipients who gained weight, the average amount gained was 9.18 ± 6.59 kg. From the 15 baseline factors that met inclusion criteria, Bayesian network modeling identified four baseline predictors for weight gain: younger age, higher carbohydrate consumption, higher trunk fat percentage, and higher perception of mental health quality of life. Three are modifiable through either pre‐ or immediate post‐transplant clinical intervention programs.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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