A UK seed conservation collection of Anemone nemorosa L. seeds held at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) showed low viability in its first poststorage test. Because achenes of A. nemorosa are naturally dispersed when they are green, we tested the hypothesis that seeds may not be fully desiccation tolerant and storable at the time of natural dispersal, and that a post-harvest treatment could increase the proportion of desiccation-tolerant seeds. Achenes harvested at the point of natural dispersal in late May in 2003 and 2004 were either placed immediately on 1% water agar at 208C ('laboratory' treatment), or placed in nylon sachets and buried in leaf litter among plants growing in the wild ('field' treatment). Samples were withdrawn at intervals over a period of 168 d and tested for desiccation tolerance (drying to 0.059 g H 2 O (g DW) 21 ) and longevity (controlled ageing at 60% relative humidity and 458C). An initial increase, followed by a decline, in the proportion of seeds surviving desiccation and in the longevity of both laboratory-and field-treated samples coincided with the development of embryos from globular to heartand then torpedo-shaped. Developmental arrest was not required for the acquisition of desiccation tolerance, and continued growth and development of the embryo resulted in a loss of desiccation tolerance, similar to that seen in orthodox seeds upon radicle emergence. Furthermore, while A. nemorosa seeds, like many from the Ranunculaceae family, might be described as having morphological or morphophysiological dormancy, this lack of developmental arrest does not fit with the usual concept of dormancy. The implications of these results for the classification systems of seed-storage behaviour and dormancy, and for the long-term conservation of seeds of A. nemorosa, are discussed.
Critical illness in COVID-19 is an extreme and clinically homogeneous disease phenotype that we have previously shown1 to be highly efficient for discovery of genetic associations2. Despite the advanced stage of illness at presentation, we have shown that host genetics in patients who are critically ill with COVID-19 can identify immunomodulatory therapies with strong beneficial effects in this group3. Here we analyse 24,202 cases of COVID-19 with critical illness comprising a combination of microarray genotype and whole-genome sequencing data from cases of critical illness in the international GenOMICC (11,440 cases) study, combined with other studies recruiting hospitalized patients with a strong focus on severe and critical disease: ISARIC4C (676 cases) and the SCOURGE consortium (5,934 cases). To put these results in the context of existing work, we conduct a meta-analysis of the new GenOMICC genome-wide association study (GWAS) results with previously published data. We find 49 genome-wide significant associations, of which 16 have not been reported previously. To investigate the therapeutic implications of these findings, we infer the structural consequences of protein-coding variants, and combine our GWAS results with gene expression data using a monocyte transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) model, as well as gene and protein expression using Mendelian randomization. We identify potentially druggable targets in multiple systems, including inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).
Mood disturbance is a significant consequence of source isolation in patients, however healthcare staff have poorer recognition and treatment of depression than anxiety. Nurse education should include identification of disturbed mood, discrimination between depressed and anxious mood, and development of treatment protocols.
This article analyses recent moves towards a more commercial, multi-channel environment in British broadcasting, and the consequences of such an environment for children. Contrary to those who have feared for the abandonment of a ‘Great Tradition in children's broadcasting, the article suggests that the situation is more complex and ambivalent. The new environment has seen an increase in the amount of provision for children, both on terrestrial and cable/satellite channels, although whether this increase will be maintained over the longer term is less certain. The article also challenges nostalgic conceptions of cultural value, and argues that the opposition between commercialism and ‘auality’ needs to be re-thought: the growing commercial role of the BBC, for example, may result in it becoming more responsive to its audience. Ultimately, however, there remains a need for greater accountability, and for greater public involvement (not least by children) in the practice of media regulation.
Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus haemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD) poses a significant threat to the captive population of juvenile Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and also affects elephants in the wild. In human and veterinary medicine, increasing attention is returning to the interferon system, a crucial mediator in the immune response for control of infection. We describe the first reported use of the Zelnate DNA immunostimulant and recombinant human interferon alpha (rhIFNα) as additional medications in the successful treatment of a case of EEHV1A-HD in a juvenile Asian elephant at a UK zoo. Despite an exponential rise in viraemia to a peak of 2.82×106 viral genomic equivalents/ml, only mild clinical signs developed and the calf survived with no adverse effects attributed to the novel treatments. This case is compared with a previous fatal case within the same herd where Zelnate and rhIFNα were not given.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.