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Creation of a transabdominal transdiaphragmatic pericardial window for life-threatening recurrent pericardial effusion has proved to be a safe minimally invasive technique. By inducing adequate pericardial sac decompression while avoiding single-lung ventilation and thoracic drainage in severely ill patients, it provides anatomopathologic diagnosis and can direct further therepeutic measures. The transabdominal approach improves postoperative recovery dramatically by limiting postoperative pain and prevents sometimes invalidating intercostal neuralgia. Transabdominal pericardial sac fenestration should be part of the armamentarium used by every minimally invasive surgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three populations of 41 to 74 homozygous recombinant substitutionlines (RSLs) were used for RFLP mapping and quantitative trait analysis ofthe following parameters: total proteins (%prot), SDS-sedimentationvolume (SDSsed), bread mixing time (Bmxt) and loaf volume (Blvol). TheRSLs were developed from crosses between disomic substitution linesinvolving chromosomes 1A, 1B, and 1D of the high-quality wheat cv.`Cheyenne' (Cnn) substituted into the genetic background of the poorquality cv. `Chinese Spring' (CS). The QTL analysis indicated regions in thethree chromosomes responsible for the differences between CS and thethree disomic substitution lines. The major effect detected on chromosome1A of Cnn was high SDSsed, Bmxt and Blvol associated with the H-M-WGlutenin subunit locus Glu-A1. In addition a QTL was identifieddistally on the long arm of chromosome 1A for Bmxt and Blvol. Ahigh %prot QTL was mapped on the long arm of chromosome 1B of CSand a high Bmxt QTL was mapped on the long arm of chromosome 1B ofCnn. Additionally, this chromosome enhanced SDSsed, Bmxt and Blvol,which were associated with the region of the gliadin and L-M-W Gluteninsubunit locus Gli-B1/Glu-B3. A second more proximal region on theshort arm of chromosome 1B could be involved in loaf volume. QTLanalyses for% prot, showed a strong clear QTL mapped in the centromericregion (XTri/Centromere linkage group) of chromosome 1D with anapparent positive effect brought by CS. For Blvol we revealed two QTLs inopposite phase: one in the Xtri/Centromere region with a positive effect ofCS allele, one in the Glu-D1 region with a positive effect of Cnnallele. This organization `in repulsion' in the parental lines could explain thesmall difference between them for Blvol and the significant transgressionobserved among the RSLs. No clear candidate gene explained the positiveeffect of the centromeric region of CS on %prot and Blvol. Contrary to thecurrent belief that wheat bread-making quality is determined primarily byvariation at the Glu-1 locus, present results showed that the trait isunder a complex control and the Glu-1 loci was only a component ofthe genetic control of the trait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic management has been proposed as a complementary strategy to gene banks for the conservation of genetic resources. The evolution of frequencies of genes for specific resistance towards powdery mildew (caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) in populations of a French network for dynamic management of bread wheat genetic resources was investigated after 10 years of multiplication without human selection. The objective was to determine whether specific resistance gene diversity was maintained in the populations and whether any changes could be attributed to selection due to pathogen pressure. Seven populations, originating from four of the network sites, were characterized and compared to the initial population for six specific resistance gene frequencies detected by nine Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici isolates. Diversity decreased at the population level, but because of a strong differentiation between the populations, this diversity was maintained at the network level. The comparison of Fst parameters estimated on neutral markers (RFLP) and on resistance gene data revealed that in two of the populations specific resistance genes had been selected by pathogen pressure, whereas evolution in two other populations seemed to be the result of genetic drift. For the three last populations, conclusions were less clear, as one had probably experienced a strong bottleneck and the other two presented intermediate Fst values. A dynamic management network with sites contrasted for pathogen pressure, allowing genetic drift in some populations and selection in others, appeared, at least on the short term, to be a good tool for maintaining the diversity of genes for specific resistance to powdery mildew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of adult plant resistance towards powdery mildew (caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) was investigated in 11 wheat populations cultivated for 10 years in a French network for dynamic management (DM) of wheat genetic resources. The aims of the study were to compare the evolution of resistance in sites submitted to different powdery mildew pressure and to investigate the implication of specific resistance gene action in adult plant resistance. For this, 7 of the 11 populations were characterized for their composition of specific resistance genes (results presented in a former paper). Even though no population differed significantly from the initial PA0 pool for mean adult plant resistance, divergence appeared among the final populations. The populations with the highest adult plant resistance level originated from sites where powdery mildew pressure is known to be high (Vervins, Le Rheu), whereas populations with the lowest adult plant resistance corresponded to areas with no, or very low, powdery mildew pressure (Toulouse, Montreuil-Bellay). A residual effect of defeated specific resistance genes was hypothesized, as lines accumulating at least two specific resistance genes appeared more resistant. Additional quantitative resistance seemed to be involved in adult plant resistance. DM lines appeared then as an interesting source of variability for resistance towards powdery mildew. Moreover, as these lines had been grown in mixed populations they may be appropriate as components of a composite cultivar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-environmental experimentation made it possible to compare 311 hybrids and their 59 parental lines for five characters: yield, two yield components (number of grains per m2 and 1000-grain weight), height and date of heading. At all three sites, average high-parent heterosis exceeded 6%, and our results confirm that hybrids in general head as early as the earlier parent does and are as high as the taller parent. For the five characters studied ecovalences were significantly lower in the F1 than in the parents, indicating a higher level of homeostasis for hybrids. The experimental model, based on a ”top-cross” design comprised of 55 lines used as females and four testers, made it possible to implement different hybrid-value prediction models. For yield, by far the most important character to predict, the predictor based on the general combining ability and the per se value of the parents, appears to be the most interesting. The prediction remains, however, imperfect as specific combining ability (SCA) has a strong impact for this character. Attempting to take account of SCA in the prediction, by using a multiplicative model for ”male×female” interaction modelling, did not prove convincing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to determine a selection strategy for a population of winter wheat subjected to recurrent selection, we assessed the relative extent of both additive and epistatic effects for agronomic traits involved in yield performance. The partitioning (between and within mother plant) of the genetic variance in doubled-haploid lines derived from the intercrossed population provided estimates of additive and epistatic additive x additive variances at the pure line level. Two similar experiments with 56 lines in 1992 and with 73 in 1993 were conducted at Gif sur Yvette in France. Results showed that 1993 was less favourable for yield performance than 1992. Even when genotype-by-year interactions were found significant, both genetic effects (between plants, between lines within plants) were consistent from one year to the other, and the ratios of variances appeared rather homogeneous over years. Earliness and powdery mildew resistance showed a large epistatic variance. Plant height seemed to be quite additive; this certainly could be related to the presence of two major dwarfing genes polymorphic in the population. Morphological traits of the spike showed larger additive than epistatic variance. Yield components measured on the spike either were predominantly additive or displayed both additive and epistatic effects. For grain yield, which is the most integrative trait, we found larger epistatic than additive variance. The genetic control of a given trait cannot be definitively characterized because it depends on the genetic material, the test system and the environmental conditions. However, our results show the importance of epistasis especially in the genetic control of complex traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic management of genetic resources aims to conserve genetic variability between different populations evolving in contrasting environments. It is thus of importance to determine whether differences appearing between populations are stochastic or if they come about from adaptation. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) was used to study genetic differentiation of 11 wheat populations evolving since 1984 in a multi-site network covering the major cultivation area of wheat in France. Gels were scanned and protein-spot intensities were measured through image analysis. As it was not possible to assay each individual, populations were characterized using pooled extracts from several plants. In the first step, two parents among the 16 parental lines involved in the initial wheat composite-cross population were exhaustively studied to identify a set of polymorphic spots against which the entire set of evolved populations could be compared. This analysis confirmed the efficiency of gel image-processing to determine the composition of pooled extracts. Of the 48 spots used to investigate population differentiation, 15 showed significant differences at the P<0.05 level. Populations that evolved independently at the same location showed similar differentiation, even when their cultivation methods were different. These results suggest that natural selection acted strongly on the evolution of the populations, and that responses to selection were determined primarily by macro-environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outcrossing rates within the wild green foxtail, Setaria viridis, and the cultivated foxtail millet, S. italica, are very low. However, spontaneous interspecific hybridizations in the experimental garden occurred in both directions at rates ranging from 0.002% to 0.6% according to plant density and distance between parents. Offtypes found in farmers' fields where foxtail millet is cultivated were shown to have originated from such interspecific crosses. Differences in the EcoR1 patterns of chloroplast DNA between cultivated and wild plants indicated that reciprocal crosses do occur in the field. These findings indicate that even a largely selfing cultivated species may exchange genetic information with wild relatives at rates that may cause problems if transgenic cultivars are released. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inheritance of seed coat color, pericarp color, polyphenoloxidase activity and bristle, glume, collar, and leaf-base anthocyanic colorations was investigated using intra- and interspecific crosses between Setaria italica and S. viridis. The results were compared to inheritance results obtained by previous authors. In most cases, the inheritance is simple (one or two loci) and data from different crosses (intra- and interspecific) and from different authors can be compared. Two sets of two characters were found to share common loci: the polyphenoloxidase locus is one of the loci responsible for seed coat color, and bristle and glume color are determined by the same two loci. The evolutionary significance of these results is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]