Notes

Treatments for amblyopia in child individuals: Present observations.
Toad venom, a traditional natural medicine, has been used for hundreds of years in China for treating different diseases. Many studies have been performed to elucidate the cardiotonic and analgesic activities of toad venom. Until the last decade, an increasing number of studies have documented that toad venom is a source of lead compound(s) for the development of potential cancer treatment drugs. Research has shown that toad venom contains 96 types of bufadienolide monomers and 23 types of indole alkaloids, such as bufalin, cinobufagin, arenobufagin, and resibufogenin, which exhibit a wide range of anticancer activities in vitro and, in particular, in vivo for a range of cancers. The main antitumor mechanisms are likely to be apoptosis or/and autophagy induction, cell cycle arrest, cell metastasis suppression, reversal of drug resistance, or growth inhibition of cancer cells. This review summarizes the chemical constituents of toad venom, analyzing their anticancer activities and molecular mechanisms for cancer treatments. We also outline the importance of further studies regarding the material basis and anticancer mechanisms of toad venom.
Growth hormone therapy is indicated for children who are both born 'small for gestational age' (SGA) and do not achieve adequate catch-up growth (ACUG).

To evaluate the actual incidence of infants born SGA and their actual ACUG.

Birth weight data from the newborn registry at two hospitals were analysed during four consecutive years. SGA was defined according to WHO parameters and the corresponding Israeli criteria. Follow-up measurements of height and weight were abstracted from either the Ministry of Health-child growth follow-up centres, or their paediatrician clinic. ACUG was declared when the height reached was above -2.5 or -2 standard deviations (SDS) from the mean for age and gender.

Out of 43307, only 524 babies in the cohort (1.2%) were SGA (52% of expected). This finding was consistent annually. Out of the 446 SGA born children with available growth data (85%) during 4-8years, 405 children (90.8%) reached a height greater than -2SDS and 428 (96%!) reached a height greater than -2.5 SDS. Term children had higher rate of ACUG achievement as compared to preterm 97.2% vs 86.8% (P<.001). Birth week and birth weight were also related to achievement of ACUG (P<.001).

This large representative, heterogeneous and Western Caucasian cohort indicates that the actual number of SGA newborns is nearly half of the expected and that the actual prevalence of ACUG is also significantly higher than previously reported. These findings may have an impact on morbidity, health cost planning and growth hormone requirements in SGA babies.
This large representative, heterogeneous and Western Caucasian cohort indicates that the actual number of SGA newborns is nearly half of the expected and that the actual prevalence of ACUG is also significantly higher than previously reported. These findings may have an impact on morbidity, health cost planning and growth hormone requirements in SGA babies.Legume biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is the most important N source in agricultural ecosystems. Nodule organogenesis from the primordia to the development of mature nodules with the ability to fix N2 largely determines BNF capacity. However, nodule growth is often limited by low phosphorus (P) availability, while the mechanisms underlying nodule development responses to P deficiency remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that nodule enlargement is severely inhibited by P deficiency, as reflected by the smaller individual nodule size from a soybean core collection in the field. Wide-ranging natural diversity in nodule size was further identified in soybeans reared in low P soils, with the FC-1 genotype outperforming FC-2 in assessments of nodulation under low P conditions. Among β-expansin members, GmINS1 expression is most abundantly enhanced by P deficiency in FC-1 nodules, and its transcript level is further displayed to be tightly associated with nodule enlargement. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms discovered in the GmINS1 promoter distinguished the FC-1 and FC-2 genotypes and accounted for the differential expression levels of GmINS1 responses to P deficiency. GPCR agonist GmINS1 overexpression led to increases in nodule size, infected cell abundance, and N2 fixation capacity and subsequently promoted increases in N and P content, soybean biomass, and yield. Our findings provide a candidate gene for optimizing BNF capacity responses to low P stress in soybean molecular breeding programs.Phenotypic variation determines the capacity of plants to adapt to changing environments and to colonize new habitats. Deciphering the mechanisms contributing to plant phenotypic variation and their effects on plant ecological interactions and evolutionary dynamics is thus central to all biological disciplines. In the past few decades, research on plant epigenetics is showing that (1) epigenetic variation is related to phenotypic variation and that some epigenetic marks drive major phenotypic changes in plants; (2) plant epigenomes are highly diverse, dynamic, and can respond rapidly to a variety of biotic and abiotic stimuli; (3) epigenetic variation can respond to selection and therefore play a role in adaptive evolution. Yet, current information in terms of species, geographic ranges, and ecological contexts analyzed so far is too limited to allow for generalizations about the relevance of epigenetic regulation in phenotypic innovation and plant adaptation across taxa. In this report, we contextualize the potential role of the epigenome in plant adaptation to the environment and describe the latest research in this field presented during the symposium "Plant epigenetics phenotypic and functional diversity beyond the DNA sequence" held within the Botany 2020 conference framework in summer 2020.
People with neuromuscular disorders may have a weak, ineffective cough predisposing them to respiratory complications. Cough augmentation techniques aim to improve cough effectiveness and mucous clearance, reduce the frequency and duration of respiratory infections requiring hospital admission, and improve quality of life.

To determine the efficacy and safety of cough augmentation techniques in adults and children with chronic neuromuscular disorders.

On 13 April 2020, we searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs, and randomised cross-over trials.

We included trials of cough augmentation techniques compared to no treatment, alternative techniques, or combinations thereof, in adults and children with chronic neuromuscular disorders.

Two review authors independently assessed trial eligibility, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. The primary outcomes were the number and duration of unscheduled hospitalisations for acute respiratory exacerbations.
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