Teosinte branched 1/cycloidea/proliferating cell factor 1 (TCP) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors playing crucial roles in various biological processes, such as leaf development, flower symmetry, shoot branching and senescence. However, no comprehensive analysis of the TCP gene family has been reported in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L). Herein, a total of 15 TCP family members were identified in the genome of grapevine, located on eight of the 19 chromosomes. Phylogenetic and structural analyses showed that the VvTCPs were classified into two groups, designated as Class I and Class II. The Class II genes were further divided into two subclasses, the CIN subclass and the CYC/TB1 subclass. Genes belonging to the same subclass shared similar gene structures, conserved domains and motifs. Real-time PCR showed that almost all members of Class II exhibited organ-specific expression patterns, while members of Class I and the CIN Class were ubiquitously expressed in all the tissues examined, indicating multiple roles in the development of different grapevine organs. In addition, many members were strongly modulated by abiotic (cold, heat, drought) and biotic (downy mildew and powdery mildew infection) stresses, suggesting important and diverse regulatory roles in adverse conditions and plant immunity. The comprehensive in silico analysis of the grapevine TCP transcription factor family gives us some references to potential functions in grapevine development and stress responses.

Kidney stone disease is a major cause of chronic renal insufficiency. The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in calcium oxalate-induced kidney damage is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the roles of lncRNAs in glyoxylate-exposed and healthy mouse kidneys using microarray technology and bioinformatics analyses. A total 376 mouse lncRNAs were differentially expressed between the two groups. Using BLAST, 15 lncRNA homologs, including AU015836 and CHCHD4P4, were identified in mice and humans. The AU015836 expression in mice exposed to glyoxylate and the CHCHD4P4 expression in human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells exposed to calcium oxalate monohydrate were analyzed, and both lncRNAs were found to be upregulated in response to calcium oxalate. To further evaluate the effects of CHCHD4P4 on the cell behavior, we constructed stable CHCHD4P4-overexpressing and CHCHD4P4-knockdown HK-2 cells. The results showed that CHCHD4P4 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in kidney damage and fibrosis caused by calcium oxalate crystallization and deposition. The silencing of CHCHD4P4 reduced the kidney damage and fibrosis and may thus be a potential molecular target for the treatment of kidney stones.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus (TAC) combined with corticosteroids in treating patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). One hundred seventy-seven biopsy-proven IMN patients were recruited in this retrospective clinical study. Sixty patients received TAC (target blood concentration of 4–8 ng/mL) and 117 patients received daily cyclophosphamide (CYC, 100 mg) combined with prednisone. Remission rates at the end of the first, second and third month in the TAC group were significantly higher than that in the CYC group (1st: 35.0 vs 19.7%, P<0.05; 2nd: 56.7 vs 38.5%, P<0.05; 3rd: 76.7 vs 59.0%, P<0.05). In the first 3 months, daily urinary protein and serum albumin in the TAC group obtained a better improvement than that in the CYC group (P<0.05). At the end of the sixth and the twelfth month, the remission rates, daily urinary protein and serum albumin were all comparable between the two groups (P>0.05). No significant difference of relapse rate between the groups was found (16.3 vs 12.0%, P>0.05). Patients were more likely to develop glucose intolerance in the TAC group. The TAC regimen obtained more benefits in treating IMN patients, especially in the first 3 months, than the CYC regimen.

Saline-sodic stress is a major abiotic constraint responsible for rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield reductions in Northeast China. The rice root system is crucial for yield development, and it is usually recognized as the key for improving future crop productivity. However, most of the saline-sodic soils in these areas contain high levels of soluble Na2CO3 and NaHCO3, which results in a high pH (>8.5), clay dispersion, soil swelling, and overall poor soil physical properties. Isolation, washing and measurement of the rice crown roots is highly time-demanding in this kind of soil. Our aim was to explore whether differences in shoot characters could be reliable indicators, and a low cost and easy method for estimating crown root numbers in rice. In this study, 97 randomly selected feld-grown rice hill plants, with 728 stem samples, of three genotypes at the heading stage were used in saline-sodic soils. Results gave a reliable estimation of values for crown root numbers as indicated by high positive correlations with number of stems (0.788***) and tillers (0.801***); diameter of long (0.545***), short (0.555***), and mean stems (0.586**), and hill (i.e., equal to 5 plants) circumference (0.796***) and mean hill diameter (0.366***) (P<0.001). The method proposed here was very useful in evaluating the crown root numbers through direct measurements under saline-sodic field conditions.

El estrés salino-sódico es una limitante abiótica importante responsable de las reducciones en rendimiento del arroz (Oryza sativa L.) en el Noreste de China. El sistema radical del arroz es crucial para el desarrollo del rendimiento, y usualmente es clave para determinar la futura productividad de la cosecha. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los suelos salino-sódicos en estas áreas contienen altos niveles de Na2CO3 y NaHCO3 solubles, que resultan en un alto pH (>8,5), dispersión de arcilla, hinchamiento del suelo y propiedades físicas del suelo sobre todo bajas. El aislamiento, lavado y medición de las raíces de la corona de arroz es muy demandante de tiempo en esta clase se suelos. Nuestro propósito fue explorar si diferencias en características de la parte aérea podrían ser indicadores confables, y un método fácil y de bajo costo para estimar el número de raíces de la corona en arroz. En este estudio, 97 grupos de 5 plantas de arroz que crecieron en el campo, con 728 muestras de tallo, de tres genotipos en el estado reproductivo se usaron en suelos salino-sódicos. Los resultados dieron una estimación confiable del número de raíces de la corona como se indicó por correlaciones altas positivas con el número de tallos (0,788***) y macollas (0,801***); diámetro de tallos largos (0,545***), cortos (0,555***) y promedio (0,586***), y circunferencia de 5 plantas (0,796***) y diámetro promedio de 5 plantas (0,366***) (P<0,001). El método aquí propuesto fue muy útil para evaluar el número de raíces de la corona a través de mediciones directas bajo condiciones de campo salino-sódicas.

ABSTRACT Objective: Significant liver fibrosis is recognized as the key link of therapy and prognosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB). The present study is designed to estimate the benefits of FibroScan (FS) in diagnosing significant fibrosis in patients with CHB. Methods: Two hundred and eight consecutive CHB patients, who underwent liver biopsy, FS and laboratory tests, were recruited. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to assess the performance of non-invasive models. Results: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and aspartate transaminase (AST) to platelet (PLT) ratio index (APRI), but not age-platelet index (API) or AST to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), were closely correlated with significant fibrosis; areas under ROC curves (AUROC) were 0.817 (p < 0.001), 0.705 (p = 0.003), 0.626 (p = 0.065) and 0.631 (p = 0.055), respectively. When combining LSM with APRI, the AUROC was 0.813, p < 0.001. Conclusion: FibroScan can predict the presence of significant liver fibrosis, so as to avoid liver biopsy. It seems that the combination of FS and APRI does not significantly improve the ability to predict significant fibrosis.

RESUMEN Objetivo: La fibrosis hepática significativa es reconocida como el vínculo clave de la terapia y el pronóstico en pacientes con infección por hepatitis B crónica (HBC). El presente estudio se diseñó con el fin de evaluar los beneficios del FibroScan (FS) en el diagnóstico de la fibrosis significativa en pacientes con HBC. Métodos Se alistaron doscientos ocho pacientes consecutivos de HBC, a los que se les había practicado biopsia del hígado, FS y pruebas de laboratorio. Las curvas de la característica operativa del receptor (ROC) fueron generadas para evaluar el funcionamiento de los modelos no invasivos. Resultados: La medición de la rigidez hepática (MRH) y el índice APRI resultante de la relación aspartato-aminotransferasa (AST)/plaquetas (PLT), guardaron una estrecha correlación con la fibrosis significativa, lo cual no fue el caso con el índice de edad-plaqueta (IEP) ó el índice (AAR) resultante de la relación aspartato-aminotransferasa (AST)/alanina transaminasa (ALT). Las áreas bajo las curvas ROC (AUROC) fueron 0.817 (p < 0,001), 0.705 (p = 0.003), 0.626 (p = 0. 065) y 0.631 (p = 0.055), respectivamente. Al combinarse la MRH con el índice APRI, el AUROC era 0.813, p < 0.001. Conclusión: El FibroScan puede predecir la presencia de fibrosis hepática significativa, de manera que puede evitarse la biopsia del hígado. Según parece, la combinación de FS y APRI no mejora significativamente la capacidad para predecir la fibrosis significativa.

This study aimed to determine whether psychological factors affect health-related quality of life (HRQL) and recovery of knee function in total knee replacement (TKR) patients. A total of 119 TKR patients (male: 38; female: 81) completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-revised (EPQR-S), Knee Society Score (KSS), and HRQL (SF-36). At 1 and 6 months after surgery, anxiety, depression, and KSS scores in TKR patients were significantly better compared with those preoperatively (P<0.05). SF-36 scores at the sixth month after surgery were significantly improved compared with preoperative scores (P<0.001). Preoperative Physical Component Summary Scale (PCS) and Mental Component Summary Scale (MCS) scores were negatively associated with extraversion (E score) (B=-0.986 and -0.967, respectively, both P<0.05). Postoperative PCS and State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) scores were negatively associated with neuroticism (N score; B=-0.137 and -0.991, respectively, both P<0.05). Postoperative MCS, SAI, Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI), and BAI scores were also negatively associated with the N score (B=-0.367, -0.107, -0.281, and -0.851, respectively, all P<0.05). The KSS function score at the sixth month after surgery was negatively associated with TAI and N scores (B=-0.315 and -0.532, respectively, both P<0.05), but positively associated with the E score (B=0.215, P<0.05). The postoperative KSS joint score was positively associated with postoperative PCS (B=0.356, P<0.05). In conclusion, for TKR patients, the scores used for evaluating recovery of knee function and HRQL after 6 months are inversely associated with the presence of negative emotions.

BACKGROUND: The large-scale migration of doctors, including surgeons, from South Africa, has had a major impact on healthcare resources in this country. Although previous studies have suggested that the University of Cape Town (UCT) is of the main institution contributing to this "brain drain", the extent of the problem has not been documented previously. The aim of this study was to investigate where UCT trained surgical registrars go after completing their training. METHOD: General surgery registrars who trained at UCT and who wrote and passed the FCS final examination between 1992 and 2011 were included in the study. The data for this study were obtained from the examinations office of the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. The number of registrars writing and passing the final examination, the number of registrars who went overseas, the number of registrars in private practice, and the number of registrars in subspecialist practice, were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 102 UCT-trained registrars wrote and passed the FCS final examination during the study period. Only 13% of the South African UCT-trained registrars left the country. Only 31% of the registrars who remained in South Africa went into private practice. A large proportion of the UCT-trained registrars (43%) elected to subspecialise. CONCLUSION: "Brain drain" with respect to UCT-trained surgical registrars was not as extensive as anticipated.

ABSTRACT Objective: In the last decade, dental implants have emerged as a crucial modality and serve as an individual form of therapy for dental failure. However, disparities in host responses have led to peri-implantitis and implant failure. The pathological mechanisms driving peri-implantitis remain largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the role of oxidative stress and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the progression of peri-implantitis and dental implants failure, compared with chronic periodontal disease. Subjects and Methods: Three patient groups (peri-implantitis, chronic periodontal disease and control), each with 10 subjects (7M/3F) and average age ranging from 40–60 years were selected for analysis. Salivary oxidative stress and tissue AGE levels were analysed by probing for reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Maillard reaction-related fluorescence, respectively. Results: We observed significant increase (> 2-fold) in oxidative stress and AGE levels in patients with peri-implantitis and chronic periodontal disease compared to controls, with chronic periodontal disease having the highest levels. In addition, we observed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.94) between oxidative stress and AGE levels in the patients. Conclusion: We propose that increased AGE levels and oxidative stress, although not the only pathway, are significant mediators in the pathogenesis of peri-implantitis. Altering them may potentially be used in combination with other modalities to manage peri-implantitis.

RESUMEN Objetivo: En la última década, los implantes dentales han surgido como una modalidad crucial y sirven como forma individual de terapia para el fracaso dental. Sin embargo, las disparidades en las respuestas de los receptores han llevado a la peri-implantitis y al fracaso del implante. Los mecanismos patológicos que conducen a la peri-implantitis, se desconocen en gran medida. En este estudio, evaluamos el papel del estrés oxidativo y los productos finales de la glicación avanzada (PGA) en la progresión de la peri-implantitis y el fracaso de los implantes dentales, en comparación con la enfermedad periodontal crónica. Sujetos y métodos: Tres grupos de pacientes (peri-implantitis, enfermedad periodontal crónica y control) cada uno con 10 sujetos (7H/3M) y edad promedio de 40 a 60 años, fueron seleccionados para el análisis. El estrés oxidativo salival y los niveles PGA del tejido se analizaron mediante el sondeo de especies reactivas del oxígeno (ERO) y fluorescencia por reacción de Maillard, respectivamente. Resultados: Observamos un aumento significativo (> 2 veces) en el estrés oxidativo y los niveles PGA de los pacientes con peri-implantitis y enfermedad periodontal crónica en comparación con los controles, correspondiendo los niveles más altos a la enfermedad periodontal crónica. Además, observamos una fuerte correlación positiva (r = 0.94) entre el estrés oxidativo y los niveles de PGA en los pacientes. Conclusión: Proponemos que el aumento de los niveles de PGA y el estrés oxidativo, aunque no son la única vía, constituyen mediadores importantes en la patogénesis de la peri-implantitis. El alterarlos puede potencialmente utilizarse en combinación con otras modalidades para tratar la peri-implantitis.