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In 1950, Holttum placed species from Malaysia in the cardamom genus, Elettaria, while noting that they may, in fact, belong elsewhere in the tribe Alpinieae. We tested this hypothesis applying phylogenetic methods using nuclear ITS and At103, and plastid matK, ndhF and trnL-F sequences from several samples of the genus. In the resulting molecular phylogeny, these samples appeared in three separate places of the Alpinieae. Elettaria s.str. is endemic in India and Sri Lanka while all species from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo are placed in a new genus, Sulettaria which, furthermore, includes six species with basionyms in Amomum, A. kandariense from Sulawesi and the other five from Borneo. Fifteen new combinations are made, an identification key provided and lectotypes designated for three species. Plants labelled as cardamom and exhibited in some botanic gardens have been misidentified and represent a species in the Alpinia zerumbet clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: Older adults often display postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) after surgery, yet it is unclear to what extent functional connectivity (FC) alterations may underlie these deficits. We examined for postoperative voxel‐wise FC changes in response to increased working memory load demands in cardiac surgery patients and nonsurgical controls. Experimental design: Older cardiac surgery patients (n = 25) completed a verbal N‐back working memory task during MRI scanning and cognitive testing before and 6 weeks after surgery; nonsurgical controls with cardiac disease (n = 26) underwent these assessments at identical time intervals. We measured postoperative changes in degree centrality, the number of edges attached to a brain node, and local coherence, the temporal homogeneity of regional functional correlations, using voxel‐wise graph theory‐based FC metrics. Group × time differences were evaluated in these FC metrics associated with increased N‐back working memory load (2‐back > 1‐back), using a two‐stage partitioned variance, mixed ANCOVA. Principal observations: Cardiac surgery patients demonstrated postoperative working memory load‐related degree centrality increases in the left dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (dPCC; p < .001, cluster p‐FWE < .05). The dPCC also showed a postoperative increase in working memory load‐associated local coherence (p < .001, cluster p‐FWE < .05). dPCC degree centrality and local coherence increases were inversely associated with global cognitive change in surgery patients (p < .01), but not in controls. Conclusions: Cardiac surgery patients showed postoperative increases in working memory load‐associated degree centrality and local coherence of the dPCC that were inversely associated with postoperative global cognitive outcomes and independent of perioperative cerebrovascular damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To look for changes in intrinsic functional brain connectivity associated with postoperative changes in cognition, a common complication in seniors undergoing major surgery, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Design Objective cognitive testing and functional brain imaging were prospectively performed at preoperative baseline and 6 weeks after surgery and at the same time intervals in nonsurgical controls. Setting Academic medical center. Participants Older adults undergoing cardiac surgery (n = 12) and nonsurgical older adult controls with a history of coronary artery disease (n = 12); no participants had cognitive impairment at preoperative baseline (Mini-Mental State Examination score >27). Measurements Differences in resting-state functional connectivity ( RSFC) and global cognitive change relationships were assessed using a voxel-wise intrinsic connectivity method, controlling for demographic factors and pre- and perioperative cerebral white matter disease volume. Analyses were corrected for multiple comparisons (false discovery rate P < .01). Results Global cognitive change after cardiac surgery was significantly associated with intrinsic RSFC changes in regions of the posterior cingulate cortex and right superior frontal gyrus-anatomical and functional locations of the brain's default mode network ( DMN). No statistically significant relationships were found between global cognitive change and RSFC change in nonsurgical controls. Conclusion Clinicians have long known that some older adults develop postoperative cognitive dysfunction ( POCD) after anesthesia and surgery, yet the neurobiological correlates of POCD are not well defined. The current results suggest that altered RSFC in specific DMN regions is positively correlated with global cognitive change 6 weeks after cardiac surgery, suggesting that DMN activity and connectivity could be important diagnostic markers of POCD or intervention targets for potential POCD treatment efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original report that plants emit methane ( CH4) under aerobic conditions caused much debate and controversy. Critics questioned experimental techniques, possible mechanisms for CH4 production and the nature of estimating global emissions. Several studies have now confirmed that aerobic CH4 emissions can be detected from plant foliage but the extent of the phenomenon in plants and the precise mechanisms and precursors involved remain uncertain. In this study, we investigated the role of environmentally realistic levels of ultraviolet ( UV) radiation in causing the emission of CH4 and other gases from foliage obtained from a wide variety of plant types. We related our measured emissions to the foliar content of methyl esters and lignin and to the epidermal UV absorbance of the species investigated. Our data demonstrate that the terrestrial vegetation foliage sampled did emit CH4, with a range in emissions of 0.6-31.8 ng CH4 g−1 leaf DW h−1, which compares favourably with the original reports of experimental work. In addition to CH4 emissions, our data show that carbon monoxide, ethene and propane are also emitted under UV stress but we detected no significant emissions of carbon dioxide or ethane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high mortality and substantial cost after aortocoronary bypass graft (CABG) surgery. We tested the hypothesis that intraoperative systolic blood pressure variation is associated with postoperative AKI. Methods. We gathered demographic, procedural, blood pressure, and renal outcome data for 7,247 CABG surgeries at a single institution between 1996 and 2005. A development/validation cohort methodology was randomly divided (66% and 33%, resp.). Peak postoperative serum creatinine rise relative to baseline (%▵ Cr) was the primary AKI outcome variable. Markers reflective of intraoperative systolic blood pressure variation were derived for each patient including (1) peak and nadir values (absolute and relative to baseline) and (2) excursion episodes beyond selected thresholds (by duration, frequency, and duration × degree). Each marker of systolic blood pressure variation was then separately evaluated for association with AKI using linear regression models with adjustment for several known risk factors (age, aprotinin use, congestive heart failure, previous myocardial infarction, baseline creatinine, bypass time, diabetes, weight, concomitant valve surgery, gender, and preoperative pulse pressure). Results. An association was identified between systolic blood pressure relative to baseline and postoperative AKI (P < 0.006). Conclusions. In CABG surgery patients, intraoperative systolic blood pressure decrease relative to baseline systolic blood pressure is independently associated with postoperative AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Recent collections from Sulawesi allow an investigation of Amomum subgenus Botryamomum K. Schum. and its three species, Amomum chrysogynia K. Schum., A. echinosphaera K. Schum., and A. melichroum K. Schum. It is concluded that this subgenus contains a single species, Amomum melichroum K. Schum. Amomum subgenus Botryamomum and Amomum melichroum are lectotypified and Schumann's classification of them as Alpinia melichroa (K. Schum.) K. Schum. in Alpinia sect. Botryamomum (K. Schum.) K. Schum. is accepted. An amplified description including flowers and fruits is provided. Alpinia melichroa is narrowly distributed in southeastern Sulawesi; a conservation assessment is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between duration of platelet (PLT) storage, currently limited to 5 days, and surgical outcomes has not been established. We tested the hypothesis that PLT storage age was associated with adverse outcomes. A retrospective cohort of aortocoronary bypass (CABG) surgery patients from January 1996 to January 2005 receiving one or more PLT transfusions was selected for study. The composite primary ('short-term') outcome was 30-day mortality or prolonged hospital stay. Secondary outcomes included complications and survival to annual follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis evaluated the association between PLT storage age and outcomes, expressed as an odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), respectively. PLT transfusion was administered to 3272 of 10,275 CABG patients and 2578 received units of known storage age, which ranged between 2 and 5 days (median, 4 days; 25th percentile, 3 days; 75th percentile, 5 days). The mortality rate for the 1637 patients receiving a single plateletpheresis transfusion was 3.8%, while 21.6% experienced a prolonged hospital stay or death. After adjusting for the number of PLT and red blood cell (RBC) units transfused, RBC storage age, and preoperative mortality risk, there was no association between PLT storage age and short-term outcome (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.90-1.14), survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04; 95% CI, 0.96-1.13), or postoperative infections. PLT storage age was not associated with adverse short-term outcomes, decreased long-term survival, or infections after cardiac surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence demonstrates an association between duration of storage of red blood cells (RBC) and morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery. We studied the feasibility of two different schemes for categorizing and randomizing age of RBC units transfused in cardiac surgical patients. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In Phase 1, 20 subjects were randomly assigned to standard of care (SOC) versus no RBCs with more than 21 days' storage duration. In Phase 2, 23 subjects were randomized to RBCs of 7 ± 4 versus 21 ± 4 days' storage duration. The age of study RBC units was masked. RESULTS: In Phase 1, no patients received RBCs 31 days or older in SOC, and there was overlap in storage age shared in both arms so the predefined feasibility criteria were not met. In Phase 2, it was feasible to deliver specified age RBCs to the 7-day arm (achieved in 100% of subjects), but feasibility was not demonstrated for the 21-day arm (only 50% of subjects transfused with target age RBCs). Significant differences, however, were observed between the 7 ± 4- and 21 ± 4-day arms with respect to age of all RBC units (6 ± 2 vs. 18 ± 7, p = 0.0002) and maximum age (7 ± 2 vs. 20 ± 7, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Given the current storage age distribution of available RBC inventory, use of a SOC arm in future studies is unlikely to result in a large exposure to “old” blood. It is feasible to randomize patients to “younger” RBCs (3-11 days) but design strategies are needed to provide “intermediate-aged” or “old” blood as a comparator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the proposal of conserving the name of a plant species called Amomum villosum with a conserved type. It states that the name Amomum villosum Lour. is best suitable for the species and will also be applicable for the medicinal species of Continental Asia. It also states that rejection of the proposal of retaining this name will have little impact in Indonesia, as this species is not well known in the country.