Characterization of phi112, a Molecular Marker Tightly Linked to the o2 Gene of Maize, and Its Utilization in Multiplex PCR for Differentiating Normal Maize from QPM.

Quality Protein Maize (QPM) contains higher amounts of essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan. The QPM phenotype is based on regulating zein protein synthesis by opaque2 transcription factor. Many gene modifiers act to optimize the amino acid content and agronomic performance. An SSR marker, phi112, is present upstream of the opaque2 DNA gene. Its analysis has shown the presence of transcription factor activity. The functional associations of opaque2 have been determined. The putative transcription factor binding at phi112 marked DNA was identified through computational analysis. The present study is a step towards understanding the intricate network of molecular interactions that fine-tune the QPM genotype to influence maize protein quality. In addition, a multiplex PCR assay for differentiation of QPM from normal maize is shown, which can be used for Quality Control at various stages of the QPM value chain.

Performance and survival outcomes of defect-driven versus specimen-driven method of frozen section intraoperative margin assessment in oral cancers.

Margin status is one of the most important prognostic factors in oral cancers. Intraoperative frozen section (FS) can be performed to ensure a margin-negative resection, however the method of FS assessment is debatable. The aim of this study was to compare the defect-driven (DDA) versus specimen-driven (SDA) approach for intraoperative assessment of tumour margins in oral cancer resections and their impact on loco-regional recurrence and survival. The primary study endpoint was margin status determined from the final histopathological examination report. Secondary endpoints were disease recurrence and survival. This retrospective cohort study compared the two methods of FS in terms of their performance and survival outcomes. All oral squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent surgery as the primary treatment from January 2018 to February 2019 were included. The involved margin rate was slightly lower with SDA than DDA (7.5% vs 11.8%), however the difference was not statistically significant. The recurrence rate was higher with DDA (19/51, 37.2%) than SDA (14/53, 26.4%), although this was not statistically significant. Local recurrence-free survival (DDA 62% vs SDA 75%; P = 0.653) and overall survival (DDA 76% vs SDA 78%; P = 0.300) at 18 months of follow-up were comparable. There was no significant difference in sensitivity or specificity of intraoperative FS for margin assessment between SDA and DDA. The type of intraoperative FS technique used did not affect loco-regional recurrence or overall survival.

Skim sequencing: an advanced NGS technology for crop improvement.

High-throughput genotyping has become more convenient and cost-effective due to recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. Numerous approaches exploring sequencing advances for genotyping have been developed over the past decade, which includes different variants of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), and restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq). Most of these methods are based on the reduced representation of the genome, which ultimately reduces the cost of sequencing by many folds. However, continuously lowering the cost of sequencing makes it more convenient to use whole genome-based approaches. In this regard, skim sequencing, where low coverage whole-genome sequencing is used for the identification of large numbers of polymorphic markers cost-effectively. In the present review, we have discussed recent technological advancements, applicability, and challenges of skim sequencing-based genotypic approaches for crop improvement programmes. Skim sequencing is being extensively used for genotyping in diverse plant species and has a wide range of applications, particularly in quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, genomewide association studies (GWAS), fine genetic map construction, and identification of recombination and gene conversion events in various breeding programmes. The cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and genomewide coverage will increase the application of skims sequencing-based genotyping. The article summarizes the protocol, uses, bioinformatics tools, its application, and future prospects of skim sequencing in crop improvement.

Quality of life outcome measures using University of Washington questionnaire version 4 in early T1/T2 anterior tongue cancers with and without radiotherapy: A cross-sectional study.

CONTEXT: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) outcome measures in disease-free survivors of pathological T1/T2 tongue cancers and to compare QOL in patients treated with only surgery and with adjuvant treatment. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All pathological T1/T2 anterior tongue cancer cases with follow-up from January 2011 till December 2015, who had locoregionally controlled disease with a minimum disease-free survival period of 1 year, were included in the study. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients, 28 are males and 8 are females with an age range of 24-66 years (median age of 43) were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups with (n = 26) and without adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy (RT) (n = 10) and the University of Washington-QOL questionnaire version 4 for physical and social domains, global questions and three important domains were analyzed. On the physical and social domain scores, the surgery-alone group outscored the combined modality group on all scales and the differences were statistically significant for specific physical domains such as saliva (0.0001), taste (P = 0.0001), chewing (P = 0.0004), swallowing (P = 0.0026), and social domains such as mood (0.0001), pain (P = 0.0001), and shoulder function (P = 0.0061). The overall global QOL scores were also better for the surgical group compared with group which received adjuvant RT but was not statistically significant. All patients chose saliva as their top priority domain in the group which received radiation, and 60% chose "swallowing ability" as the preferred top priority domain in the only surgical group. CONCLUSIONS: Although locoregional control and disease-free survival are the major treatment-related endpoints for cancer management, QOL outcome measures have to assess to determine the impact of a treatment modality on patients well-being and for better rehabilitation of cancer-free patients.