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A detailed two-dimensional mathematical model is studied for the unsteady heat-and mass-transfer equations coupled with a quasi-steady formulation of the electromagnetic field for the microwave-induced pyrolysis of a wood block. The aspects examined include the description of the flow field based on either the assumption of constant pressure and one-dimensional flow velocity directed along the wood fibers or the linked two-dimensional variation of pressure and velocity in accordance with the Darcy law and deviations from the assumptions of local thermal equilibrium between the solid and gas/vapor phase. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 52: 610–624, 2012

The availability of suitable genetic markers is essential to efficiently select and breed apple varieties of high quality and with multiple disease resistances. Microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSR) are very useful in this respect since they are codominant, highly polymorphic, abundant and reliably reproducible. Over 140 new SSR markers have been developed in apple and tested on a panel of 7 cultivars and 1 breeding selection. Their high level of polymorphism is expressed with an average of 6.1 alleles per locus and an average heterozygosity (H) of 0.74. Of all SSR markers, 115 have been positioned on a genetic linkage map of the cross ‘Fiesta’ × ‘Discovery’. As a result, all 17 linkage groups, corresponding to the 17 chromosomes of apple, were identified. Each chromosome carries at least two SSR markers, allowing the alignment of any apple molecular marker map both with regard to identification as well as to orientation of the linkage groups. To test the degree of conservation of the SSR flanking regions and the transferability of the SSR markers to other Rosaceae species, 15 primer pairs were tested on a series of Maloideae and Amygdaloideae species. The usefulness of the newly developed microsatellites in genetic mapping is demonstrated by means of the genetic linkage map. The possibility of constructing a global apple linkage map and the impact of such a number of microsatellite markers on gene and QTL mapping is discussed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-10T03:52:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 5 Development characterization and mapping of microsatellite markers in Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla.pdf: 434857 bytes, checksum: 624437860a7984c288a5560f141a4b16 (MD5) license_url: 52 bytes, checksum: 2f32edb9c19a57e928372a33fd08dba5 (MD5) license_text: 24372 bytes, checksum: 94b0a37ff5ec51de8c55507bff4a7ff9 (MD5) license_rdf: 24623 bytes, checksum: 378d22d8fe50e084ee2f354be78cbe62 (MD5) license.txt: 1887 bytes, checksum: 445d1980f282ec865917de35a4c622f6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1998 We report on the development, genetic characterization and linkage mapping of a battery of SSR (simple sequence repeat) loci in Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla. This study reveals the abundance of SSRs in Eucalyptus, the very high information content of these markers for mapping and individual identiÞcation, and demonstrates the feasibility of constructing a comprehensive microsatellite-based linkage map for Eucalyptus. Primer sequence for a set of 20 highly informative EMBRA (Eucalyptus microsatellites from Brazil) loci are made available together with their map position and estimates of the expected heterozygosity and allele size range in these two species. Using genomic library enrichment and anchored-PCR screening prior to sequencing, the e¦ciency of SSR marker locus development was 63% from sequencing data to operationally useful SSR loci. Absolute transportability between the two species and very high levels of allelic variability and expected heterozygosity (H) were seen at all SSR loci surveyed. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 9 to 26 with an average of 16.3$4.8. The average H of 15 loci was 0.86$0.04, 0.83$0.08 and 0.89$0.04, respectively, for E. urophylla, E. grandis and the combined two-species estimate. In the mapping analysis 16 out of 20 marker loci segregated in a fully informative conÞguration, allowing the determination of synteny of six homologous linkage groups between the two species. The availability of transportable, multiallelic, PCR-based co-dominant SSR locirepresents a dramatic improvement in our ability to carry out detailed population genetic analysis and to search, understand, and manipulate allelic variation at QTLs (quantitative trait loci) in species of Eucalyptus. Sim Publicado

The development of highly informative markers, such as simple sequence repeats, for tagging genes controlling agronomic characters is essential for apple breeding. Furthermore the use of these markers is fundamental both for variety identification and for the characterisation and management of genetic resources. We have developed 16 reliable simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that amplify all alleles from a panel of 19 Malus x domestica (Borkh.) cultivars or breeding selections and from Malus floribunda 821. Those markers show a high level of genetic polymorphism, with on average 8.2 alleles per locus and an average heterozygosity of 0.78. Due to this high level of polymorphism, it was possible using two selected SSRs to distinguish all cultivars except Starking and Red Delicious. Ten of the markers we developed have been mapped on a RAPD linkage map, proving their Mendelian segregation as well as their random distribution in the apple genome. Finally, we discuss the importance of using co-dominant markers in outbreeding species.

In order to calculate the cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF), we retrospectively analyzed 1482 acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs) treated in the ICU at C. Poma General Hospital, Mantua, Italy, from 1 December 2004 to 31 July 2007. Of these patients, 133 suffered from CRF at hospital admission (eGFR40 mL/min/1.73 m2 body surface and/or serum creatinine2 mg/dL). During hospitalization for AMI, the CRF-affected patients showed a 2.7 times higher relative risk of mortality than patients without CRF (Yates chi square 14.46; p = 0.0001432). The evaluated comorbidities (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, supra-aortic vascular stenosis70%, previous PTCA, COPD, previous AMI, previous coronary artery bypass and chronic obliterative peripheral arteriopathy) increased the relative risk of death 1.2- to 3.76-fold in those affected. In accord with recent evidence in the international literature, our results point to the importance of early assessment of CRF for the prognosis of patients with AMI.

The cardiovascular disease is largely increased in chronic renal failure and the patients have a 10-20 times higher mortality respect normal population. Besides habitual risk-factors they add the mineral metabolism alterations, iperomocisteine and chronical vessel flogosis. In these patients the vascular disease is often lately diagnosed, but early diagnosis would be extremely important to establish appropriate pharmacologic or surgical treatment (PTA or by pass). The basic diagnostic methods are still digital angiography, angio-NMR or angio-CT. In our experience appears that dialysed patients present high total mortality and re-vascolarization (particularly for peripheral occlusive disease) gives less guarantee of success. During last years endovascular surgery procedures extremely improved short-term prognosis for these patients. When there is no space for the re-vascolarization and the situation is strongly compromised by the presence of extended gangrene or infected lesion, amputation is still indicated and can be considered the only possible solution.

This paper describes a method of quantifying the amount of smaller peptides in physiological fluids and reports the preliminary results of studying the mesenteric blood of adult guinea-pigs during absorption of a partial hydrolysate of casein. Because of the different roles suggested for plasma and erythrocytes in the inter-organ transport of amino acids, both plasma and whole blood have been studied. Whole blood and plasma samples were deproteinized with sulphosalicylic acid, and amino acids and small peptides separated from residual small amounts of protein on a Sephadex G-25 column. Ion exchange chromatography was then performed before and after acid hydrolysis. The concentration of small peptides in blood seems to be much lower than was previously believed. The adult guinea-pig did not absorb small peptides across the intestine into mesenteric whole blood or plasma in our experiments. However, casein hydrolysates are not necessarily representative of all protein hydrolysates, and further studies are required using different proteins and varying degrees of hydrolysis. The possibility of peptide transfer during development, and in conditions involving mucosal damage, should also be investigated. The present investigation confirms the assumption that predominantly plasma, and not red blood corpuscles, carries amino acids from the gut to the liver. It is worth noting, however, that taurine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, citrulline and arginine were found in higher concentrations in whole mesenteric blood than in plasma.

Vascular access (VA) for dialysis is defined as the 'Achilles heel', but also the 'Cinderella' of dialysis, indicating the poor consideration of the problem whether in the surgical environment, or in incomprehensible way in that nephrologic. It can only aspire to the definition 'Fundamental detail'. However, presupposed effective dialysis is a blood flow rate of 300-350 mL/min. Good VA must be easy to prepare, long lasting, free from complications, and aesthetically acceptable and economical. The arteriovenous fistula (AVF) of Cimino and Brescia, from 1966, represents the gold standard and the model of comparison for other systems, more technologically advanced. It must be programmed with an adapted margin (1-2 months) to allow maturation and access certainty for the first puncture, and never carried out sooner than 14 days from the operation. It is known from hemodynamic studies that the good functional flow of the new fistula can already regain 400-500 ml/min in the first week, with cardiological implications like the increase in cardiac throw, in ejection fraction and in the cardiac index. Health workers, patients and dialysis staff must follow a continuous educational program to protect the VA and avoid 'routine and absent-minded management', a basis for its premature failure. The nephrologist must take the responsibility upon himself not to carry out 'medical malpractice'. In the Dialysis Center of Mantova, the VA 'road map' previews all patients (young and old, affections from mono or pluropathology), first the fistula to the wrist, then the cephalic proximal. It follows the basilic vein transposition, the vascular graft to the arm or to the groin, as an alternative to peritoneal dialysis. The permanent central venous catheter (CVCp) is the last choice in patients with reduced life expectancy, heart failure, neoplastic patients with vascular patrimony destroyed by chemotherapy and ischemic lesions produced by the fistula. There were 180 afferent prevailing patients at the Mantova Dialysis Center . The natural fistula rate was 91%, grafts 7% and CVCps 2%. Between 2000 and 31 March 2004 we prepared 367 VAs. Average patient age was 65 yrs, range 20-90 yrs; 59% male and 41% female. Eighty-eight percent of operations were performed by the nephrologist (distal fistula, rescue and cephalic proximal) and 12% by the vascular surgeon (basilic vein transposition, graft in PTFE stretch to the arm and to the groin and permanent catheter in the jugular vein). The fistula with native veins was the better solution, the graft must be prepared after the exhaustion of natural possibilities, and the CVCp, for serious complications (inadequate flow and infections), must be the last alternative.

A 74-year-old woman had secretory diarrhea, severe metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, hypovolemia, and acute renal failure caused by a pancreatic vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-secreting tumor. Vipoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor. Morbidity and mortality are related to long-standing dehydration and electrolyte and acid-base disturbance resulting in acute renal failure. Diagnosis requires the documentation of large volumes of secretory diarrhea, elevated VIP plasma levels, and the localization of the VIP-secreting tumor. Metastases are present in 50% of patients at the time of diagnosis. Treatment includes correction of volume, electrolyte, and metabolic abnormalities; CVVH during ARF; pharmacotherapy to decrease gastrointestinal secretion; and surgical resection of the vipoma.

During the thirty years from its birth, the activity of the Department of Nephrology and Dialysis at the Carlo Poma Hospital in Mantova has witnessed the progressive increase in the number of kidney patients (300/year), uraemic patients in RRT, both peritoneal and extracorporeal (220 patients) and kidney transplants (84). During the same period there has also been an increase in the following activities: from kidney biopsy by echocolordoppler for glomerular illness to metabolic studies for the prevention of kidney stones, therapy and follow-up for hypertension during pregnancy to echo-studies of the renal vascular bed, long-term follow-up of kidney transplant patients to territorial distribution of 4 limited-care dialysis facilities. Vascular access surgery, 100 interventions per year, and home peritoneal dialysis (CAPD and APD (today more than 50 pts in treatment) are increasing. During the last three years there has been a rapid increased in requests for CRRT in the ICU's. After acknowledging the work of all doctors active throughout the years, this presentation ends with a report on the goals for the near future.

The vascular access is the "Achille's heel" of the modern hemodialysis. In order to obtain a good depuration, the blood flow in dialysis must be of 250-300 mL/min, at least. The procedures for the preparation and their complications are cause of the 25% of the hospital admissions in patients with chronic uremia in substitutive therapy. Gold standard is still represented from the distal arteriovenous fistulas of Cimino and Brescia. The alternatives to the native veins as the syntetic graft and the tunneled central venous catheteters or the Dialock system, revealed useful in the patients that have exausted the superficial veins, but are of second choice. The native fistula has an advanced validity, demonstrated from lower risk of mortality in the patients who use it, diabetic or not. These affirmations come just from USA, where the arteriovenous grafts prevail and the percentage of central venous catheters is elevated. Thrombosis, infections and reduced depurative efficiency are the main causes. In the Dialysis Unit of Mantova we adopted an aggressive approach to the construction of distal fistula. Out of 172 patients in chronic hemodialysis, 165 use an arterovenous fistula, 4 an arterovenous grafts (PTFE) and 3 a tunnelled central venous catheters (2 Permcath and 1 Tesio). The surgical activity between 1987 and 2001 included 858 procedures on 516 patients (medium ages 59.1 years): Among these, 815 are created from native veins, 28 by arterovenous graft fistulas and 15 with tunnelled hemodialysis catheters. Our current strategy recommended to candidate to permanent venous catheter only patients on chronic hemodialysis with exhausted periferal vascular bed and only when peritoneal dialisys is'nt possible. Generally, the management of the vascular access must preview one tight collaboration between nephrologists, nurses, patient, vascular surgeons and radiologists.

Begun in 1979, the Italian CAPD Study Group monitored prospectively six years of CAPD experience (1980-1985) in 24 centers with 1107 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients (age 56.4 +/- 13.7 years). Compiled yearly, the clinical and therapeutical data were processed on a PDP 11-32 computer, according to UCLA BMPD-1L procedure. The survival rate was conditioned by age (more than 70) and by major clinical risk factors, with a large fraction of the deaths due to cardiovascular causes (40.6%) and cachexia (17.8%). The progressive reduction of peritonitis incidence (1/18.5 episodes/patient-month globally reached at the end of 1985) was due mainly to the wide spread adoption of the "Y" connection set (76% for 1985) and contributed to a decrease in drop-outs to 7.5% of 676 patients on CAPD during 1985.

Effects of chronic biofiltration (BF) with PAN membranes on acid-base status (ABS): polycentric study. From the 39 cases in a polycentric study we selected 13 patients with metabolic acidosis (pH 7.23 +/- 0.03), marked reduction of plasma bicarbonate (15.4 +/- 2.2 mEq/l) and hyperkalemia (6.2 +/- 0.6 mEq/l). BF was performed with a continuous post-dilutional supply of HCO3 (85 mmol/h), and attained rapid normalisation of blood bicarbonates and serum potassium during the treatment. After 6 months of BF treatment the pre-dialytic ABS showed remarkable improvement, and values were normal after one year. The remaining 26 patients in the polycentric study, treated by chronic BF without severe acidosis, showed good dialytic tolerance. In 15 of them the supply of bicarbonate was too high (because of moderate post-BF alkalosis) and we had to reduce the buffer inflow to about 50 mmol/h.

Chronic Renal Failure is a generalized functional impairment, due to Kidneys inability to maintain volume and composition of body fluids and solutes within normal conditions. In the attempt to point out the pathophysiology of Bright's syndrome, the Authors review the "intact nephron hypothesis" and his functional reserve. The uraemic clinical appearance is a very wide field of investigations and beside their own experience, the Authors present some datas and theories to explain the coming out and the evolution of poliuria and oliguria, hypertension, heart pathology, anemia and bleedings, hormonal and metabolic pathways alterations, calcium and bone diseases and central and peripheral uraemic neuropathy.

This paper describes a method of quantifying the amount of smaller peptides in physiological fluids and reports the preliminary results of studying the mesenteric blood of adult guinea-pigs during absorption of a partial hydrolysate of casein. Because of the different roles suggested for plasma and erythrocytes in the inter-organ transport of amino acids, both plasma and whole blood have been studied. Whole blood and plasma samples were deproteinized with sulphosalicylic acid, and amino acids and small peptides separated from residual small amounts of protein on a Sephadex G-25 column. Ion exchange chromatography was then performed before and after acid hydrolysis. The concentration of small peptides in blood seems to be much lower than was previously believed. The adult guinea-pig did not absorb small peptides across the intestine into mesenteric whole blood or plasma in our experiments. However, casein hydrolysates are not necessarily representative of all protein hydrolysates, and further studies are required using different proteins and varying degrees of hydrolysis. The possibility of peptide transfer during development, and in conditions involving mucosal damage, should also be investigated. The present investigation confirms the assumption that predominantly plasma, and not red blood corpuscles, carries amino acids from the gut to the liver. It is worth noting, however, that taurine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, citrulline and arginine were found in higher concentrations in whole mesenteric blood than in plasma.

AA. performed an experimental trial on rats in order to demonstrate damages derived from organ perfusion (kidney) with endo- and extracellular electrolitic solutions. M/E values of structural alterations of the cells allowed the standardisation of renal perfusion methods for transplantation.

The basic prerequisite for an efficient breeding program to improve levels of resistance to pathogens in plants is the identification of genes controlling the resistance character. If the response to pathogens is under the control of a multilocus system, the utilization of molecular markers becomes essential. Stalk and ear rot caused by Gibberella zeae is a widespread disease of corn: resistance to G. zeae is quantitatively inherited. Our experimental approach to understanding the genetic basis of resistance to Gibberella is to estimate the genetic linkage between available molecular markers and the character, measured as the amount of diseased tissue 40 days after inoculation of a suspension of Fusarium graminearum, the conidial form of G. zeae, into the first stalk internode. Sensitive and resistant parental inbreds were crossed to obtain F1 and F2 populations: the analysis of the segregation of 95 RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) clones and 10 RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) markers was performed on a population of 150 F2 individuals. Analysis of resistance was performed on the F3 families obtained by selfing the F2 plants. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection was based either on analysis of regression coefficients between family mean value and allele values in the F2 population, or by means of interval mapping, using MAPMAKER-QTL. A linkage map of maize was obtained, in which four to five genomic regions are shown to carry factors involved in the resistance to G. zeae.