The photoperiodic control of flowering time is essential for the adaptation of plants to variable environments and for successful reproduction. The identification of genes encoding florigens, which had been elusive bu...
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The photoperiodic control of flowering time is essential for the adaptation of plants to variable environments and for successful reproduction. The identification of genes encoding florigens, which had been elusive but were supposedly synthesized in leaves and then transmitted to shoot apices to induce floral transitions, has greatly advanced our understanding of the photoperiodic regulation of flowering. Studies on the photoperiodism of Arabidopsis, a model long-day plant, revealed the molecular mechanisms regulating the expression of the Arabidopsis florigen gene FT, which is gradually induced in response to increase in day length. By contrast, in rice, a model short-day plant, the expression of the florigen gene Hd3a (an FTortholog in rice) is regulated in an on/off fashion, with strong induction under short-day conditions and repression under long-day conditions. This critical day length dependence of Hd3a expression enables rice to recognize a slight change in the photoperiod as a trigger to initiate floral induction. Rice possesses a second florigen gene, RFT1, which can be expressed to induce floral transition under non-inductive long-day conditions. The complex transcriptional regulation of florigen genes and the resulting precise control over flowering time provides rice with the adaptability required for a crop species of increasing global importance.
We present a rare case of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) in the stomach with prominent calcifica-tion at presentation. A 61-year-old woman visited our hospital because of epigastric discomfort. A spherical ca...
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We present a rare case of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) in the stomach with prominent calcifica-tion at presentation. A 61-year-old woman visited our hospital because of epigastric discomfort. A spherical calcified lesion with a diameter of about 30 mm was incidentally shown in the left upper quadrant on an abdominal X-ray. Computed tomography demonstrated that the tumor was growing from the upper gastric body, with calcification in the peripheral ring area. A laparoscopic partial gastrectomy was performed, and the resected specimen revealed a well-circumscribed tumor with exophytic growth from the gastric muscularis propria. Microscopic examination revealed spindle- shaped tumor cells with calcification and hemorrhage. Additionally, positive immunoreactivity of the tumor to KIT and CD34 and a low mitotic index resulted in the diagnosis of very low risk GIST. There are a few case reports of heavily calcified GIST, although solitary or punctate calcification of primary GIST has been reported in several case series. Dystrophic calcification of necrotic or degenerative tissue is the supposed cause of primary calcified GISTs. In contrast, appearance of calcification after administration of imatinib mesylate, which may be one indicator of disease response, is possibly caused by a different mechanism.
AIM: To compare efficacy of telaprevir(TVR) and simeprevir(SMV) combined with pegylated interferon(PEG-IFN) and ribavirin(RBV) while treating chronic hepatitis C(CHC). METHODS: In all, 306 CHC patients were included i...
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AIM: To compare efficacy of telaprevir(TVR) and simeprevir(SMV) combined with pegylated interferon(PEG-IFN) and ribavirin(RBV) while treating chronic hepatitis C(CHC). METHODS: In all, 306 CHC patients were included in this study. There were 159 patients in the TVR combination therapy group and 147 patients in the SMV combination therapy group. To evaluate pretreatment factors contributing to sustained virological response at 12 wk(SVR12), univariate and multivariate analyses were performed in TVR and SMV groups. To adjust for patient background between TVR and SMV groups, propensity score matching was performed. Virological response during treatment and SVR12 were ***: Overall rates of SVR12 [undetectable serum hepatitis C virus(HCV) RNA levels] were 79.2% and 69.4% in TVR and SMV groups, respectively. Patients in the SMV group were older, had higher serum HCV RNA levels, lower hemoglobin, higher prevalence of unfavorable interleukin-28B(IL28B) genotype(rs8099917), and poorer response to previous PEG-IFN and RBV treatment. Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for backgrounds(n = 104) and demonstrated SVR12 rates of 74.0% and 73.1% in the TVR and SMV groups, respectively. In the TVR group, discontinuation rates were higher because of adverse events; however, breakthrough and nonresponse was more frequent in the in SMV group. Multivariate analysis revealed IL28 B genotype(rs8099917) as the only independent predictive factor of SVR12 in both ***: SVR12 rates were almost identical following propensity score matching.
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