Our shared global responsibility: Safeguarding crop diversity for future generations.

The resilience and sustainability of food systems depend on crop diversity. It is used by breeders to produce new and better varieties, and by farmers to respond to new challenges or demands and to spread risk. However, crop diversity can only be used if it has been conserved, can be identified as the solution for a given problem, and is available. As the ways in which crop diversity is used in research and breeding change and expand, the global conservation system for crop diversity must keep pace; it must provide not only the biological materials themselves, but also the relevant information presented in a comprehensive and coherent way-all while ensuring equitable access and benefit sharing. Here we explore the evolving priorities for global efforts to safeguard and make available the diversity of the world's crops through ex situ genetic resource collections. We suggest that collections held by academic institutions and other holders that are not standard gene banks should be better integrated in global efforts and decision-making to conserve genetic resources. We conclude with key actions that we suggest should be taken to ensure that crop diversity collections of all types are able to fulfill their role to foster more diverse, equitable, resilient, and sustainable food systems globally.

Authentication of Coffea arabica Varieties through DNA Fingerprinting and its Significance for the Coffee Sector.

BACKGROUND: Locating the optimal varieties for coffee cultivation is increasingly considered a key condition for sustainable production and marketing. Variety performance varies when it comes to susceptibility to coffee leaf rust and other diseases, adaptation to climate change and high cup quality for specialty markets. But because of poor organization and the lack of a professional coffee seed sector, most existing coffee farms (and even seed lots and nurseries) do not know which varieties they are using. DNA fingerprinting of coffee planting material will contribute to professionalize the coffee seed sector. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is i) to check in a large scale the robustness of the existing coffee DNA fingerprinting method based on eight Single Sequence Repeats markers (SRR) and ii) to describe how it can help in moving the needle towards a more professional seed sector. METHOD: 2533 samples representing all possible genetic background of Arabica varieties were DNA fingerprinted with 8 SRR markers. The genetic diversity was analyzed and the genetic conformity to varietal references was assessed. RESULTS: The DNA fingerprinting method proved to be robust in authenticating varieties and trace back the history of C. arabica breeding and of the movement of C. arabica varieties. The genetic conformity of two important coffee varieties, Marseillesa and Gesha, proved to be 91% and 39% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DNA fingerprinting provides different actors in the coffee sector with a powerful new tool-farmers can verify the identity of their cultivated varieties, coffee roasters can be assured that marketing claims related to varieties are correct, and most of all, those looking to establish the a more professional and reliable coffee seed sector have a reliable new monitoring tool to establish and check genetic purity of seed stock and nursery plants. HIGHLIGHTS: While C. arabica is primarily self-pollinating, even fixed line varieties appear to be drifting away from their original genetic reference due to uncontrolled cross pollination. A set of 8 SSR markers applied to the largest possible genetically diverse set of samples prove to discriminate between a wide range of varieties Figures confirm that genetic non conformity of coffee varieties can represent up to 61% of checked samples.

2-Amino-5-nitro-pyridinium tri-fluoro-acetate.

The title salt, C5H6N3O2 (+)·C2F3O2 (-), crystallizes with two cations and two anions in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal, the acetate and pyridine groups are linked by a pair of N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming loops described by the graph-set motif R 2 (2)(8). These loops are linked via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along [001]. The chains are in turn linked by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds, generating a three-dimensional supra-molecular network. In both anions, the O and F atoms are disordered over two sites, with occupancy ratios of 0.852 (3):0.148 (3) and 0.851 (3):0.149 (3).

Cannabinoids for the treatment of dementia.

BACKGROUND: Following the discovery of an endogenous cannabinoid system and the identification of specific cannabinoid receptors in the central nervous system, much work has been done to investigate the main effects of these compounds. There is increasing evidence that the cannabinoid system may regulate neurodegenerative processes such as excessive glutamate production, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Neurodegeneration is a feature common to the various types of dementia and this has led to interest in whether cannabinoids may be clinically useful in the treatment of people with dementia. Recent studies have also shown that cannabinoids may have more specific effects in interrupting the pathological process in Alzheimer's disease. OBJECTIVES: To determine from available research whether cannabinoids are clinically effective in the treatment of dementia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Specialized Register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group (CDCIG), The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and LILACS were searched on 11 April 2008 using the terms: cannabis or cannabinoid* or endocannabinoid* or cannabidiol or THC or CBD or dronabinol or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or marijuana or marihuana or hashish. The CDCIG Specialized Register contains records from all major health care databases (The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS) as well as from many clinical trials registries and grey literature sources. SELECTION CRITERIA: All double-blind and single (rater)-blind randomized placebo controlled trials assessing the efficacy of cannabinoids at any dose in the treatment of people with dementia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently examined the retrieved studies for inclusion according to the selection criteria. They then independently assessed the methodological quality of selected trials and extracted data where possible. MAIN RESULTS: Only one study met the inclusion criteria. The data in the study report were presented in such a way that they could not be extracted for further analysis and there was insufficient quantitative data to validate the results. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review finds no evidence that cannabinoids are effective in the improvement of disturbed behaviour in dementia or in the treatment of other symptoms of dementia. More randomized double-blind placebo controlled trials are needed to determine whether cannabinoids are clinically effective in the treatment of dementia.

The effect of ethnicity and gender on first-contact rates for schizophrenia-like psychosis in Bangladeshi, Black and White elders in Tower Hamlets, London.

BACKGROUND: A recent study of very-late onset schizophrenia-like psychosis (SLP) in South London showed an increase in first contact rates amongst African- and Caribbean-born elders compared to British-born ones. This study investigates incident first contact rates in an area of East London with a high Bangladeshi population, to investigate if Bangladeshi-born elders also have an increased referral rate for SLP. METHOD: Retrospective case note review of first contacts to the old age psychiatry service from 1997 to 2002 identifying cases of schizophrenia-like psychosis. In addition, a one-year review of first contacts for all diagnostic categories was completed. Gender, ethnicity and place of birth were established from the case notes. RESULTS: Among the African- and Caribbean-born, but not the Bangladeshi-born, the odds ratio (OR) of being referred with SLP was significantly higher than for the British-born population. We observed a loss of the reported effect of female gender. For Whites the odds ratio for female gender and psychosis was 2.5 (1.0-6.1) and for non-Whites 0.8 (0.3-2.7) which was a trend away from the expected male to female ratio. In the one-year review there was a higher rate of referrals for organic disease in Bangladeshi men compared to Bangladeshi women and British-born men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Bangladeshi elderly migrants do not have an increased rate of SLP compared to indigenous elders. The usual female preponderance of SLP is not apparent in this elderly migrant population. Old age psychiatry services in the UK should take into account the increasing needs of Bangladeshi elders with dementia.