Arabidopsis transcriptome responses to low water potential using high-throughput plate assays.

Soil-free assays that induce water stress are routinely used to investigate drought responses in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Due to their ease of use, the research community often relies on polyethylene glycol (PEG), mannitol, and salt (NaCl) treatments to reduce the water potential of agar media, and thus induce drought conditions in the laboratory. However, while these types of stress can create phenotypes that resemble those of water deficit experienced by soil-grown plants, it remains unclear how these treatments compare at the transcriptional level. Here, we demonstrate that these different methods of lowering water potential elicit both shared and distinct transcriptional responses in Arabidopsis shoot and root tissue. When we compared these transcriptional responses to those found in Arabidopsis roots subject to vermiculite drying, we discovered many genes induced by vermiculite drying were repressed by low water potential treatments on agar plates (and vice versa). Additionally, we also tested another method for lowering water potential of agar media. By increasing the nutrient content and tensile strength of agar, we show the 'hard agar' (HA) treatment can be leveraged as a high-throughput assay to investigate natural variation in Arabidopsis growth responses to low water potential.

A Research Note Investigating the Leg Tuck and Plank With Potential Impacts for Occupational Testing.

ABSTRACT: Gonzalez, SM, Withrow, KL, Rubin, DA, Lynn, SK, Dawes, JJ, Orr, RM, and Lockie, RG. A research note investigating the leg tuck and plank with potential impacts for occupational testing. J Strength Cond Res 37(10): 2076-2079, 2023-The U.S. Army recently replaced the leg tuck with the plank in their physical ability testing. There has been limited analysis of whether these 2 tests correlate, have any relationships with body composition and strength, or are sex-neutral. Forty-nine civilian college students (28 males, 21 females) were recruited as surrogates for tactical personnel. The following were measured: height, body mass, body fat percentage (BF%), and muscle mass percentage (MM%) measured through bioelectrical impedance analysis, grip strength, leg tuck, and plank. Independent t -tests were calculated to determine between-sex differences for all variables ( p < 0.05). Partial correlations controlling for sex were used to compute relationships between the leg tuck, plank, and other variables. Stepwise regression controlling for sex derived predictive relationships for the leg tuck and plank. Males were taller, had greater body mass, MM%, and were superior in grip strength and the leg tuck; females had greater BF%. There were no significant between-sex differences for the plank. The leg tuck correlated with BF%, MM%, grip strength, and the plank ( r = ±0.333-0.524). In addition to the leg tuck, the plank correlated with BF% ( r = -0.288). The leg tuck was predicted by sex, grip strength, and the plank (adjusted r2 = 0.662). No variables predicted the plank. As there were no between-sex differences and sex was not a plank predictor, it appears this test minimized sex differences on task performance in civilians. However, the leg tuck and plank likely measure different qualities; further research is needed on job task relationships.

Three weeks of mental training changes physiological outcomes during a time trial to exhaustion.

Mental training (MT) can increase endurance performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the minimum dose of mental training needed to increase performance and elucidate the physiological mechanisms underlying this improvement. In a randomized between groups pre-test-post-test design, 33 participants visited the lab on 6 separate days. A VO2peak with ventilatory threshold (VT) was performed on day 1. The subsequent visits consisted of time trials to exhaustion (TTE) performed at 10% above VT. Between visit 3 and 6, the MT group (n = 16) watched a video for 10-15 min each day for 3 weeks, while the control group (CON; n = 17) did no mental training. Heart rate (HR), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), VAS scores for pain and fatigue, electromyography, and metabolic and neuromuscular data were collected and recorded during the time trials. The GRIT-S and CD-RISC 10 surveys were completed before study days 3 and 6. TTE increased significantly for MT beginning after 2 weeks (10.0 ± 13.1%) with no further change after 3 weeks (10.4 ± 13.2). TTE also significantly decreased during the last TTE for CON (-10.3 ± 12.7). VO2, ventilation, and frequency of breathing were significantly reduced in the latter stages of the TTE for MT. EMG was also significantly decreased for MT as compared for CON throughout the trial. Three weeks of mental training improves performance by reducing EMG, decreasing activation of the muscle and reducing metabolic factors during the latter stages of exercise.

Operative Management of T1b Gallbladder Carcinoma with Concurrent Hepatic Anastomosing Hemangioma.

We report a case of stage T1b gallbladder carcinoma with concurrent hepatic anastomosing hemangioma managed by operative resection. We review the work-up and surgical management of this patient. We also discuss the relevant literature of both gallbladder cancer and hepatic anastomosing hemangioma, a recently described and rare variant of capillary hemangioma.

The Association between Total Folate Intakes and Depression amongst Three Racial/Ethnic Groups.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Low dietary folate intake has been associated with depression outcomes, but few studies have been reported on the association in diverse populations. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we examined the relationship between depression and folate intake from diet and supplementation in non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics and African Americans. METHODS: 3,687 adult respondents from the 2009-2010 NHANES cycle were included. Statistical methods for analyzing data from complex survey sample designs were used to assess differences by race/ethnicity in demographic, behavioral, dietary and depression variables and to assess the relationship between depression and folate, adjusting for confounding variables using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: We observed significant (p < 0.01) differences by race/ethnicity for all demographic, behavioral, dietary and depression variables, except for physical activity. The relationship between dietary folate and depression significantly differed by race/ethnicity (p = 0.03), with an inverse and significant association in Hispanics only (OR= 0.25; 95% CI= 0.09 - 0.70.; p for trend = 0.02). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that a diet high in folate, such as from dark green leafy vegetables, may be associated with a reduced odds for depression, and specifically, Hispanics may benefit from nutrition education to potentially reduce depression in the population.