The prevalence of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder in patients with multiple sclerosis in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional multicentered study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic, progressive neurodegeneration of the central nervous system (CNS), and it is the most common inflammatory neurological disease affecting young adults. Given the chronic, progressive nature of the disease, psychiatric disorders are more prevalent among these patients, as reported in the literature; however, data in Saudi Arabia are limited. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder in patients with MS and their association with different patient demographics. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, multicentered study that included adult patients with MS from 30 June 2021 to 30 June 2022. Participants were interviewed in person and asked to complete a survey that included general demographics, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire. Other variables related to the patients' conditions, such as MS type and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, were collected from the patient's electronic records. Descriptive statistics were performed, and associations were made using the chi-square, Fisher's exact, and analysis of variance tests, as appropriate. Results: A total of 192 participants were included in this study. Based on a cutoff score of >10 on the GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scales, the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder was 26.1% (50), with the majority of participants having minimal anxiety (40%); meanwhile, the prevalence of major depression was 42.7% (n = 82), and most of them had mild depression (30%). Female participants scored significantly higher compared to men on the GAD-7 scale (p = 0.0376), but not on the PHQ-9 scale (p = 0.1134). In addition, no statistically significant association was detected between functional disability (EDSS score) and prevalence of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and major depression among patients with MS compared with that in the general population, with women being more affected. As these comorbid disorders could negatively affect the disease course, screening is of paramount significance.

Bifunctional vanadium doped mesoporous Co3O4 on nickel foam towards highly efficient overall urea and water splitting in the alkaline electrolyte.

Developing more active and stable electrode materials for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is necessary for electrocatalytic water and urea oxidation which can be used to generate hydrogen. Here, a low-cost vanadium-doped mesoporous cobalt oxide on Ni foam (V/meso-Co/NF) electrodes are obtained via the grouping of an in-situ citric acid (CA)-assisted evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method and electrophoretic deposition process, and work as highly efficient and long-lasting electrocatalytic materials for OER/UOR. In particular, V/meso-Co/NF electrodes require 329 mV overpotential to maintain a 50 mA/cm2, with exceptional long-term durability of 30 h. Interestingly, V/meso-Co/NF also exhibits excellent electrocatalytic UOR performance, reaching 50 and 100 mA/cm2 versus RHE at low potentials of 1.34 and 1.35 V, respectively. By employing the V/meso-Co/NF materials as both the anode and cathode, this urea electrolysis assembly V/meso-Co/NF-5 (+,-) reaches current densities of 100 mA cm-2 at 1.62 V in KOH/urea, which is nearly 340 mV lesser than classical water electrolysis. The V/meso-Co/NF-5 electrocatalysts also exhibit remarkable durability for electrocatalytic OERs and UORs. The obtained findings revealed that the synthesized V/meso-Co/NF might be a promising electrode materials for overall urea-rich wastewater management and H2 generation from wastewater.

A space and time efficient convolutional neural network for age group estimation from facial images.

Background: Age estimation has a wide range of applications, including security and surveillance, human-computer interaction, and biometrics. Facial aging is a stochastic process affected by various factors, such as lifestyle, habits, genetics, and the environment. Extracting age-related facial features to predict ages or age groups is a challenging problem that has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. Various methods have been developed to solve the problem, including classification, regression-based methods, and soft computing approaches. Among these, the most successful results have been obtained by using neural network based artificial intelligence (AI) techniques such as convolutional neural networks (CNN). In particular, deep learning approaches have achieved improved accuracies by automatically extracting features from images of the human face. However, more improvements are still needed to achieve faster and more accurate results. Methods: To address the aforementioned issues, this article proposes a space and time-efficient CNN method to extract distinct facial features from face images and classify them according to age group. The performance loss associated with using a small number of parameters to extract high-level features is compensated for by including a sufficient number of convolution layers. Additionally, we design and test suitable CNN structures that can handle smaller image sizes to assess the impact of size reduction on performance. Results: To validate the proposed CNN method, we conducted experiments on the UTKFace and Facial-age datasets. The results demonstrated that the model outperformed recent studies in terms of classification accuracy and achieved an overall weighted F1-score of 87.84% for age-group classification problem.

Patterns in counselling services provided at Saudi Ministry of Health medication counselling clinics - Reasons for referrals and subjects discussed: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Pharmacists provide medication counselling services to improve patient knowledge and their adherence to prescription instructions, and to achieve the best possible health-related outcomes. Our study aim was to describe the patterns of the reasons for referral to counselling and the subjects discussed between pharmacists and patients, and the possible associations related to the susceptible patient groups (chronic and elderly), in Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) medication counselling clinics. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. An electronic data collection form was developed to document details about the medication counselling services that were provided to patients. The form consisted of three main areas: (1) patient demographics and counselling services characteristics; (2) reasons for referrals to the medication counselling clinics; and (3) the subjects that were discussed between pharmacists and patients in the counselling session. A comparison was conducted between chronic and non-chronic, and elderly and non-elderly patients. Results: From May 2020 to December 2021, a total of 36,672 counselling service sessions were provided to 28,998 patients. The greatest proportion of reasons for referrals to counselling was that patients had chronic diseases (50.84%), patients were added a new medication (33.69%) or patients received multiple medications (polypharmacy) (22.71%). The most frequent subject discussed during counselling was general knowledge about medication (85.62%), the duration of therapy (68.42%) and the action that patients should take if they missed a dose of their medication (44.51%). Patients with chronic diseases showed a significantly greater frequency of referral to counselling compared to patients without chronic disease, due to polypharmacy, medication use during Ramadhan, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), dosing/interactions, high-alert medication and suspected nonadherence (P < 0.001). This led to a significantly greater frequency of discussions with patients with chronic conditions about their general medication knowledge, the duration of their therapy, missed doses, ADRs, medication reconciliation and medication use during Ramadhan (P < 0.001). Elderly patients recorded significantly more referrals to counselling related to chronic diseases and polypharmacy than their younger counterparts (P < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference between the elderly and non-elderly in the patterns of subjects discussed that were related to polypharmacy and chronic disease consequences. A significant spike was also reported in the frequency of delivery of counselling services to caregivers for the elderly (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The current state of medication counselling services in Saudi MOH facilities indicates that chronic disease and polypharmacy are the most significant reasons for referral to counselling, and that the subjects discussed the most during counselling are general knowledge about medication, duration of therapy and missed doses. Patients with chronic diseases have a higher frequency of referral to counselling and discussion about polypharmacy and its consequences than those without chronic conditions. Elderly patients also show a high frequency of referral to counselling about chronic diseases and polypharmacy. Caregivers of elderly patients require more education to maximise counselling effectiveness as they attend the majority of elderly patient counselling sessions.

Syrians' awareness of cardiovascular disease risk factors and warning indicators: a descriptive cross-sectional study.

The awareness of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) contributes to the complications and fatality rates from these diseases among individuals; however, no previous study in Syria was conducted on this topic; thus, this study aims to assess Syrians' awareness of CVDs warning symptoms and risk factors. This online cross-sectional study was performed in Syria between the 1st and 25th of August 2022. The inclusion criteria for the sample were citizens of Syria over 18 who currently reside in Syria. The questionnaire included open- and closed-ended questions to assess the awareness of CVDs. A total of 1201 participants enrolled in the study with a response rate of 97.2%; more than half of the participants (61.4%) were aged 18-24. The most recognizable risk factors and warning signs when asking close-ended and open-ended questions were smoking (95.2%, 37.1%) and chest pain (87.8%, 24.8%), respectively. Overall knowledge scores for risk factors and warning signs were (61.5%). Regarding knowledge score of CVDs risk factors and warning signs, participants aged 45-54 scored higher than other age groups, and respondents with a university education level had a higher score than other educational levels (15.7 ± 0.3), (14.5 ± 0.1), respectively. Participants aged 45-54 have a higher probability of good knowledge of CVDs risk factors and warning signs than participants aged 18-24 (OR = 4.8, P value < 0.001), while participants living in the countryside were less likely to have good knowledge of CVDs risk factors and warning signs than city residents (OR = 0.6, P value < 0.05). According to our results, there is inadequate knowledge of the risk factors and warning signs of CVDs. Consequently, there is a greater need to raise CVD awareness and learning initiatives on the disease's risk factors and symptoms.

Anterior Shoulder Dislocation With an Ipsilateral Humeral Shaft Fracture: A Case Report.

Anterior shoulder dislocation is the most common type of shoulder dislocation but if accompanied by an ipsilateral humeral shaft fracture, it becomes extremely rare. There was no clear approach for dealing with these cases. We would like to present a case of a 17-year-old medically free male who was brought to the emergency department by ambulance after a road traffic accident. The patient was conscious, alert, and oriented. His Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was 15/15. He had multiple bruises all over his body with obvious swelling in his right arm with an inability to move the arm. There was tenderness over the right arm but an intact distal neurovascular exanimation. X-ray and CT scan showed anterior shoulder dislocation with an ipsilateral humeral shaft fracture of the right arm. There is no specific approach for such cases. However, open reduction with an intramedullary nail showed good outcomes with fewer postoperative neurovascular complications.

The relationship between physical activity and burnout among respiratory therapists in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia.

Background/objective: Burnout is a condition in which a person feels physically fatigued and mentally drained. It occurs after a long period of work-related stress and may lead to mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, healthcare providers especially require early intervention. Regular physical activity has been reported to benefit individuals with mental illness, suggesting that a relationship between physical activity and burnout might exist. Hence, this study's objective was to analyze the relationship between physical activity and burnout among respiratory therapists and student interns in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with respiratory therapists and interns working in public and private hospitals was conducted from November 2, 2020, to November 27, 2020. Participants responded to an electronic survey consisting of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel, which measures the burnout dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. They also completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Long Form and a demographic questionnaire. Results: Among the 250 eligible respiratory therapists and interns, data from the 152 respondents who completed the electronic survey were analyzed. Although no association between physical activity and burnout was found, a significant effect of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on physical activity and significant associations of high burnout (emotional exhaustion) with nationality and smoking were found. Conclusion: No association was found between burnout level and physical activity. Confounding factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic during the study's data collection and analyses, likely contributed to the study's findings.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of artificial intelligence among doctors and medical students in Syria: A cross-sectional online survey.

Artificial intelligence has been prevalent recently as its use in the medical field is noticed to be increased. However, middle east countries like Syria are deficient in multiple AI implementation methods in the field of medicine. So, holding these AI implementation methods in the medical field is necessary, which may be incredibly beneficial for making diagnosis more accessible and help in the treatment. This paper intends to determine AI's knowledge, attitude, and practice among doctors and medical students in Syria. A questionnaire conducted an online cross-sectional study on the google form website consisting of demographic data, knowledge, and perception of AI. There were 1,494 responses from both doctors and medical students. We included Syrian medical students and doctors who are currently residing in Syria. Of the 1,494 participants, 255 (16.9%) are doctors, while the other 1,252 (83.1%) are undergraduate medical students. About 1,055 (70%) participants have previous knowledge about AI. However, only 357 (23.7%) participants know about its application in the medical field. Most have shown positive attitudes toward its necessity in the medical field; 689 (45.7%) individuals strongly agree, and 628 (41.7%) agree. The undergraduate students had 3.327 times more adequate knowledge of AI than students in the first year. In contrast, the undergraduate 6th-year students had 2.868 times the attitude toward AI higher than students in the first year. The residents and assistant professors had 2.371 and 4.422 times the practice of AI higher than students, respectively. Although most physicians and medical students do not sufficiently understand AI and its significance in the medical field, they have favorable views regarding using AI in the medical field. Syrian medical authorities and international organizations should suggest including artificial intelligence in the medical field, particularly when training residents and fellowship physicians.

The quality of telepsychiatry in terms of accessibility, appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety among psychiatric patients in King Abdulaziz Medical City: An observational cross-sectional analytical study.

There has been an increasing demand for psychiatric care in recent decades, and "telepsychiatry" was developed to meet these demands. It is a type of telemedicine in which they provide many medical services virtually, such as therapy, counseling, and medication management. Telepsychiatry has numerous advantages, including lower costs, reduced stigma, and improved continuity of care. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies in the western region of Saudi Arabia addressed patients satisfaction with telepsychiatry. This cross-sectional study aims to assess patient satisfaction in telepsychiatry in terms of accessibility and timeliness, appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety, and to see whether patient satisfaction affects their decision to use the service again in the future. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a prestructured survey on the basis of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-18, which is a validated questionnaire used to assess patients' satisfaction with the services provided to them. From January 2021 to July 2021, all male and female psychiatric patients over the age of 18 years who had psychiatric virtual appointments were included in this study. This study included 182 patients, of whom 106 were female. Patients were generally satisfied with the telepsychiatry services; 56.6%, 81.9%, 86.8%, and 91.2% of the participants were satisfied with the access and timeliness, appropriateness, effectiveness, and safety, respectively, and a total of 58.3% either strongly agree or agree of the overall satisfaction level. Depression and anxiety disorders were the most common psychiatric diseases. The statistical analysis revealed no significant relationships between patients' satisfaction and demographic characteristics. Telepsychiatry has been evaluated to meet the growing demand for psychiatric care; it also has significant advantages. Patients had an overall positive satisfaction level toward telepsychiatry service, and so the results of this study support the continuity of using telepsychiatry in the future. Further research area could include a comparison between patients' and providers' satisfaction levels with telepsychiatry.

SSR-based genome-wide association study in turkish durum wheat germplasms revealed novel QTL of accumulated platinum.

BACKGROUND: Durum wheat has a genetic capacity to accumulate toxic metals that can exceed the safety limit of the international standards, which may seriously affect human health. Identifying germplasms with low, nontoxic accumulated metal contents is important to select and develop new varieties. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the levels of accumulated platinum in durum wheat and detect novel QTL. METHODS AND RESULTS: Platinum contents were determined using 130 durum genotypes. Results generally showed low values of accumulated Pt and significantly less than the maximum grain's Pt content determined by international standards. Pt contents among genotypes varied from ≤ 0.001 to 0.72 µg/kg with an average of 0.02. Landraces showed the lowest average accumulated Pt. GWAS was then performed with 780 SSR markers. Five QTL were detected and explained 14.4-23.1% of the total phenotypic variation. Chromosomes 3 A, 3B, and 5B appear to be hotspots and may play a crucial role in accumulated Pt and were harbored in 1, 3, and 1 QTL, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This assessment of accumulated Pt within a unique panel included accessions mostly from Turkish regions, and GWAS used is the first study regarding accumulated Pt indices to reveal novel QTL. It will allow breeders to accelerate their selection of proper genotypes according to desired alleles and offer an opportunity to apply MAS to minimize Pt toxicity in durum wheat. Results indicated that the significance of genome (B) regions are likely related to the inheritance control of Pt content and may play a pivotal role regarding durum wheat's Pt contents. Nonetheless, these novel QTL should be validated in independent populations in numerous environments.

Magnesium- a Forgotten Element: Phenotypic Variation and Genome Wide Association Study in Turkish Common Bean Germplasm.

Magnesium (Mg) is the fourth most abundant element in the human body and plays the role of cofactor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions. In plants, Mg is involved in various key physiological and biochemical processes like growth, development, photophosphorylation, chlorophyll formation, protein synthesis, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Keeping in view the importance of this element, the present investigation aimed to explore the Mg contents diversity in the seeds of Turkish common bean germplasm and to identify the genomic regions associated with this element. A total of 183 common bean accessions collected from 19 provinces of Turkey were used as plant material. Field experiments were conducted according to an augmented block design during 2018 in two provinces of Turkey, and six commercial cultivars were used as a control group. Analysis of variance depicted that Mg concentration among common bean accessions was statistically significant (p < 0.05) within each environment, however genotype × environment interaction was non-significant. A moderate level (0.60) of heritability was found in this study. Overall mean Mg contents for both environments varied from 0.33 for Nigde-Dermasyon to 1.52 mg kg-1 for Nigde-Derinkuyu landraces, while gross mean Mg contents were 0.92 mg kg-1. At the province level, landraces from Bolu were rich while the landraces from Bitlis were poor in seed Mg contents respectively. The cluster constellation plot divided the studied germplasm into two populations on the basis of their Mg contents. Marker-trait association was performed using a mixed linear model (Q + K) with a total of 7,900 DArTseq markers. A total of six markers present on various chromosomes (two at Pv01, and one marker at each chromosome i.e., Pv03, Pv07, Pv08, Pv11) showed statistically significant association for seed Mg contents. Among these identified markers, the DArT-3367607 marker present on chromosome Pv03 contributed to maximum phenotypic variation (7.5%). Additionally, this marker was found within a narrow region of previously reported markers. We are confident that the results of this study will contribute significantly to start common bean breeding activities using marker assisted selection regarding improved Mg contents.

Prevalence of stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among mental healthcare professionals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the levels of stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among mental healthcare professionals in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on mental healthcare professionals in Jeddah between January 2017 and October 2018. Sociodemographic characteristics and levels of stress, burnout, and job satisfaction were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS). Descriptive statistics were used. Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted to assess for effects of demographic variables on the perceived stress score, emotional exhaustion (EE) score, depersonalization (DP) score, professional accomplishment (PA) score, and the job satisfaction score (JSS). RESULTS: A total of 107 participants were included (50.5% men; 49.5% women) with response rate of 79.2%. Prevalence of stress was 56.1%. High levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were present among 41 (38.3%) and 26 (24.3%) of the respondents, respectively, while high score of low personal accomplishment were present among 61 (57%) respondents. In terms of job satisfaction, 25 (23.4%) were satisfied and 74 (69.2%) were indecisive. Male participants' emotional exhaustion score (27±12) was significantly higher than females (22 ±10), (t(105) = 1.99, p-value = 0.049). Also, participants with a monthly income above SR 20,000 had significantly higher total job satisfaction (p-value = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest rates of stress and burnout among mental health professionals that warrant attention, with less than one-quarter of the participants being satisfied with their jobs. Further studies are needed to expand the findings and to explore the contributing factors. Additionally, interventions should be established by authorities to address the increasing rates of stress and burnout.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Invertase Gene Family, and Expression Profiling under Abiotic Stress Conditions in Potato.

The potato is one of the most important and valuable crops in terms of consumption worldwide. However, abiotic stressors are the critical delimiters for the growth and productivity of potato. Invertase genes play key roles in carbon metabolism, plant development, and responses to stress stimuli. Therefore, a comprehensive genome-wide identification, characterization and expression analysis of invertase genes was performed in the potato. The current study identified 19 invertase genes, randomly distributed throughout the potato genome. To further elucidate their evolutionary, functional and structural relationship within family and with other plant species, we performed sequence and phylogenetic analysis, which segregated invertase genes into two main groups based on their sequence homology. A total of 11 genes are included in acidic invertases and 8 genes are in neutral or alkaline invertases, elucidating their functional divergence. Tissue specific expression analyses (RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR) of different plant tissues showed differential expression pattern. Invertase genes have higher expression in flower, leaf, root and shoot tissues, while under abiotic stress conditions, the expression of the invertase gene is significantly upregulated. Results of this study revealed that vacuolar and cell wall destined invertases are mainly the functional member genes of the invertase family. This study provides comprehensive data and knowledge about StINV genes in Solanum tuberosum for future genetic and epigenetic studies.

The Effect of Fluorescent Light on Anxiety Patients.

Aim Anxiety is an emotion recognized by a feeling of tension and agitation along with physiological excitement. Several factors could influence the moods, emotions, and behaviors of patients with anxiety disorders. One of these factors includes exposure to different lightings. In lots of working environments, fluorescent lights are the most dominant light source. Due to the dominance and exposure of fluorescent light, it has been proven that it could have different effects on the human body. Up to our knowledge, no previous or recent studies addressed the relationship between fluorescent light and anxiety disorders, even though based on observations, many patients with anxiety disorders have complained when exposed to fluorescent light. This research determined whether fluorescent light caused discomfort and amplified anxiety symptoms in anxiety patients in comparison to healthy individuals. In other words, the purpose is to determine the effect of fluorescent light on anxiety patients. Methods The study design was comparative cross-sectional. Two questionnaires were used, one was a validated screening tool called the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), which was used to screen participants for mental disorders. The second was a self-administered, piloted, and validated questionnaire that included questions regarding the effects of fluorescent light on participants. This study was carried out in the outpatient clinics of King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah between July 2019 and November 2019. A non-probability consecutive sampling technique was used.  Results The sample size was 206 participants. Seventy-five percent of participants with anxiety disorders agreed that they do not feel comfortable with the lighting of this clinic more than healthy participants that were only 25.0% (P = 0.007). When exposed to a room with fluorescent lighting, most of the participants with anxiety disorders would try to adapt to the lights (66.7%) or leave the room (73.7%) than healthy participants (P = 0.007). Furthermore, fluorescent light reminded participants of anxiety disorders of "old house and old places," "headaches, negativity, and discomfort," and "hospitals and schools." Conclusion Participants with anxiety disorders are affected by fluorescent light. They feel uncomfortable and would prefer to either leave the place with fluorescent light or try to adapt. Fluorescent light reminds anxiety participants of negative aspects more than healthy participants.

Detection of grain yield QTLs in the durum population Lahn/Cham1 tested in contrasting environments.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var durum) is tetraploid wheat (AABB); it is the main source of semolina and other pasta products. Grain yield in wheat is quantitatively inherited and influenced by the environment. The genetic map construction constitutes the essential step in identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to complex traits, such as grain yield. The study aimed to construct a genetic linkage map of two parents that are widely grown durum cultivars (Lahn and Cham1) in the Mediterranean basin, which is characterized by varying climate changes. The genetic linkage map of Lahn/Cham1 population consisted of 112 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and was used to determine QTLs linked to the grain yield in 11 contrasting environments (favorable, cold, dry, and hot). Simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers were used to construct an anchor map, which was later enriched with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The map was constructed with 247 SSRs and enriched with 1425 SNPs. The map covered 6122.22 cM. One hundred and twenty-six QTLs were detected on different chromosomes. Chromosomes 2A and 4B harbored the most significant grain yield QTLs. Furthermore, by comparison with several wheat mapping populations, all the A and B chromosomes of Lahn/Cham1 QTLs contributed to grain yield. The results showed that the detected QTLs can be used as a potential candidate for marker-assisted selection in durum breeding programs.

Genetic Diversity, Population Structure and Marker-Trait Association for 100-Seed Weight in International Safflower Panel Using SilicoDArT Marker Information.

Safflower is an important oilseed crop mainly grown in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The aim of this study was to explore phenotypic and genetic diversity, population structure, and marker-trait association for 100-seed weight in 94 safflower accessions originating from 26 countries using silicoDArT markers. Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant genotypic effects (p < 0.01), while Turkey samples resulted in higher 100-seed weight compared to Pakistan samples. A Constellation plot divided the studied germplasm into two populations on the basis of their 100-seed weight. Various mean genetic diversity parameters including observed number of alleles (1.99), effective number of alleles (1.54), Shannon's information index (0.48), expected heterozygosity (0.32), and unbiased expected heterozygosity (0.32) for the entire population exhibited sufficient genetic diversity using 12232 silicoDArT markers. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that most of the variations (91%) in world safflower panel are due to differences within country groups. A model-based structure grouped the 94 safflower accessions into populations A, B, C and an admixture population upon membership coefficient. Neighbor joining analysis grouped the safflower accessions into two populations (A and B). Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) also clustered the safflower accessions on the basis of geographical origin. Three accessions; Egypt-5, Egypt-2, and India-2 revealed the highest genetic distance and hence might be recommended as candidate parental lines for safflower breeding programs. The mixed linear model i.e., the Q + K model, demonstrated that two DArTseq markers (DArT-45483051 and DArT-15672391) had significant association (p < 0.01) for 100-seed weight. We envisage that identified DArTseq markers associated with 100-seed weight will be helpful to develop high-yielding cultivars of safflower through marker-assisted breeding in the near future.

Hyponatremia could identify patients with intrabdominal sepsis and anastomotic leak after colorectal surgery: a systematic review of the literature.

Anastomotic leak (AL) is a serious post-operative complication in colorectal surgery. It can lead to devastating morbidity and mortality. Clinicians usually depend on a combination of clinical, biochemical and radiological findings to diagnose this problem. In our article, we tried to look if electrolyte disturbances could be indicators for intra-abdominal sepsis due to AL. Systematic review of the literature identifies a potential correlation between electrolyte alterations and AL in digestive surgery. The following databases were searched: PubMed, EMBASE and MIDLINE. The review adhered to the PRISMA statement for systematic review. Our literature search did not identify any articles linking any electrolyte disturbances-except for hyponatremia-to AL. Pathophysiology of these electrolyte disturbances does not seem to be linked to AL, except for hyponatremia which might be explained. Our review included 442 patients with intra-abdominal sepsis and 1133 controls. The mean specificity of hyponatremia being associated with intra-abdominal sepsis is 86%, whereas mean sensitivity is 28%. Hyponatremia seems to be a significant and clinically relevant marker for of intra-abdominal sepsis and AL.

A consensus linkage map of lentil based on DArT markers from three RIL mapping populations.

BACKGROUND: Lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris Medikus) is a diploid (2n = 2x = 14), self-pollinating grain legume with a haploid genome size of about 4 Gbp and is grown throughout the world with current annual production of 4.9 million tonnes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consensus map of lentil (Lens culinaris ssp. culinaris Medikus) was constructed using three different lentils recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations, including "CDC Redberry" x "ILL7502" (LR8), "ILL8006" x "CDC Milestone" (LR11) and "PI320937" x "Eston" (LR39). RESULTS: The lentil consensus map was composed of 9,793 DArT markers, covered a total of 977.47 cM with an average distance of 0.10 cM between adjacent markers and constructed 7 linkage groups representing 7 chromosomes of the lentil genome. The consensus map had no gap larger than 12.67 cM and only 5 gaps were found to be between 12.67 cM and 6.0 cM (on LG3 and LG4). The localization of the SNP markers on the lentil consensus map were in general consistent with their localization on the three individual genetic linkage maps and the lentil consensus map has longer map length, higher marker density and shorter average distance between the adjacent markers compared to the component linkage maps. CONCLUSION: This high-density consensus map could provide insight into the lentil genome. The consensus map could also help to construct a physical map using a Bacterial Artificial Chromosome library and map based cloning studies. Sequence information of DArT may help localization of orientation scaffolds from Next Generation Sequencing data.

Gallbladder-associated symptomatic hepatic choristoma: Should you resect?

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic choristomas or ectopic livers are uncommon, and occur due to a failure of embryological liver development. They pose a risk of carcinogenesis, with transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being described in the literature (Arakawa et al., 1999). It is often a silent clinical finding that can occur anywhere in the body and is usually diagnosed incidentally during abdominal surgical procedures or autopsies (Eiserth et al., 1940). We present the case of a patient with a symptomatic ectopic liver that was detected preoperatively, and removed laparoscopically with the gallbladder. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 73-year-old lady was referred to our unit for a gallbladder tumor on ultrasound which was done for biliary colic. Tumor markers were normal. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed an enhanced soft tissue lesion measuring about 3×1.5cm interposed between the gallbladder and liver. Laparoscopic exploration revealed a bean-shaped hepatic choristoma attached to the liver on the medial wall of the gallbladder. The lesion was removed by en-bloc resection during laparoscopic cholecystectomy and extracted carefully in an endobag. Histopathological examination confirmed the absence of carcinogenesis. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Hepatic choristomas (HC) are a rare entity, usually identified during abdominal surgeries. It had been reported in several studies with different presentations. Awareness of this unexpected finding and familiarity of its potential complications and carcinogenesis will improve care delivery when encountered. Surgical treatment should be considered when the choristoma is not attached to the liver, in light of its potential transformation into HCC.