Development of a model estimating root length density from root impacts on a soil profile in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br). Application to measure root system response to water stress in field conditions.

Pearl millet is able to withstand dry and hot conditions and plays an important role for food security in arid and semi-arid areas of Africa and India. However, low soil fertility and drought constrain pearl millet yield. One target to address these constraints through agricultural practices or breeding is root system architecture. In this study, in order to easily phenotype the root system in field conditions, we developed a model to predict root length density (RLD) of pearl millet plants from root intersection densities (RID) counted on a trench profile in field conditions. We identified root orientation as an important parameter to improve the relationship between RID and RLD. Root orientation was notably found to depend on soil depth and to differ between thick roots (more anisotropic with depth) and fine roots (isotropic at all depths). We used our model to study pearl millet root system response to drought and showed that pearl millet reorients its root growth toward deeper soil layers that retain more water in these conditions. Overall, this model opens ways for the characterization of the impact of environmental factors and management practices on pearl millet root system development.

Genome-wide association mapping for root cone angle in rice.

BACKGROUND: Plant root systems play a major role in anchoring and in water and nutrient uptake from the soil. The root cone angle is an important parameter of the root system architecture because, combined with root depth, it helps to determine the volume of soil explored by the plant. Two genes, DRO1 and SOR1, and several QTLs for root cone angle have been discovered in the last 5 years. RESULTS: To find other QTLs linked to root cone angle, a genome-wide association mapping study was conducted on two panels of 162 indica and 169 japonica rice accessions genotyped with two sets of SNP markers (genotyping-by-sequencing set with approximately 16,000 markers and high-density-rice-array set with approximately 300,000 markers). The root cone angle of all accessions was measured using a screen protractor on images taken after 1 month of plant growth in the Rhizoscope phenotyping system. The distribution of the root cone angle in the indica panel was Gaussian, but several accessions of the japonica panel (all the bulus from Indonesia and three temperate japonicas from Nepal or India) appeared as outliers with a very wide root cone angle. The data were submitted to association mapping using a mixed model with control of structure and kinship. A total of 15 QTLs for the indica panel and 40 QTLs for the japonica panel were detected. Genes underlying these QTLs (+/-50 kb from the significant markers) were analyzed. We focused our analysis on auxin-related genes, kinases, and genes involved in root developmental processes and identified 8 particularly interesting genes. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identifies new sources of wide root cone angle in rice, proposes ways to bypass some drawbacks of association mapping to further understand the genetics of the trait and identifies candidate genes deserving further investigation.

Rice Root Architectural Plasticity Traits and Genetic Regions for Adaptability to Variable Cultivation and Stress Conditions.

Future rice (Oryza sativa) crops will likely experience a range of growth conditions, and root architectural plasticity will be an important characteristic to confer adaptability across variable environments. In this study, the relationship between root architectural plasticity and adaptability (i.e. yield stability) was evaluated in two traditional × improved rice populations (Aus 276 × MTU1010 and Kali Aus × MTU1010). Forty contrasting genotypes were grown in direct-seeded upland and transplanted lowland conditions with drought and drought + rewatered stress treatments in lysimeter and field studies and a low-phosphorus stress treatment in a Rhizoscope study. Relationships among root architectural plasticity for root dry weight, root length density, and percentage lateral roots with yield stability were identified. Selected genotypes that showed high yield stability also showed a high degree of root plasticity in response to both drought and low phosphorus. The two populations varied in the soil depth effect on root architectural plasticity traits, none of which resulted in reduced grain yield. Root architectural plasticity traits were related to 13 (Aus 276 population) and 21 (Kali Aus population) genetic loci, which were contributed by both the traditional donor parents and MTU1010. Three genomic loci were identified as hot spots with multiple root architectural plasticity traits in both populations, and one locus for both root architectural plasticity and grain yield was detected. These results suggest an important role of root architectural plasticity across future rice crop conditions and provide a starting point for marker-assisted selection for plasticity.

Adolescent Endometriosis: Report of a Series of 55 Cases With a Focus on Clinical Presentation and Long-Term Issues.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical presentation and long-term issues of adolescent endometriosis. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Single private clinical center, Bordeaux, France. PATIENTS: Adolescents with a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis. INTERVENTIONS: Surgical excision or ablation or lesions performed at laparoscopy. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fifty-five adolescents, ages from 12 to 19 years (mean age 17.8), who were diagnosed with endometriosis from March 1998 to April 2013 were included in the study. Pain of various types was the leading symptom in all patients, except 2. Twenty-three patients had an adnexal mass identified preoperatively, and 5 had an associated infertility issue at the time of diagnostic laparoscopy. Four patients had an associated genital malformation. Fifty-one percent of the patients had a history of appendectomy. A familial history of endometriosis was reported by 19 patients (34.5%), with a first-degree relative affected in 14 cases (25.45%), and 47.3% of patients were smoking at least 5 cigarettes a day. Superficial implants was encountered in 31 cases (56.4%), endometriomas in 18 cases (32.72%), and deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) in 6 cases (10.90%). Sixty percent of patients were scored as stages I to II and 40% as stages III to IV. Five patients were lost to follow-up, and 37 had a follow-up ranging from 36 to 315 months (mean follow-up 125.5 months). Among the 50 patients not lost to follow-up, 13 (26%) had either no pain, or improved and had acceptable pain with medical treatment. Seventeen patients of the 50 adolescents not lost to follow-up (34%) underwent a repeat laparoscopy. A subsequent laparoscopic and/or magnetic resonance imaging scan was performed in 35 patients because of persistent pain. Among these, there was 12 endometriomas (7 recurrences) and 12 DIEs (3 recurrences), giving recurrence rates for endometriomas and DIEs of 36.84% and 50%, respectively. During the study, 18 patients wished to have a child. Thirteen had a delivery (72.2%), and 9 pregnancies occurred in patients who initially presented with stage I to II endometriosis. Of the 11 patients who had subfertility, 6 successfully conceived (54.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent endometriosis is not a rare condition. In our study a familial history was reported in more than one-third of patients. Among those patients treated for DIE, there was a trend for higher rates of recurrences (symptoms or lesions) that required repeat laparoscopy. However, the impact on subsequent fertility appeared to have been limited.

Laparoscopic surgery for distal tubal occlusions: lessons learned from a historical series of 434 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the success rate of laparoscopic neosalpingostomy and the factors affecting the results in terms of intrauterine pregnancy (IUP), delivery (DEL), and ectopic pregnancy (EP). DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively recorded data. SETTING: Private practice. PATIENT(S): A total of 434 consecutive infertile patients from 21 to 42 years old with a follow-up of more than 10 years. INTERVENTION(S): Laparoscopic neosalpingostomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Intrauterine pregnancy, delivery, and EP rates obtained without requiring IVF. Statistical analysis includes univariate and multivariate analysis and crude and actuarial success rates. RESULT(S): Just over one-quarter (28.8%) of the patients presented an IUP, 24.4% delivered, and 9% presented with an EP. The 5-year actuarial rate of delivery was 37%. This rate was largely dependent on the tubal stage (stage 1: 53.1%; stage 2: 43.1%; stage 3: 24.0%; stage 4: 23.1%). Forty-three percent of the expected IUPs started in the first year, and 75% started in the first two years. Multivariate analysis found some poor-prognosis patterns for tubal stage 3 (odds ratio [OR] 0.24), tubal stage 4 (OR 0.28), repeated neosalpingostomy (OR 0.168), previous EP (OR 0.202), severe adhesion stage (OR 0.211), and positive chlamydial serology (OR 0.515). Eversion with sutures provides nonsignificantly better results (OR 1.63) compared with eversion with coagulation. CONCLUSION(S): Neosalpingostomy must not be proposed in selected cases according to the tubal stage, adhesion stage, and chlamydial serology. When neosalpingostomy is performed, fimbrial eversion with sutures provides slightly better results.

Adhesion prevention after myomectomy by laparotomy: a prospective multicenter comparative randomized single-blind study with second-look laparoscopy to assess the effectiveness of PREVADH™.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this multicenter, randomized study was to investigate the efficacy of the hydrophilic resorbable film PREVADH™ in preventing postoperative adhesions following myomectomy. STUDY DESIGN: Women scheduled for laparotomic myomectomy with intramural and/or subserous myomas of >60mm in diameter, and who wished to preserve fertility, were eligible. Patients were randomized immediately prior to abdominal wall closure to receive either hydrophilic resorbable film applied directly to the incisions (P-Group, n=33) or 500mL Ringer's lactate solution instilled into the pelvic cavity (R-Group, n=28). Incidence, severity, and extent of postoperative adhesions to the uterine incisions and adnexal and abdominopelvic adhesions were assessed during second-look laparoscopy 10-20 weeks after the initial surgery. Unedited videotapes of this second-look procedure were reviewed by two blinded independent surgeons. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients (P-Group, n=28; R-Group, n=26) underwent second-look laparoscopy. Significantly fewer P-Group patients developed adhesions to uterine incisions than R-Group patients (43% vs. 92%, P=0.001). Adhesions, which were confirmed by independent reviewers, were found in significantly fewer P-Group sites than R-Group sites (29% vs. 76%, P=0.001). No serious adverse events related to the barriers used or adhesion-related complications were reported in either group. CONCLUSION: The hydrophilic resorbable anti-adhesion film PREVADH™ significantly reduced adhesion incidence and severity after laparotomic myomectomy. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01388907 (www.clinicaltrials.gov).

The roots of future rice harvests.

Rice production faces the challenge to be enhanced by 50% by year 2030 to meet the growth of the population in rice-eating countries. Whereas yield of cereal crops tend to reach plateaus and a yield is likely to be deeply affected by climate instability and resource scarcity in the coming decades, building rice cultivars harboring root systems that can maintain performance by capturing water and nutrient resources unevenly distributed is a major breeding target. Taking advantage of gathering a community of rice root biologists in a Global Rice Science Partnership workshop held in Montpellier, France, we present here the recent progresses accomplished in this area and focal points where an international network of laboratories should direct their efforts.

Genome-wide association mapping of root traits in a japonica rice panel.

Rice is a crop prone to drought stress in upland and rainfed lowland ecosystems. A deep root system is recognized as the best drought avoidance mechanism. Genome-wide association mapping offers higher resolution for locating quantitative trait loci (QTLs) than QTL mapping in biparental populations. We performed an association mapping study for root traits using a panel of 167 japonica accessions, mostly of tropical origin. The panel was genotyped at an average density of one marker per 22.5 kb using genotyping by sequencing technology. The linkage disequilibrium in the panel was high (r(2)>0.6, on average, for 20 kb mean distances between markers). The plants were grown in transparent 50 cm × 20 cm × 2 cm Plexiglas nailboard sandwiches filled with 1.5 mm glass beads through which a nutrient solution was circulated. Root system architecture and biomass traits were measured in 30-day-old plants. The panel showed a moderate to high diversity in the various traits, particularly for deep (below 30 cm depth) root mass and the number of deep roots. Association analyses were conducted using a mixed model involving both population structure and kinship to control for false positives. Nineteen associations were significant at P<1e-05, and 78 were significant at P<1e-04. The greatest numbers of significant associations were detected for deep root mass and the number of deep roots, whereas no significant associations were found for total root biomass or deep root proportion. Because several QTLs for different traits were co-localized, 51 unique loci were detected; several co-localized with meta-QTLs for root traits, but none co-localized with rice genes known to be involved in root growth. Several likely candidate genes were found in close proximity to these loci. Additional work is necessary to assess whether these markers are relevant in other backgrounds and whether the genes identified are robust candidates.

Effect of timing and duration of salt treatment during growth of a fragrant rice variety on yield and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, proline, and GABA Levels.

In greenhouse experiments, Aychade, a fragrant rice variety, was grown under one level of salt solution (EC of 3800 ± 400 µS·cm(-1)) sufficient to induce salt stress in rice. Timing and duration of salt solution application varied according to the growth stages. 2-Acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP), a characteristic flavor compound of fragrant rice as well as biogenetically related compounds, proline, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were quantified. Salt treatments induced 2AP synthesis in the leaves, but the increase was often higher in the vegetative phase. This increase was correlated with proline level but not with that of GABA. Interestingly the grains from all the salt treated plants contained significantly higher levels of 2AP (733-998 µg·kg(-1)) than those from the control (592 µg·kg(-1)). The highest 2AP synthesis occurred when the plants were subjected to salt treatment during whole vegetative or reproductive phases. However in the latter case crop yield decreased significantly.

Presurgical short term treatment of uterine fibroids with different doses of cetrorelix acetate: a double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of different dosing schedules of cetrorelix acetate as a short term treatment for 4 weeks prior to surgery in patients with uterine fibroids. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients were 109 premenopausal women, with at least one uterine fibroid, more than 4 cm in diameter. Groups 1-3 received placebo, 5 and 10 mg of cetrorelix on days 1, 8, 15 and 22, respectively group 4 received 10mg of cetrorelix on days 1 and 15. MRI scan was performed at screening and on day 29. The main outcome measure was the reduction of uterine volume on day 29 and response, defined as >30% size reduction. RESULTS: Mean (+/-S.D.) reduction of uterine volume on day 29 (MRI scan) was 5.1+/-32.1% with placebo, 15.6+/-20.2% with 4 x 5 mg, 15.4+/-34.6% with 4 x 10 mg and 0.6+/-30.6% with 2 x 10 mg cetrorelix. Significant response versus placebo (p<0.05) occurred in the 4 x 10 mg group (42.3% versus 11.1%) CONCLUSIONS: Best objective response after 4 weeks of treatment was achieved after therapy with 4 x 10 mg of cetrorelix acetate. Short term presurgical treatment with the LHRH-antagonist cetrorelix is a flexible treatment protocol without any major side effects.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial comparing fulvestrant with goserelin in premenopausal patients with uterine fibroids awaiting hysterectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the use of a new antiestrogen fulvestrant with goserelin in reducing uterine fibroid growth before hysterectomy. DESIGN: An international, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Departments of obstetrics and gynecology. PATIENT(S): Premenopausal women (n = 307) diagnosed with uterine fibroids requiring hysterectomy. INTERVENTION(S): Over a 12-week period, patients received fulvestrant (50 mg, 125 mg, or 250 mg) as an i.m. injection, goserelin (3.6 mg) as a s.c. injection, or an injection-matched placebo once every 4 weeks. Patients underwent a hysterectomy at week 13. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy endpoints included changes in fibroid growth, endometrial thickness, and uterine volume. The excretion of urinary markers of bone resorption was also examined. RESULT(S): Goserelin significantly reduced fibroid growth and endometrial thickness compared with placebos. Fulvestrant did not significantly alter fibroid volume or endometrial thickness or change endpoints such as endometrial histology or vaginal bleeding. Fulvestrant was associated with fewer postmenopause-related adverse events than goserelin. Goserelin, but not fulvestrant, significantly increased markers of bone resorption. CONCLUSION(S): At doses equivalent to those used for the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, fulvestrant did not significantly inhibit fibroid growth and, of particular note, did not lead to bone resorption.

Mapping QTLs associated with drought avoidance in upland rice grown in the Philippines and West Africa.

Localizing genes that contribute to drought avoidance in a quantitative way should enable the exploitation of these genes in breeding through marker-assisted selection, and may lead to the discovery of gene identity and function. Between 110 and 176 F6 recombinant inbred lines from a mapping population derived from a cross of upland rice varieties Bala and Azucena have been evaluated for indicators of drought avoidance in sites in the Philippines and West Africa over two dry seasons. A molecular map with 102 RFLP, 34 AFLP and six microsatellite markers has been used to map (by composite interval mapping) quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the visual scores of leaf rolling and leaf drying and leaf relative water content. QTLs were mapped for each site and across sites. A total of 17 regions were identified which contained QTLs with a LOD score greater than 3.2. For leaf rolling, Bala was the parent contributing the majority of positive alleles whilst for the other traits, Bala and Azucena contributed more evenly. Six of the 17 regions influenced more than one trait, explaining the phenotypic correlations between traits that were observed. Three QTLs appeared to be specific to the Philippines experiments. One QTL had opposing effects in the Philippines and West Africa. QTLs for relative water content were detected on chromosome 8, congruent with an osmotic adjustment QTL identified in another population. Only three of the QTLs identified here have not been reliably identified in the two other populations that have been screened for drought avoidance. By using several populations assessed for drought avoidance in different sites, the distribution and utility of QTLs for drought avoidance in rice is being elucidated.

Dienogest is as effective as triptorelin in the treatment of endometriosis after laparoscopic surgery: results of a prospective, multicenter, randomized study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of Dienogest versus Decapeptyl at 3.75 mg as consolidation therapy for surgery in the treatment of endometriosis. DESIGN: Multicenter, open, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial. SETTING: Volunteer patients in an academic research environment. PATIENT(S): Women with grade 2, 3, and 4 (