To report the mid-term outcomes of graft suturing in a patient with lenticule dislocation after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK).A 78-year old woman was found to have graft dislocation involving the nasal half of the cornea after uneventful DSAEK. Graft repositioning, refilling the anterior chamber with air, and placement of four full-thickness 10/0 nylon sutures over the detached area were performed two weeks after the initial surgery. The sutures were removed 6 weeks later. Serial specular microscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography were performed. At 18 months, there was good lenticule apposition and a clear graft.Anchoring sutures seem to be effective for management of graft detachment following DSAEK. Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) is a recently performed procedure for replacement of diseased corneal endothelium. This procedure has enabled faster visual rehabilitation and greatly reduced postoperative complications associated with conventional penetrating keratoplasty (PK), including high astigmatism and suture-related problems, and serious intraoperative complications such as suprachoroidal hemorrhage.DSAEK, however, is associated with a new spectrum of complications unique to the procedure. Graft dislocation is one of the most common complications which has been reported in up to 82% of cases in some series.2 and the lenticule was 163 μm in thickness as determined by intraoperative pachymetry. After Descemet stripping of the recipient cornea under direct visualization in an area 8 mm in diameter, an 8 mm donor lenticule was inserted using the sheets glide technique as described by Mehta et al.A 78-year old woman with angle closure glaucoma and history of laser iridotomy in 2000, and phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation in 2009, was found to have progressive corneal decompensation in her right eye. Visual acuity was counting fingers and pachymetry showed central corneal thickness of 772 μm. She underwent DSAEK in early 2009. Endothelial cell count of the graft was 2,849 cells/mmPostoperatively, an eye shield was used to protect the eye and the patient was advised against eye-rubbing. There was a 50% air bubble in the anterior chamber after surgery and the patient remained in face-up position for the first three days. Despite these measures, a gap between the posterior graft and the stroma was noted over the nasal cornea on the third postoperative day. Over the next week, corneal edema worsened to involve half of the cornea . AnterioReoperation was performed under local anesthesia. The dislodged graft was repositioned with a 30 G needle via the two nasal venting incisions. Air was then injected temporally 1 mm posterior to the limbus using a 30 G needle and the anterior chamber was completely filled. Four full-thickness 10/0 nylon sutures were then placed from the periphery inwards to cover the extent of graft dislocation. After the knots were buried, the anterior chamber was refilled with air for 7 minutes.Postoperatively, the graft was apposed and by the fifth day, there were only residual corneal folds . ASOCT w2 (21% reduction). Subsequent endothelial cell counts were 1,700 cells/mm2, 1,204 cells/mm2, 1,014 cells/mm2, and 943 cells/mm2 at 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. Central corneal thickness and central posterior graft thickness measured by ASOCT were 497 μm and 119 μm at month 1, 464 μm and 104 μm at month 3, and 501 μm and 95 μm at month 12, respectively (The patient was regularly monitored; 18 months postoperatively, the cornea was clear  and visuectively .Various complications may be encountered in DSAEK. Common ones include graft dislocation, graft rejection, primary graft failure, secondary glaucoma, endothelial cell loss, and refractive surprise.6Causes of posterior graft dislocation include eccentric trephination, surgical trauma, delayed endothelial cell recovery, primary graft failure, presence of viscoelastic or excessive fluid in the interface, and postoperative eye rubbing.Graft dislocations most often occur during the early period of a surgeon’s learning curve, mostly due to unnecessary manipulation during the procedure. The patient described herein, was one of the first few DSAEK procedures performed by the operating surgeon during transition from PK and was the only case of graft dislocation in the first ten cases.Graft dislocation usually occurs in the first week after surgery, but late dislocation has been reported up to 6 weeks postoperatively.10Lenticule dislocations are usually treated with graft repositioning and refilling the anterior chamber with air. Due to the relatively high frequency of postoperative graft dislocation, patients are usually informed preoperatively that rebubbling may be required to facilitate good apposition of the graft in order to prevent or manage graft dislocation in the early postoperative period. Suh et al12Anandan and Leyland2 at month 18, resulting in a cumulative cell loss of 67%. Endothelial cell loss at one year has been reported to range from 24% to 61%.This case report provides additional information by documenting endothelial cell loss beyond the first year. The initial reduction in endothelial cell count was 21% one month after intervention. Subsequently there was a gradual reduction in endothelial cell count over the next 17 months, with a final cell count of 943 cells/mmThe patient described herein was an elderly woman with concomitant narrow angle glaucoma and a relatively small eye with a shallow anterior chamber. Even though a small 8 mm graft was inserted, the peripheral dislocation and edema in the posterior lenticule caused PAS formation at the site of contact.In summary, we report the mid-term outcomes of intervention for a case of graft dislocation two weeks after DSAEK which was successfully apposed by placement of fixation sutures. The procedure is simple and seems to be suitable for eyes in which reapposition is difficult, or with chronic graft dislocations. This technique might improve reattachment and reduce primary graft failure rates, thus decreasing the need for regrafting. A study comparing rebubbling alone and rebubbling combined with suture placement would be useful.


This technique has helped us to achieve proximal control during stent graft explantation. A large Foley catheter is inserted through a disconnected limb of stent graft and placed in the suprarenal aorta. Inflation of the balloon provides proximal control . The proWe would like to thank James Clark for his help with the drawings.


Plasmodium vaccine antigens fused to the granule bound starch synthase (GBSS), the major protein associated to the starch matrix in all starch-accumulating plants and algae such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.Malaria, an Anopheles-borne parasitic disease, remains a major global health problem causing illness and death that disproportionately affects developing countries. Despite the incidence of malaria, which remains one of the most severe infections of human populations, there is no licensed vaccine against this life-threatening disease. In this context, we decided to explore the expression of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We show that the C-terminal domains of proteins from the rodent Plasmodium species, Plasmodium berghei Apical Major Antigen AMA1, or Major Surface Protein MSP1 fused to the algal granule bound starch synthase (GBSS) are efficiently expressed and bound to the polysaccharide matrix. Mice were either immunized intraperitoneally with the engineered starch particles and Freund adjuvant, or fed with the engineered particles co-delivered with the mucosal adjuvant, and challenged intraperitoneally with a lethal inoculum of P. Berghei. Both experimental strategies led to a significantly reduced parasitemia with an extension of life span including complete cure for intraperitoneal delivery as assessed by negative blood thin smears. In the case of the starch bound P. falciparum GBSS-MSP1 fusion protein, the immune sera or purified immunoglobulin G of mice immunized with the corresponding starch strongly inhibited in vitro the intra-erythrocytic asexual development of the most human deadly plasmodial species.We describe the development of genetically engineered starch granules containing plasmodial vaccine candidate antigens produced in the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas.This novel system paves the way for the production of clinically relevant plasmodial antigens as algal starch-based particles designated herein as amylosomes, demonstrating that efficient production of edible vaccines can be genetically produced in  Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of the disease P. falciparum and IgG from immune adults has been shown to reduce parasite density and clinical symptoms when administered to children with clinical malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease and remains a major global health problem causing illness and death that disproportionately affects developing countries. The worldwide incidence of malaria is estimated by the Word Health Organization to be approximately 300 to 500 million clinical cases annually, with one million deaths, the majority of which are young children Plasmodium vaccine antigens fused to the granule bound starch synthase (GBSS), the major protein associated to the starch matrix in all starch accumulating plants and algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We chose this system because of the ease and unparalleled speed with which constructs can be introduced and proteins expressed and correctly targeted to the chloroplast and polysaccharide granule. In addition, expression of recombinant vaccine antigens into starch granules localized into the Chlamydomonas chloroplasts would avoid protein N-glycosylation, a post-translational modification that seems to be generally absent in Plasmodium falciparum. Moreover, starch metabolism has been investigated in great detail in this system through genetic dissection of mutants allowing optimization of starch granule protein content and polysaccharide structure Plasmodium vaccine candidates, MSP1 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast are described.In this context, we decided to explore the expression of Chlamydomonas expression vector containing the gene encoding a GBSS protein carrying a deletion that yielded a product truncated for 130 amino acids at the C-terminus  was designed taking into account the GC-rich codon bias of Chlamydomonas . This increase of GBSS-PfMSP1-19 in transgenic algae compared to the wild type GBSS is probably due to both the chromosomal insertion site insertion and the strength of the chimeric HSP70A/RbcS2 promoter used in this context. In addition, the promoter of the construct might not respond in an identical fashion to circadian clock control, which is known to operate on the wild-type GBSS gene Chlamydomonas starch bound GBSS fused to the P. falciparum MSP1-19 antigen   , which dnoid (P) , suggestfMSP1-19 , demonstSS alone , GBSS-PbPbAMA1-C , or GBSSbMSP1_19 . These rPbAMA1-C, or GBSS-PbMSP1-19. After immunization, mice were challenged with lethal doses (104 infected red blood cells) of the highly virulent P. berghei ANKA strain. A single dose of intraperitoneal immunization with starch containing GBSS-PfAMA1-C showed a significant and reproducible delay of mortality in P. berghei-challenged mice, compared to mice immunized with wild type starch GBSS alone  using Western blot analyses  associated with the merozoite 1-19 in naturally exposed individuals have potent inhibitory activities against P. falciparum growth in vitroin vitro growth of P. falciparum, GBSS-PbMSP1-19 starch was used to immunize a group of ten mice. Indirect immunofluorescence assays were used to demonstrate that antibodies, which were raised against purified starch containing GBSS-PfMSP1-19 recognized specifically P. falciparum merozoites within mature schizonts, as shown by co-localization with the signal of native MSP1 detected with rabbit specific antibodies  of red blood cell invasion by P. falciparum  of purified IgG while a weaker inhibition was observed with the 3D7 strain. These results demonstrate that the biological activities of the antibodies produced against starch associated GBSS-PfMSP1-19 can be obtained in a parasite strain-specific manner Humans are the natural host for tibodies . In addi antigen . Importalciparum . A dose-fMSP1-19 . Our datC. reinhardtii. Our animal vaccine studies suggest that the levels of transgenic starch antigens that accumulate in the chloroplast are sufficient to confer substantial protection against lethal P. berghei in mice. Additionally, the functional activity of antibodies elicited to P. falciparum was demonstrated by inhibition of parasite growth in vitro and we ascribed this to blockade of erythrocyte invasion. C. reinhardtii thus provides an ideal expression system for the production of recombinant antigens associated with the starch polysaccharide matrix. In addition, algae can be grown on scales ranging from a few millilitres to 500,000 liters. Starch metabolism has been demonstrated to be identical in C. reinhardtii to that found in vascular plants so that results obtained are likely to be immediately transposable to crop plants including cereals and potatoes C. reinhardtii a particularly attractive alternative for the expression of recombinant antigens. Moreover, starch is easy to purify and represents a protective environment for bound proteins because GBSS is known to be exceptionally stable with no detectable loss of activity even after years of storage. In a first approach to genetically engineering starch particles designated amylosomes, we have produced recombinant anti-malaria vaccines in starch purified from C. reinhardtii. This system should also be amenable to the production of virtually any recombinant antigens including vaccine candidates of viruses, bacteria and other protozoan parasites.We have engineered high levels of starch-bound GBSS fused to three distinct malaria vaccine candidates using the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas for expression of Plasmodium antigens in the chloroplast-starch compartment is derived from the previously described pMS188 plasmid MscI and BamHI restriction sites, which is under the control of chimeric RBCS2 and HSP70A promoters was replaced by a PCR product corresponding to a truncated version of the genomic sequence (STA2) XhoI and BamHI restriction sites. These sites were used to clone in-frame all Plasmodium synthetic cDNAs designed based on the codon bias of C. reinhardtii. The AphVIII gene conferring paromomycin resistance was introduced for efficient selection of nuclear Chlamydomonas transformants. The AphVIII gene was obtained by PCR amplification from the pSL18 plasmid Chlamydomonas BafR1 −1. The strains expressing the chimeric proteins were identified by analyzing the pattern of proteins bound to the starch granule by SDS-PAGE and Coomassie blue staining.The pKB101 vector used to transform Chlamydomonas were fixed overnight at 4°C in 8% paraformaldehyde in PBS buffer, thoroughly washed in the same buffer and infused in 2.3 M sucrose containing 20% polyvinyl pyrrolidone 10000 in 0.1 M phosphate buffer. The pellets were mounted on ultracryotome supports and rapidly frozen in liquid nitrogen. Ultrathin sections of about 90 nm were obtained and the grids were incubated with rabbit polyclonal antibodies specific to P. falciparum MSP1, P. berghei MSP1  or P. berghei AMA1 . After washing, the sections were incubated at room temperature for 30 min in the corresponding secondary gold conjugates (Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories Inc.). After staining with 0.5% uranyl acetate in 1.5% methyl cellulose, the sections were observed on a Hitachi H600 transmission electron microscope.For immuno-electron microscopy, the pellets of transformed and wild type PfMSP1 protein and the goat secondary antibody coupled to Alexa 500 nm were used at the same dilution. Fluorescence was visualized with a ZEISS Axiophot microscope.For immuno-fluorescence assays (IFA), intracellular parasites were permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100 in PBS containing 0.1% glycine (PBS-T) for 10 minutes at room temperature. Samples were blocked with 3% BSA in PBS-T buffer and mice immune sera diluted at 1∶1000 were added on parasites in the same buffer for one hour at 37°C. Rabbit secondary antibody coupled to Alexa-488 nm (Molecular Probes) diluted at 1∶1000 was added in addition to DAPI for nucleus staining. For co-localization assay, the rabbit anti-MPS1 serum raised against bacterial expressed recombinant P. falciparum HB3 strain corresponding to ring, trophozoite or schizont stage, respectively were used. The asynchronous P. berghei parasitized red blood cells isolated from mice or purified starch containing GBSS-P. berghei antigens were also analyzed. The samples were boiled in Laemmli's buffer, separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to Hybond ECL nitrocellulose (Amersham).For immunoblot analyses, total protein extracts from the synchronized P. falciparum HB3 or 3D7 strain was grown in O+ red blood cells at 6% hematocrit in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% of AB+ human serum. Cultures were maintained at 37°C and in 90% N2, 5% CO2, 5% O2 atmosphere. Synchronized parasites were obtained by two sorbitol treatments at a 32-hour interval. Synchronized infected red bloods containing schizonts with 1% parasitemia at 2% hematocrit using fresh red blood cells were cultured in complete RPMI medium and invasion assays were performed as previously described PfMSP1-19 were purified and tested as previously described The PbAMA1-C and/or GBSS-PbMSP1-19 or fed three times with the same material in the presence of B-subunit of heat-labile enterotoxin (LTB) from E. coli (Sigma). In some experiments, a single dose of vaccination was performed. Starch containing wild type GBSS alone (10 mg per mouse) was used to immunize intraperitoneally or orally 10 mice for negative vaccination controls. The vaccinated mice were challenged with 10,000 red blood cells parasitized by P. berghei. Parasite growth in vaccinated mice was monitored by Giemsa-stained thin blood smears, and survival of mice was assessed daily.Female BALB/c of 6 weeks of age were purchased and kept in the Pasteur Institute facility. All animals were fed with regular diet and all procedures were in accordance with national regulations on animal experimentation and welfare authorized by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Vetenary committee (N° 59-009145). The Pasteur Institute of Lille and the CNRS review board or ethics committee specifically approved this study. A group of 10 mice were intraperitoneally immunized with complete Freund's adjuvant and three weeks later were challenged twice with incomplete adjuvant in two-week intervals using 10 mg (per mouse) of starch containing GBSS-Statistical differences between groups of mice used in this study were evaluated by the Student's t-test. The Mann-Whitney test was used for morphometric Giemsa-staining data and the Log Rank test for survival curves.Figure S1Nucleotide sequences of C. reinhardtii plasmid. The plasmid pKB101 was used to clone P. falciparum and P. berghei genes. This C. reinhardtii expression vector contains the chimeric RBSC2-HSP70A promoter (nucleotide 796 to 1040), GBSS genomic DNA sequence deleted at the 3' end for the 390 last nucleotides (nt 1048 to 4104), blaM Beta-lactamase also named ampicillin resistance cassette (nt 5137 to 5995), ColE1 ori (nt 6155 to 6748), AphVIII or paromomycin resistance cassette (7234-9259).(TIF)Click here for additional data file.Figure S2Parasite nucleotide sequences used for cloning and expression of P. falciparum1-19,  MSPP. berghei1-19 and  MSPP. berghei1-C. AMA The nucleotide sequences of Plasmodium genes were designed according to the codon bias of C. reinhardtii.(TIF)Click here for additional data file.Figure S3Longitudinal section of C. reinhardtii cell was visualized by electron microscopy. The section of C. reinhardtii cell was probed with polyclonal antibodies specific to P. berghei AMA1. The algae cell has been transformed by a construct expressing P. berghei AMA1-C antigen in the starch localized in the chloroplast. S represents starch grains surrounding the pyrenoid (P) matrix. The gold particles bind to specific anti-AMA1 antibodies present on both starch and the pyrenoid matrix. N, nucleus; C, chloroplast; M, mitochondrion. The bar  = 500 nm.(TIF)Click here for additional data file.Figure S4P. falciprum strain-specific growth inhibitory effects in the presence of purified IgGs. A pool of immune sera of mice vaccinated with starch containing GBSS-PfMSP1-19 was used to purify IgGs. The inhibition of red blood cell invasion by either P. falciparum HB3 or 3D7 strain was tested in the presence of purified immune IgGs. Data represent mean values +/- s.d. and are from at least three independent experiments with two different pools of immune sera (P<0.005).(TIF)Click here for additional data file.


Many evidence-based interventions are not delivered to patients . This mat test.Our e-prescribing software enables users to prescribe intravenous fluids from a series of menus. One of these is a template that has several fluids available to use as a bolus when instructed by a clinician. We removed starch as an option from the template in April 2009. Starch could still be prescribed elsewhere on the prescribing system. Data on the use of starch from November 2008 to November 2012 were analysed as the mean volume of starch infused per patient per month. The mean of each set of parameters was then compared using a Student's P = 0.004). See Figure The mean volume of starch per patient administered before and after electronic prescription options were altered was 480 ml and 21 ml, respectively (Despite clinicians intending to reduce the use of starch it was still regularly administered on our ICU. The removal of a default prescribing option dramatically reduced the volume of starch used whilst not restricting the ability to make a conscious choice to prescribe it. Adjusting default options has potential to influence clinical decisions and ensure more reliable, evidence-based care.


Statement of problem: Evidence is limited on the efficacy of zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses.Objective: To carry out a literature review of the behavior of zirconium oxide dental restorations.Material and Methods: This literature review searched the Pubmed, Scopus, Medline and Cochrane Library databases using key search words “zirconium oxide,” “zirconia,” “non-metal restorations,” “ceramic oxides,” “veneering ceramic,” “zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses”. Both in vivo and in vitro studies into zirconia-based prosthodontic restoration behavior were included.Results: Clinical studies have revealed a high rate of fracture for porcelain-veneered zirconia-based restorations that varies between 6% and 15% over a 3- to 5-year period, while for ceramo-metallic restorations the fracture rate ranges between 4 and 10% over ten years. These results provoke uncertainty as to the long-term prognosis for this material in the oral medium. The cause of veneering porcelain fractures is unknown but hypothetically they could be associated with bond failure between the veneer material and the zirconia sub-structure. Key words:Veneering ceramic, zirconia-based ceramic restoration, crown, zirconia, tooth-supported fixed prosthesis. Prosthodontic treatments have traditionally sought to restore lost function , while providing esthetics that fulfill contemporary criteria for attractiveness. The demand for optimum esthetics is conditioned both by social pressure and the interests of the dental profession. Only a few decades ago, some dental restoration types, such as fenestrated crowns or partial coverage crowns, were described as esthetic and in certain ambits demand for these restorations remains high. However, at the present time the term ‘esthetic restoration’ refers to ceramic restorations and in particular to porcelain restorations without any metal. Towards the end of the last century, a climate of non-acceptance of metal alloys in the mouth emerged among some dentists and in the dental product industry and, given the increasing demand for esthetic treatments, these factors have driven the development of new all-ceramic prosthetic rehabilitations. For this reason, recent research -8 has fo“zirconium oxide”, “zirconia”, “non-metal restorations”, “ceramic oxides”, “veneering ceramic”, “zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses”. All the articles identified had been published in international scientific journals . Both in vitro and in vivo studies of the performance of zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses were included. The articles were then evaluated for inclusion in the review by five researchers working independently, applying the following inclusion criteria: randomized and non-randomized controlled clinical trials; in vitro trials of mechanical behavior; systematic reviews; meta-analyses; cohort and case-control studies. Isolated clinical case reports, articles expressing opinion, articles lacking scientific evidence or motivated by commercial interests or sponsorship were discarded. A total of 225 articles were identified in the initial search, of which 177 were discarded for failing to meet the inclusion criteria described above. Information contained in the remaining articles was collated for comparison and analysis.An exhaustive search of literature published 1995 to 2013 was made in on-line databases  using the following key search terms: The endeavor to replace the metal in ceramo-metallic restorations with high-resistance ceramics began towards the end of the twentieth century and has not yet reached a conclusion. At present, zirconium oxide is the main focus of research and clinical trials. The principal characteristics favoring its use as a biomaterial are chemical and dimensional stability, mechanical resistance, hardness, and an elastic modulus of the same order as stainless steel .in vitro properties attracted the attention of dental (and orthopedic) researchers and in the last decade it has acquired increasing prominence. The properties that favor its use in dentistry are biocompatibility, low thermal conductivity, resistance to corrosion and high tenacity, due to its totally crystalline microstructure. However, being opaque, it has to be covered with a more translucent feldspathic ceramic to improve esthetics.Zirconium oxide has been in use since 1960. From the start, its promising When the function of restorations, both all-ceramic and metal-ceramic, is evaluated over time, there are two concepts that are often regarded as synonymous: success and survival. The survival of a restoration means that it fulfills its function in the mouth even though it may have suffered some additional affectation. Success can be defined as a restoration that survives intact maintaining surface qualities, anatomical shape and function, as well as optimum esthetics ,2.In zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses, in spite of the material’s high fracture resistance, the porcelain-veneered can chip during mastication and this is a frequent problem ,4. This Clinical studies have revealed a high rate of fracture for porcelain-veneered zirconia-based restorations that varies between 6% and 15% over a 3- to 5-year period. These are high values compared to the 4% fracture rate shown by conventional metal-ceramic restorations over 10 years .According to Heintze and Rousson, the chipping of porcelain-veneered can be classified by severity and the treatment required for repair as follows:•Grade 1: Small surface chipping. Treatment: polishing the restoration surface Fig. .•Grade 2: Moderate surface chipping. Treatment: use of a resin composite repair system. Fig. •Grade 3: Severe veneer ceramic chipping exposing the zirconia core. Treatment: replacement of the damaged prosthesis .Literature reviews such as those made by Raigrodski, Anusavice and Heintze show that the most frequent types of zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses chipping are Grades 1 and 2, which do not involve restoration failure ,8,9.Factors that reduce the strength of porcelain-veneered zirconia-based restorations and so increase the risk of chipping are.•Residual stress caused by differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the zirconia core and the porcelain-veneered.•Poor core wettability by the porcelain-veneered, which results in poor engagement between materials and poor micromechanical interlocking.•Fabrication defects (Griffith defects) .Prosthetic performance is not homogeneous and various factors can influence behavior: the fabrication technique, the extent of the endentulous area between teeth supporting fixed partial prostheses/bridges, or the procedure employed for obtaining the core material. In this way, higher numbers of mechanical failures occur for:•Traditional manual stratification ceramics than heat-pressed ceramics .•Fixed partial prostheses (bridges) than individual crowns.•Zirconia restorations fabricated by hard milling of sintered zirconia than by soft milling of pre-sintered zirconia .-Clinical behavior of zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses.Veneer chipping generally occurs as an esthetic defect of little importance and is easily corrected by polishing or intraoral repair; it often goes unnoticed by the patient . For thiThe highest numbers of complications arising from the use of zirconium oxide in prosthodontic treatments occurs with fixed partial prostheses or bridges. The present literature review identified numerous clinical studies in which cohesive fracture of the veneer material is the main and most frequent fault. Nevertheless, there is some controversy as to the frequency of this mechanical failure due to variations in the variables analyzed in different studies :•Pospiech (24-month follow-up), Beuer (40 months), Bornemann (18 months), Crisp 12 months), Tinschert (37.5 months), Schmitter (25 months), and Eschbach (54.4 months) found chipping percentages ranging between 3% and 6% ,11,12-16 months, •Vult von Steyern (24-month follow-up), Peláez 36 months), Edelhoff (39.1 months), Schmitt (34.2 months), Wolfart (48±7 months), Roediger (50 months), Kern (74.6 months), and Sorensen (36 months) carried out in vivo studies of posterior fixed partial prostheses finding an incidence of chipping ranging between 9% and 15% 6 months,-23.in vivo studies by Raigrodski (31.2-month follow-up), Sailer (40.3±2.8 months), Beuer (35±14 months), Schmitt  and Rinke (84 months) claim that the incidence of chipping of the veneer ma-terial on posterior fixed partial prostheses ranges between 19% and 28%  and Suárez (18 months) – did not detect any mechanical complications at all among the restorations studied ,29.in vivo clinical studies available in the literature of crown with zirconia substructures – Beuer (35±14 months), Örtorp (60-month follow-up), Poggio (20.9 months) and Rinke (36.5±6 months) – reveal different behavior from fixed partial prostheses, with an incidence of chipping ranging from 0% to 4% -In vitro behavior of fixed prostheses with zirconia substructure.Regarding the mechanical behavior of fixed prosthetic restorations, the most important requirement is that they must withstand mastication forces without fracturing. The first molar is subjected to forces of approximately 300-800 N, while the anterior zone is subjected to mastication forces of 60-200N. In some parafunctional cases occlusal forces can reach 1000 N .According to the literature, compression and flexion trials with vertical and perpendicular vectors would appear to be adequate for testing the fracture resistance of crowns or bridges. In static compression load trials of all-ceramic restorations, the forces applied in different the studies reviewed are as follows (in increasing order): IPS Empress, 130-180 Mpa; In Ceram espinel, 250-350 Mpa; IPS Empress 2, 200-400 Mpa; In-Ceram Alumina, 400-600 Mpa; In Ceram Zirconia, 570-630 Mpa; Procera AllCeram , 600 Mpa; zirconia-based fixed dental prostheses , 900-1200 MPa -47.Agustín et al. analyzed the behavior of three zirconia-based restoration types subjected to compression loading ; the crowns surpassed the forces deemed necessary for clinical survival (1325.7-2310.5 N) .Potiket carried out compression load testing of 40 full coverage crowns, dividing these into groups according to the core material: ceramo-metallic restorations; zirconia (Procera AllZirkon); aluminum oxide (Procera AllCeram). These were subjected to static compression loading; no statistically significant differences in fracture resistance were found between the restoration types .Tsalouchou made a study of 50 zirconia crowns, comparing fracture resistance of two types of veneer ceramic: injected ceramic (IPS e.max ZirPress) and stratified ceramic (IPS e.max Ceram) over zirconia cores. Mean resis-tance for the groups was: ZirCAD+ZirPress (2135.6 ±330.1 N) and ZirCAD+IPS e.max Ceram (2189.9±317.6 N), without statistically significant difference ; IPS e.max ZirCAD/IPS e.max Zirpress (1818 N); Lava Frame Zirconia/Lava Ceram (2211 N); Cromo-Niquel/IPS d.Sign (2310.5 N); Cromo-Niquel/IPS InLine (1933.2 N); Cromo-Niquel/IPS InLinePoM (1325.7 N). Zirconia-based restorations IPS e.max ZirCAD, with either injected ceramic veneers (IPS e.max Zirpress) or stratified veneers (IPS e.max Ceram) were statistically less resistant than d.Sign nickel-chromium/IPS and Lava Frame Zirconia/Lava Ceram crowns. Notably, the group that presented the lowest resistance values was Nickel-chromium/IPS InLinePoM , which was significantly less resistant than the other crowns tested .Studies of zirconia-veneer ceramic bond strength subjected to shear forces  were also reviewed. López-Mollá et al. studied six groups: d.SIGN nickel-chromium (13.45 MPa); IPS e.max Press/IPS e.max Ceram (24.20 MPa); IPS e.max ZirCAD/IPS e.max ZirPress (12.70 MPa); IPS e.max ZirCAD/IPS e.max Ceram (7.86 MPa); Lava Frame/Lava Ceram (10.20 MPa); Lava Frame/IPS e.max Ceram (4.62 MPa). The assay applied a lateral static load to the core-ceramic interface with specimens mounted in test cylinders (dimensions: 15mm long x 8mm diameter). It was found that pressure injection molded veneer ceramics (IPS e.max ZirCAD/ IPS e.max ZirPress) bonded more successfully to the zirconia core than veneers applied using stratification techniques or sintering in layers .Choi compared the fracture resistance of porcelain veneers (45 samples) of two restoration types . The metal-ceramic restorations were significantly more resistant (35.87±4.23 MPa) than the zirconia restorations (25.43±3.12 MPa) .Blatz studied the mechanical behavior of the veneer-core bond of 120 samples (dimensions: 10mm x 10mm x 2mm). Ninety specimens were fabricated with a Lava Zirconia core and divided into three groups according to the veneer ; a further 30 specimens had a metal core (Control Group). Shear forces were applied to the veneer-core interfaces; resistance was significantly greater for the zirconia groups than the control group . For the zirconia samples, all fractures took the form of chipping, pointing to an optimum bond between the zirconia core and the ceramic veneer .Analyzing studies of the fracture resistance of all-ceramic partial fixed prostheses, Rosentritt et al. published mean fracture values of 1500 N for bridges in posterior sectors subjected to cyclic loading . AnotherIn most of these studies of the mechanical behavior of fixed partial prostheses, fractures occurred that were oblique, from gingival to occlusal, from the connector center to the center of the pontic. For this reason, most authors -44 recomAccording to Konstantinos and Agustín ,46, rest•Cohesive (chipping): when the fracture occurs in the porcelain-veneered without affecting the ceramic-core interface.•Adhesive: when the fracture occurs at the ceramic-core bond.When samples fracture, most in vitro studies note that the type of fracture suffered by zirconia restorations follows a cohesive pattern in the occlusal zone adjacent to the point of contact with the antagonist ,45.In vitro studies of full-coverage restorations have observed a higher incidence of cohesive fracture for zirconia restorations compared to ceramo-metallic restorations (that show predominantly adhesive fractures) . The higAgustín (2012), in a study of ceramic veneer behavior, on zirconia and metal cores, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observed that the most frequent fracture type for zirconia-core restorations was cohesive (71.66%), compared to metal core restorations which all showed adhesive fractures .Tsalouchou assayed resistance to static loading of 50 zirconia crowns, making SEM analysis of the transversal plane, also showing that the most frequent fracture type was cohesive .In the same way, Saito made a study of fracture resistance of porcelain-veneered of 72 samples with zirconia cores, finding that the most frequent fracture type was cohesive (88.8%) .To date, no scientific evidence for a chemical union between zirconia and ceramic veneers has been found. The two materials appear to bond by means of mechanical engagement and the formation of compressive strength resulting from thermal contraction during cooling after sintering .


Comparison of starch and grain properties between the donor parents, the BC2F4 families and NFC Tipple allowed the effects of the mutations to be distinguished from genetic background effects. The wax and sex6 mutations had marked effects on starch properties regardless of genetic background. The sex6 mutation conditioned low grain weight and starch content, but the wax mutation did not. The lys5 mutation conditioned low grain weight and starch content, but exceptionally high β-glucan contents. The isa1 mutation promotes synthesis of soluble α-glucan (phytoglycogen). Its introgression into NFC Tipple increased grain weight and total α-glucan content relative to the donor parent, but reduced the ratio of phytoglycogen to starch. This study shows that introgression of mutations into a common, commercial background provides new insights that could not be gained from the donor parent.The effects on barley starch and grain properties of four starch synthesis mutations were studied during the introgression of the mutations from diverse backgrounds into an elite variety. The  •Four barley starch synthesis mutations were introgressed from diverse backgrounds into an elite variety.•wax and sex6 mutations had marked effects on starch properties regardless of genetic background.•sex6 and lys5 mutations reduced grain weight, but the lys5 mutation led to very high β-glucan contents.•isa1 mutants.Introgression reduced the phytoglycogen (soluble α-glucan) to starch ratio in  Starch is the main component of barley grains, and the substrate for production of alcohol in the barley-based drinks industries.waxy mutant of maize gelatinises to form clear pastes with specific applications in the food industry, and “high-amylose” maize starch (from the amylose-extender mutant) is particularly valued for its film-forming properties  into the UK elite variety NFC Tipple . Here wesex6 and wax) have already been exploited commercially in other genetic backgrounds, providing potentially useful comparisons of genetic background effects. The other two mutations bring about starch and grain properties that are not found in existing commercial cultivars of barley. The genes affected were as follows.The four mutations condition different starch properties and come from three very different genetic backgrounds. Our choices thus maximise both the research and exploitation value of the introgression lines from a starch perspective, and the amount of other genetic diversity introduced into NFC Tipple for future studies. Two of the mutations . The mutation conditions the loss of amylose from endosperm starch  have low starch contents, but high contents of a soluble α-glucan, phytoglycogen , Yon M Kei (wax), Notch2 (isa1), sex6 (sex6). Risø13 was obtained from the John Innes Centre Germplasm Resources Unit (http://www.jic.ac.uk/germplasm/). Yon M Kei was obtained from Dr. Naoyuki Ishikawa . Notch2  and sex6 (GSHO 2476) were obtained from the National Small Grains Collection, Idaho, USA.Development of recombinant pre-breeding lines from crosses between NFC Tipple and four barley accessions carrying mutations affecting starch synthesis was described in 2F4 recombinants and all parental lines was sown in the field in 2 m × 6 row plots at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany  in 2010. BC2F5 grain was harvested with a plot combine as the bulk of four BC2F4 plots, with each bulk representing a different original BC2F2 individual.Seed of BC1 and BC2 generations , mixed with 500 ml water at 4 °C for 1 h then filtered through two layers of muslin and one layer of Miracloth. The filtrate was centrifuged for 5 min at 1300 g and the supernatant discarded. The pellet was suspended in 12 ml water. Samples of 0.75 ml were overlaid on 8 ml 80% caesium chloride in 15 ml tubes and centrifuged for 10 min at 2400 g. The top layer was gently mixed, and the tubes re-centrifuged. The supernatant was discarded and the starch pellet was washed once with 2%  SDS, three times with water and twice with acetone then air-dried and stored at −20 °C.Methods were based on those of 2.3g, and the supernatant discarded. This process was repeated, then the pellet was suspended in 1 ml water, autoclaved to solubilise starch, and assayed by digestion to glucose followed by enzymatic assay of glucose as described by For most measurements, samples of 2 mg flour were incubated in 1 ml 80% ethanol for 20 min at room temperature, centrifuged at 14,000 2.4http://www.campdenbri.co.uk/), using a Perkin Elmer Pyris 1 DSC (www.perkinelmer.co.uk). Samples consisted of 10 mg starch, 20 mg water. Heating was from 25 °C to 100 °C at 10 °C min−1.Analysis was performed as a technical service by Campden BRI  on between 230 and 370 grains per line.32F4 recombinant lines developed from crosses between NFC Tipple and the four donor parents. Three categories of mutant families were selected: carrying relatively high, low or medium levels of donor genotype across their genomes , and BC genomes . These a3.12F4 families closely resembled grain from NFC Tipple , whereas mutant families displayed a much wider range of variation.For all of the physical characteristics examined, grain from wild-type BCwax mutation had little impact on grain weight. Although the grain weight of the donor parent was 25% less than that of the wild-type control, grain weights of all of the wax mutant families were within 8% of that of the wild-type control. The grain weight of the donor parent for the isa1 mutation was only 50% of that of the wild-type control. Grain weights of the isa mutant families were all greater than that of the donor parent, ranging from 70% (high donor family) to 83% (low donor family) of the wild-type control. In contrast, for sex6 and lys5 mutant families, grain weight was comparable with that of the donor parent and only 62–72% of the wild-type control regardless of the donor contribution to the genetic background . One exception was the 3.22F4 families carrying this mutation. BC2F4 families carrying the lys5 mutation all had very low starch contents, comparable with that of the donor parent (about 40% of NFC Tipple). Starch content in grains of BC2F4 families carrying the sex6 mutation was about one third higher than in the donor parent, but still only half of NFC Tipple values.Introgression of the mutations into NFC Tipple affected starch content in approximately the same way as it affected grain weight . Starch isa1 mutants contains a large proportion of its carbohydrate as a soluble, branched α-glucan, phytoglycogen, rather than as starch , but twice the starch to phytoglycogen ratio  is essential for normal rates of starch synthesis not only in barley but also in maize endosperm, where it is encoded by Brittle1 (sex6) is also essential for normal rates of starch synthesis in maize and wheat endosperm  mutants] is also strongly influenced by genetic background. In three rounds of divergent recurrent selection for high starch or high phytoglycogen in a maize population homozygous for a su1 mutation, isa1 mutation, but such material will have high starch to phytoglycogen ratios.The starch to phytoglycogen ratio in wax barley, the wax mutation had little consequence for starch content  to twice as high (isa1)]. In the case of isa1 and sex6 mutant families, grain β-glucan contents were similar to those of NFC Tipple. It seems unlikely that either gene plays a major role in determining β-glucan content. Nonetheless, all families carrying the sex6 mutation had higher ratios of β-glucan to starch than NFC Tipple. The β-glucan content was 13% of the starch content for the low-donor family and 6% of the starch content for NFC Tipple. In contrast, the low-donor BC2F4 family carrying the lys5 mutation had three times more β-glucan than NFC Tipple. It also had more than twice as much β-glucan as the sex6 BC2F4 family, despite that fact that the two families had comparable starch contents.Grain of all of the donor parents had higher β-glucan contents (percentage of flour) than that of NFC Tipple. This difference was not simply due to the lower starch content of three donor parents, because introgression of the mutations into NFC Tipple affected the relationship between starch and β-glucan differently in each case. In agreement with these results, previous studies reported high β-glucan contents in grains of the wax donor parent had a relatively modest elevation in β-glucan content in relation to NFC Tipple, this effect was maintained in the mutant BC2F4 family. This observation suggests that wax itself conditions elevated β-glucan content. Correlations between wax mutations and high β-glucan contents have been widely observed in barley, in many different backgrounds and for different wax mutant alleles  and high heterogeneity (indicated by the wide gelatinisation peak). These properties are consistent with those reported for sex6 mutants in a different genetic background (Himalaya: sex6 mutants (The properties of starch from grain of the  mutants . Loss of mutants  and maiz mutants  endosperisa1 donor parent were distinctly different from those of NFC Tipple, at least some of the differences were effects of genetic background. For example, starch from the donor parent had low crystallinity and low peak viscosity relative to NFC Tipple, whereas the mutant BC2F4 family resembled NFC Tipple in these respects. This background effect may relate to the higher ratio of starch to phytoglycogen in the BC2F4 family than in the donor parent. isa1 mutant grain contains a wide range of α-glucan structures, ranging from soluble phytoglycogen to various sizes and shapes of granules and more amorphous material (isa1 donor parent contains both starch granules and more amorphous α-glucan material with distinct properties. The insoluble α-glucan from the isa1 BC2F4 family is likely to have a higher proportion of starch granules than that from the donor parent, and hence properties more like those of starch from NFC Tipple.Although the properties of starch from the material . It seemlys5 donor parent and BC2F4 families provided no evidence for a strong influence of lys5 on starch properties. This observation is consistent with the fact that the lys5 mutation affects the supply of substrate for starch synthesis in the endosperm (Examination of starch from the ndosperm , whereas2F4 families carrying the wax mutation retained the properties generally associated with starches from amylose-free mutants of crop plants. Compared to NFC Tipple, the starch had high swelling power and freeze-thaw stability, high peak viscosity and low final viscosity. However, these parameters were affected to some extent by genetic background. For example, starch from mutant BC2F4 families had lower swelling power than that of the donor parent, but enhanced freeze-thaw stability. Both of these properties are modulated by the fine structure of amylopectin, in particular the fraction of short glucose chains, and by numerous other factors including phosphate ester content and granule size (wax mutation into the NFC Tipple background.Starch from BCule size . Further5lys5f allele used in this study conditions exceptionally high contents of β-glucan, much higher than those of wax mutants from which barley β-glucan is usually obtained commercially. However, unlike the wax mutation, this mutation conditions intrinsically low grain weight. Other mutant alleles of lys5 (see isa1 mutant lines is likely to result in higher starch to phytoglycogen ratios, the presence of some phytoglycogen may have advantages for alcohol production and for some food applications. As reported previously, the sex6 mutation strongly affects starch properties, resulting in a resistant starch with potential health benefits. However, grain weight and starch contents of lines carrying the sex6 mutation are likely to be intrinsically low. The valuable starch properties of lines carrying the wax mutation are modified by genetic background. It seems likely that further breeding could enhance freeze-thaw stability in particular.Introgression of mutations affecting enzymes of starch synthesis into an elite variety by backcrossing has allowed the effects of the alleles to be assessed in a unified genetic background, revealing which starch and grain properties are directly conditioned by the mutations themselves, and which are modulated by genetic background. The lys5 see  might of


Interestingly, the majority of food allergen epitopes were B-cells epitopes whereas a fairly even number of B- and T-cell epitopes were defined for airborne allergens. In addition, epitopes from nonhumans hosts were mostly T-cell epitopes. Overall, coverage of known allergens is sparse with data available for only ~17% of all allergens listed by the IUIS database. Thus, further research would be required to provide a more balanced representation across different allergen categories. Furthermore, inclusion of nonpeptidic epitopes in the IEDB also allows for inventory and analysis of immunological data associated with drug and contact allergen epitopes. Finally, our analysis also underscores that only a handful of epitopes have thus far been investigated for their immunotherapeutic potential.Adaptive immune responses associated with allergic reactions recognize antigens from a broad spectrum of plants and animals. Herein a meta-analysis was performed on allergy-related data from the immune epitope database (IEDB) to provide a current inventory and highlight knowledge gaps and areas for future work. The analysis identified over 4,500 allergy-related epitopes derived from 270 different allergens. Overall, the distribution of the data followed expectations based on the nature of allergic responses. Namely, the majority of epitopes were defined for B cells/antibodies and IgE-mediated reactivity, and relatively fewer T-cell epitopes, mostly CD4 It is estimated that 50 million people in the US are affected by airborne allergens, including approximately 35 million affected by upper respiratory allergies  , and 16 Allergome, which provides information on allergenic molecules causing IgE-mediated disease, and Allergen.org, which is the official site for the systematic allergen nomenclature approved by the World Health Organization and International Union of Immunological Societies (WHO/IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature Sub-committee]. However, until recently, a resource describing the actual epitopes (defined as the molecular structures coming in contact with antibodies or T-cell receptors), and the immunological events associate with epitope recognition, was not available. The immunological basis of allergy-related disease is universally recognized. At the level of adaptive immunity, the recognition of specific allergens by antibodies and T cells plays major roles both as effectors and regulators of allergic diseases. Several bioinformatics resources, cataloging and describing allergen protein sequences, are available to the scientific community such as the http://www.immuneepitope.org/). It contains data curated from published literature, -submitted by the NIAID's high-throughput epitope discovery projects, and imported from other databases. The database contains antibody and T-cell data for human, nonhuman primate, and rodent hosts, as well as a number of other animal species, and targets epitopes associated with infectious diseases, autoimmunity, transplantation, and allergy. Data related to both peptidic and non-peptidic epitopes are curated within the IEDB.The immune epitope database (IEDB) was created, to provide the scientific community with a repository of freely accessible immune epitope data  hosts. To identify within the IEDB the subset of data which is allergy related, we followed the process described in more detail by Davies et al. . More sp The allergy-related epitopes represent both peptidic as well as non-peptidic structures from a wide range of sources, including pollens, dust mites, molds, dander and foods, nonprotein moieties of plants (carbohydrates), as well as drugs, haptens, metals, and chemical substances from occupational exposures. The curated data was obtained using a variety of different assays, such as ELISA, Western blot, proliferation assays, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), radio immunoassay (RIA), and X-ray crystallography, and describes epitope-related reactivity such as histamine release, hypersensitivity (PCA), delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), and immunotherapy assays. http://tools.immuneepitope.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. For the purpose of this report, the total number of epitopes reported in each case represents the total number of unique molecular structures experimentally shown to react with a B- cell or T-cell receptor (no predictions included). The IEDB captures these structures as they are defined in the literature and thus includes data describing structures categorized as minimal/optimal epitopes (11–15 resides), larger less well-defined regions (20–50 residues), and key residues identified as being involved in binding (1-2 residues). All of the data described herein were captured directly from the peer-reviewed literature (PubMed) by Ph.D. level scientists or through direct submission to the IEDB by research groups. Antibody and T-cell epitope definitions (length and mass restrictions) as well as IEDB inclusion criteria can be found at The entirety of the allergy-related data identified as described above was first inventoried to identify the total number of structures (positive and negative epitopes), their chemical nature (peptidic or non-peptidic), the total number of antibody/B-cell versus T-cell epitopes, as well as the effector cell phenotype or antibody isotype, and finally the total number of peer-reviewed references from which the data were derived. The second step involved investigating the distribution of epitopes among hosts: those epitopes defined in humans versus those identified using nonhuman animal models of allergy. In each case, the inventory of epitopes per host species included a breakdown according to reactivity: B cell  or T cell .allergen and genus species of the organism from which the epitope was derived. These main categories were then further parsed into subcategories on the basis of taxonomic origins  and included a subcategory for the most commonly encountered species in that main category.Following the initial inventory, the data were categorized according to the following established allergy categories: food, airborne (respiratory), contact, drug, and allergies to biting insects. This categorization was based on the The individual compounds representing drugs/pharmaceuticals were parsed into 21 subcategories on the basis of its chemical type  or by the way the compound is used to treat a particular condition . Contact allergen data were also further parsed into subcategories based on their species of origin (plants), chemical type , or mode of exposure . http://www.immuneepitope.org/) was stored in a MySQL database. The use of MySQL allows for the tailoring of database schema to the specific analysis and to keep the data synchronized with updates of the IEDB data production database. Data were periodically checked against the IEDB webpage using simple or advanced query interfaces for consistency and accuracy. Results from each query were exported as Excel files and further analyzed in that format. Tables and figures were generated from Excel. Data exclusions included structures for which only MHC binding data were available, as well as those instances in which the epitope was simultaneously used as both immunogen and assay antigen. The allergy-related data extracted from the IEDB  provides a response summary for all epitope data.A relatively smaller number of T-cell epitopes have been identified  . Of the The host distribution of epitopes can be found in Arachis hypogaea) allergens which comprise nearly 40% of the total plant allergen epitopes. Epitopes described for food allergens derived from animals fall into six taxonomic categories. These include mammals , bony fish (cod), bird (chicken eggs), mollusks , crustaceans (shrimp and prawns), and nematodes (fish meat parasite). By far, the largest number of epitopes has been identified for allergens related to cow's milk allergy, followed by epitopes defined from eggs, representing 70% and 20% of the total, respectively. Non-peptidic food epitopes reported to date are comprised of carbohydrates derived from peanuts, sugar beets, celery, and sea squirt . These include both peptidic and non-peptidic determinants derived from both plants and animals. The data have been parsed into three broad categories; most common food allergen sources, other plant, and other animal species . Peanut According to the CDC , allergeEpitopes defined for aeroallergens represent the second largest group within the IEDB, accounting for 40% of the records, including peptidic and non-peptidic determinants derived from plants, animals, fungal allergens, and some industrial chemical agents. Here, the data was parsed into the categories of most common airborne sources, other plant, fungal, and animal species . EpitopeAspergillus species dominate (70%). Finally, epitopes derived from aeroallergens from animals fall into three broad taxonomic categories: insects (cockroach and midge), arachnids , and mammals . Among the insects, epitopes derived from the midge are the most numerous, and within the Arachnid class, European house dust mites are the most heavily studied. In the taxonomic grouping representing fungi, which includes yeasts and molds, epitopes identified in antigens from α-L-Fuc-(1->3)-[α-D-Man-(1->3)-[α-D-Man-(1->6)]-[β-D-Xyl-(1->2)]-β-D-Man-(1->4)-β-D-GlcNAc-(1->4)]-D-GlcNAc from cedar pollen, D-glucopyranuronic acid from the fungus Trichosporon cutaneum, and mono-β-arabinofuranose from mugwort pollen. In addition, a number of non-peptidic chemicals were identified, including compounds causing respiratory symptoms following occupational exposure; toluene 2,4-diisocyanate (TDI), toluene meta-diisocyanate, 4-tolyl isocyanate, diphenylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, phenyl isocyanate, phthalic anhydride, and trimellityl group (data not shown).Three non-peptidic determinants were described . These included Here again, the epitope data reflects the overall trends related to airborne allergy. Grass, tree, and weed pollen epitopes represent the majority of the data (~60%), followed by pet dander and house dust mite allergens. These findings are consistent with the overall prevalence of hay fever and/or allergic rhinitis in the general population, affecting some 18 million people annually . PerhapsApis mellifera), bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculate), black-bellied hornets , common wasps (Vespula vulgaris), and ants (Myrmecia pilosula). Of these, epitopes derived from honeybees represent the largest portion, followed by wasps and bald-faced hornets. Surprisingly, only 2 B-cell epitopes for ant venom, 1 B-cell epitope for Black-faced hornets, and no antibody determinants for wasp venom were defined. There are also two non-peptidic determinants for antibody reactivity to honey bee venom. These include α-1,3-fucose and an N(4)-[α-L-fucosyl-(1->3)-N-acetyl-4-O-glycosyl-D-glucosaminyl]-L-asparagine residue . To date, the IEDB contains 125 antibody and T-cell epitopes related to the venom of stinging insects .These inThe IEDB currently contains curated data relating to immunological reactions to more than 90 different drugs associated with allergic disease. In most cases, the authors do not identify the exact reactive moiety of these non-peptidic chemical entities because the assays are carried out using the intact drug. These drugs can be further classified into 21 categories based primarily on biological function and structure . These i+/class II phenotype.Thus far, more than 80 contact allergens have been captured by the IEDB, as summarized in non-peptidic entities such as metals, industrial chemicals encountered by way of occupational exposure, and model haptens. A total of seven different metals described as associated with allergic contact dermatitis include beryllium , chromium (chromium trichloride), cobalt , copper , nickel  palladium , and zinc chloride. Of these, no single metal entity stands predominates, and as a group metals comprise only 7% of the contact allergens. Beryllium, chromium, zinc chloride, and cobalt are most often encountered in the industrial/manufacturing setting, whereas nickel, copper, and palladium allergies are most frequently associated with jewelry. Furthermore, the IEDB contains curated data relating to more than 70 compounds utilized in the manufacture of cosmetics, dyes, and certain constituents of manufacturing. A very large number of curated assays relate to model haptens, which include skin sensitizers such as trinitrophenyl (TNP), dinitrophenyl (DNP), 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB), and dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). These compounds have been used classically to define mechanisms of type IV contact hypersensitivity. Of these, DNCB appears to have received the greatest focus. A detailed list of all contact allergens can be found in supplemental Table 1. Three additional categories of contact allergens include As a further evaluation, we determined the relative epitope distribution by allergen for each source species (supplementary Tables 2–5). The total number of epitopes described per allergen varies greatly, and well-known allergens  tended to have greater numbers of defined epitopes compared to other allergens from the same organism . Similarly, the total number of T-cell versus B-cell epitopes varied greatly, with the vast majority of allergens heavily weighted toward one or the other phenotype and few having a relative balance of defined B and T epitopes (data not shown). Allergen.org resource, the official site for the systematic allergen nomenclature (Linnean system) that is approved by the World Health Organization and International Union of Immunological Societies (WHO/IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature Sub-committee. This site maintains a list of all currently known (described) allergens derived from plant, animal, and fungal species. We found that total number of allergens from which epitope data have been described varies from one allergen source to another. In some instances, epitope data is comprehensive, showing epitope data for all allergens identified by the IUIS list for a given species . However in other cases, allergen distribution is low, showing only a few of the known allergens , whereas other species have intermediate distribution   . FurtherIsolated epitopes can be utilized to induce or modulate allergic reactions in animal models. The use of synthetic epitopes to modulate allergic reactions has also been proposed and tested in a limited number of clinical trials , 18. Indin vivo for their ability to decrease allergic reactivity in vivo (as measure by the reduction of symptoms) and for those that were shown to decrease in vitro markers of allergic disease. This is done by selecting all B-cell or T-cell contexts designated in the IEDB as assay type equals “Reduction of Disease after Treatment” (B cell) or “Treatment” (T cell). Here, the assay type assigned by the IEDB indicates the nature of the immune response, and the details of the type of assay used  can be found within the curated data from the assay comments field. in vivo or on markers of disease as measured in vitro. To inventory which epitopes had been tested in these settings, we queried for antibody and T-cell epitopes that were tested either The analysis presented herein identified over 4,500 allergy-related epitopes derived from 270 different allergens. Protein allergens were categorized according to their source organism, which included plants, animals, insects, parasites, and fungi. Non-peptidic allergens were categorized into four groups including drugs and biologicals, industrial compounds, or those related to occupational exposure, metals, model haptens, and carbohydrates from plants.+/class II, with very few being defined for CD8+/class I). Likewise, most of the records related to the study of allergic reactions in humans, and fewer epitopes defined for mice and occasional epitopes defined for other hosts such as monkeys, pigs, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and rats. The majority of peptidic epitopes were defined for foods  and plants (tree and grass pollens), while the majority of non-peptidic epitopes defined for drugs and biologicals (antibiotics). Overall, the distribution of the data follows expectations based on the nature of adaptive responses involved in allergy. Namely, the vast majority of allergy epitopes were defined for B cells/antibodies , and relatively fewer T-cell epitopes  of the known allergens have epitope-related data , while other species have epitope data from only a small number of known allergens .http://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/) database will further enable the scientific community to quickly retrieve and analyze the immunological data associated with these important classes of allergens. The recent completion of curation of non-peptidic allergy-related epitopes in the IEDB allows a first time inventory and assessment of important drug and contact allergens. The integration within the IEDB of representation and search capabilities based on the chemical entity of biological interest (ChEBI) (Finally, our analysis also inventoried which epitopes have been used to actively induce allergic disease in animal models or to modulate disease. Only a handful of epitopes have been investigated for their immunotherapeutic potential. If the promising results from human clinical trials were to be verified in later phase trails, we anticipate that the data cataloged within the IEDB might provide a wealth of leads for therapeutic intervention regimens. Supplementary materials contain the following:Supplemental Figure 1: Overall response summary.Supplementary Table 1: Contact allergens.Supplementary Table 2: Epitope distribution in different food allergens.Supplementary Table 3: Epitope distribution in different airborne allergens.Supplementary Table 4: Epitope distribution among stinging insects.Supplementary Table 5: Epitope distribution for latex allergens.Supplementary Table 6: Carbohydrate epitopes associated with allergic reactions.Click here for additional data file.Click here for additional data file.Click here for additional data file.Click here for additional data file.Click here for additional data file.Click here for additional data file.Click here for additional data file.


Six months, four issues, processed 231 manuscripts, indexed and abstracted in more than 18 databases and many more.Journal of Young Pharmacists (JYP) (an addendum to InPharm Communiqué) is an official quarterly Journal published by the InPharm Association, URL: www.inpharm.org (a Young Pharmacists Group of India). JYP is a peer-reviewed open-access quarterly journal featuring research articles of exceptional significance in all areas of pharmaceutical sciences. JYP provides comprehensive coverage of issues affecting pharmaceutical education and career.Journal of Young Pharmacists , we have seen JYP become ever more internationally represented in its published articles, and at the same time have seen its tremendous growth, attributable mainly to global submissions. Growth by itself in a short period of time, assuming that quality is maintained, is not necessarily bad. In fact, we are proud that JYP is one of the preferred choices for publication in the field of pharmacy. JYP gives the reader an excellent opportunity to access the cutting-edge pharmaceutical literature at no cost.Having recently completed the first volume with the launch of JYP is currently indexed and abstracted in Chemical Abstracts, Caspur, DOAJ, EBSCO Publishing’s Electronic Databases, Expanded Academic ASAP, Genamics JournalSeek, Global Health, Google Scholar, Health and Wellness Research Center, Health Reference Center Academic, Hinari, Index Copernicus, OpenJGate, SCOLOAR, SIIC databases and Ulrich’s International Periodical Directory.Publishing is always a cost. A sense of the pressing concern of maintaining revenues to cover the expenses of JYP is one of the tasks ahead. We humbly request all the stakeholders and principals of pharmacy colleges to get subscribed JYP in their library in order to strengthen the journal.I add a note of thanks to Dr. DK Sahu (Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd.) and his excellent team members, without whose cooperation and support and untiring response to my follow-ups, it would not have been possible to launch new issues on time.


Candida antarctica, immobilized on macroporous acrylic resin (Novozym 435), was used for starch esterification in two reaction systems: micro-solvent system and solvent-free system. The esterification of corn starch with palmitic acid in the solvent-free system and micro-solvent system gave a degree of substitution (DS) of 1.04 and 0.0072 respectively. Esterification of corn starch with palmitic acid was confirmed by UV spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy. The results of emulsifying property analysis showed that the starch palmitate with higher DS contributes to the higher emulsifying property (67.6%) and emulsion stability (79.6%) than the native starch (5.3% and 3.9%). Modified starch obtained by esterification that possesses emulsifying properties and has long chain fatty acids, like palmitic acid, has been widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and biomedical applications industries.Esterification of starch was carried out to expand the usefulness of starch for a myriad of industrial applications. Lipase B from  Starch is an abundant renewable polysaccharide in nature that is inexpensive, fully biodegradable and widely used in the production of both food and industrial products ,2. ChemiAlthough the introduction of an ester group into starch is an important chemical modification task , it is vA number of groups have recently reported the use of organic solvents for esterification of starch . NormallThe aim of this work was to biosynthesize high substituted starch palmitate using lipase Novozym 435 as catalyst. The esterification of starch with palmitic acid was carried out in a solvent-free system and a micro-solvent system respectively. The structure and physicochemical properties of starch palmitate were also studied.Candida antarctica immobilized on macroporous acrylic resin; specific activity: 10,000 U/g) was purchased from Novozymes, Denmark. All the other chemicals are of analytical grade.Corn starch was purchased from Harbin Mei Wang Reagent Company, China. The water content was determined by drying the corn starch in a vacuum oven at 50 °C until constant weight was achieved and was 16.2% (w/w). Palmitic acid of analytical grade was purchased from Shanghai Chemical Co., China. DMSO and DMF purchased from Shanghai Chemical Co., China and are of chromatography grade. Novozym 435 (Lipase B from According to  the 9% aMicro-solvent system: Native corn starch (1 g) was dissolved in 1 mL solvent (DMF/DMSO) and mixed with 1 g palmitic acid and 0.1 g lipase. The homogeneous mixture was incubated in a magnetic stirrer at 55–70 °C, 250 r/min for 3–24 h. The starch palmitate (SP) formed was precipitated by adding 10 mL of 95% alcohol. The removal of unesterified oleic acid from starch palmitate was accomplished by washing again with 100 mL of pure ethanol and then dried in a hot air oven at 75 °C [w is an important consideration for biocatalysis in a solvent-free medium. Before the start of the reaction, all the substrates were pre-equilibrated for at least 3 d in sealed containers, enclosed with a molecular sieve to establish fixed water activities (aw < 0.01). The reaction setup for esterification was carried out in 25 mL closed, screw-capped glass vials containing palmitic acid and pretreated starch (PS) or native starch (NS). To conduct the reaction under neat conditions (without solvents), a 5:1 weight ratio of palmitic acid to pretreated starch is needed to provide enough solution volume to dissolve solid starch and to stir the suspended immobilized lipase. The palmitic acid acted as the solvent in the solvent-free system when the reaction temperature was above of its melting point (63–64 °C). The esterification was initiated by adding immobilized lipase (Novozym 435) into each glass vial. Glass vials were placed upright on a magnetic stirrer and incubated at 55–75 °C, 250 r/min for 3–24 h.Solvent-free system: Water activity or aThe DS indicates the average number of substitutions per anhydroglucose unit. There are three free hydroxyl groups available for modification per anhydroglucose unit of starch, resulting in a maximum possible DS of 3 .n-heptane were added. The mixture was shaken for 1 min and left to settle. The top organic phase contained the methyl ester and could be removed and injected into the GC-FID .A small sample, 30 mg, of starch palmitate dissolved in 1 mL DMSO was mixed with 1 mL of sodium methoxide (0.07 M) in methanol solution. This mixture was then heated (70 °C) under reflux for 40 min, with constant shaking, then cooled, and 1 mL of deionized water and 1 mL of Once the methyl palmitate was quantified by GC chromatograph, the average mol of acyl groups per anhydroglucose unit was calculated to give the DS of the modified starch. DS was calculated according to the modified method of Kshirsagar  as follon: mol of esterifiable palmitic acid, mol;0: weight of sample, g;M1: molecular weight of anhydrous glucose unit, 162;M2: molecular weight of palmitic acid, 256.42;M2OH: molecular weight of H2O.MEmulsions contained soybean oil (25 mL). The aqueous phase contained 0.5 g starch or starch palmitate. Oil in water emulsions were prepared by first gelatinization of 0.5 g starch or starch palmitate in 25 mL deionized water on a bath of boiling water for 15 min, followed by mixing the oil into the cold starch or starch palmitate paste using a superfine homogenizer FA25  at 10,000 r/min for 3 min and the emulsion formed. The emulsion was centrifuged at 3000 r/min for 15 min and the height of the emulsion layer was measured, and the total height of liquid. The centrifugation was repeated after 24 h. The emulsifying capacity (EC) and the emulsion stability (ES) were calculated as follows according to the method of Bai  Equatio:2 in deionized water) The absorbance (abs) values of the sample and a reference (non-additive sample) were measured at 190–900 nm by UV spectrophotometer .UV spectrophotometer analysis: The 2% (w/w) native starch or starch palmitate water mixture was prepared hermetically by stirring for 20 min at approximately 95 °C using a magnetic stirrer, and cooled to 25 °C. Deionized water (25 mL) was added into the 50 mL-test tube wherein the gelatinized native starch or starch palmitate (10 mL) was already prepared and neutralized with HCl (2 mol/L) until pH = 3. The emulsion was mixed with 100 mL of deionized water and 0.5 mL of iodine solution (2.0% (w/w) KI and 0.2% (w/w) I−1 at a resolution of 4 cm−1.FT-IR analysis: FTIR spectra were recorded using a Vector 33 spectrometer . Potassium bromide (KBr) disks were prepared from powdered samples mixed with dry KBr in the ratio of 1:100. The spectra were recorded in a transmittance mode from 4000 to 400 cm−1 in the IR spectrum  as co-solvent, the micro-solvent system was found to be an effective esterification system for lipase-catalyzed esterifications of starch with palmitic acid. Esterification of native starch with palmitic acid under the micro-solvent system, with DMF as co-solvent, showed an ester peak in the region 1735 cmspectrum . A DS ofspectrum ,4 showed2O  until constant weight was achieved. The immobilized lipase was removed with 80 screen mesh. Esterification of native starch with palmitic acid under the solvent-free system at reaction conditions  gave an esterification product with a DS of 0.0014. But, the DS of the esterification product was high (to 1.04) after the starch was pretreated using NaOH/Urea/H2O . The DS Regardless of the starch solution or the solid starch, a color complex could be generated with iodine, due to the iodine-adsorption action of the starch molecule. The iodine adsorption color reaction would be changed after modification treatment because the size, shape and structure of native starch had been changed. So, the changes in the structure of starch could be understood, according to the difference in the iodine adsorption color reaction between starch palmitate and native starch. Based on the iodine adsorption color reaction, the starch palmitate and native starch were measured by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results are as shown in The iodine adsorption color reaction of native starch presented blue (A), however starch palmitate presented blue purple (B), as shown in −1) are attributed to C–OH bond stretching. Another strong broad band, due to hydroxyl bond stretching, appears at 3000–3600 cm−1   spectrum, the characteristic peaks  . That de by Zhao . The redf starch . The ban−1. The strong O–H stretching band at 3400 cm−1 in the NS decreased in intensity following esterification of starch with palmitic acid.In comparison with the spectra of the SP, the major change of modified starch is the presence of a carbonyl C–O absorption frequency at 1735 cmEmulsion capacity and emulsion stability were evaluated by visual inspection of the emulsions after different storage times at room temperature. The measurement results of emulsion capacity and emulsion stability of the emulsions are shown in Starch palmitate was successfully synthesized through esterification of starch with palmitic acid catalyzed by Novozym 435 lipase. Compared with corn starch, the carbonyl band of starch ester produced by esterification had been detected by IR spectrum. In a micro-solvent esterification system, esterification of native starch with palmitic acid was carried out at 10% (w/w) lipase and 65 °C for 7 h, a maximum DS of 0.0072 was obtained. As for a solvent-free system, esterification of corn starch with palmitic acid was carried out at 5% (w/w) lipase and 70 °C for 24 h, a maximum DS of 1.04 was obtained. Compared to the micro-solvent system, solvent-free system esterification is a more suitable method to produce high DS long chain fatty acid starch ester. However, a micro-solvent system is a more economical way for obtain low DS long chain fatty acid starch esters. The introduction of palmitic acid into starch renders starch more hydrophobic which would lead to the starch possessing excellent emulsion capacity and emulsion stability.


Restriction of free submission of Iranian manuscripts is not a new matter. However, the recent political decision of the USA Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury saying who can and who cannot publish scientific papers in journals is completely against free distribution of data in scholarly and scientific communities and scientific journals and publications which requires discussions and challenges with the statutory authorities. Publishers’ mission requires bringing suit against this illogical and unethical decision. Science should not be involved in the political game of sanctions. Policies of governments and the origins of the manuscript, including the race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, and political belief of the authors should not affect the editorial decisions of scientific publications.Declaration of interest: None. This policy is a United States policy that is now in effect, and therefore, we are required to withdraw your paper from consideration.” This is what Barbara Kern, the Managing Editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, said in response to an Iranian resident of psychiatry who had submitted her manuscript about treatment of schizophrenia, not about nuclear bombs, terrorism, chemical weapons, etc...Restriction of free dissemination of information and submission of Iranian manuscripts is not a new matter. This problem arises from USA federal rules in 2004 that undermine a codified policy order “to protect the constitutional rights of Americans to educate themselves about the world by communicating with peoples of other countries in a variety of ways, such as by sharing information and ideas with persons around the world, traveling abroad, and engaging in educational, cultural, and other exchanges with persons from around the world” (2). As mentioned by Eliot Marshal, ScienceInsider writer, it has put in place much harsher restrictions on communications from Iran since a decade ago (3). Publishers brought suit against the USA government at that time and succeed in their effort (4). The regulations changed; preserved the “informational materials” as exception and made a general certification for publishing activities, particularly peer reviewed, author, and editorial activities in 2007 (2). However, over recent years, the United Nations, the European Union, and recently the United States of America have proposed more and more limiting trade sanction regulations in relation to Iran, and some of these restrictions impact publications (2). For example, the Elsevier Company had applied "more specific sanctions … over the past year or two" as a result of UN advises (3).Regarding the “fast-rejection” by the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology we inquired about this policy from another American journal. According to their response in an e-mail it seems that they are obliged to reject the papers written by authors affiliated to the government of Iran. They claim that these sanctions aimed to persuade the Iranian government to give up “nuclear technology”, and are a broadened decision from previous rules issued by the enforcement agency, the USA Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury (3). Under this policy reflecting the USA Congress law even companies not based in the United States must prevent their American personnel from interacting with these authors (3). Moreover, the American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI), which are published by Elsevier, the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (published in the US by Marie Ann Liebert), and the Australian journal Ophthalmic Epidemiology , Dove Medical Press  have adopted a similar strategy (5). Despite the illogical and unethical political decision of OFAC, we assume authors affiliated with academic and research institutes and manuscripts originating from hospital and clinical settings are not involved in this political game. “The focus of our sanctions is the Iranian regime and its support for terrorism and its illicit nuclear programme. Our sanctions do not target academic or informational materials” Saied John Sullivan of the US Treasury stated to the British Medical Journal (BMJ) (5). As mentioned by an Iranian author in an open letter, “at a time when several countries, even the USA, despite important differences of opinion are trying to reduce tensions with Iran , discriminatory action against scientific publishing is difficult to understand” (6).An important matter is the “lability phobia” of the scientific journal editors who have enforced extra sanctions beyond the OFAC sanctions for Iranian academic authors. For example, Elsevier has noted the new restrictions are limited to editors who are USA nationals, have an exception for Iranian universities and health-care institutions, and are expected to affect a small number of papers (such as research departments of nuclear facilities and various oil and gas companies which are deemed to be entities of the Government of Iran). However, this publisher believes that it is necessary to make “narrowly crafted exceptions” since there is a potential risk of personal “liability” on the part of its USA editors . Jeanette Pearce, Dove’s New Zealand based operations manager said: “We do not make this decision lightly and have consulted with the authorities both here in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom before making our decision”(5). The editor of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) explained in an e-mail that: “Our publisher precludes taking any articles from authors based at Iranian institutions or hospitals.”(5). “Our recent communications with editors were motivated out of concern that U.S. citizens acting as editors of our journals might also be subject to personal liability” said Eliot Marshal, ScienceIncider writer (3). In practice, as almost all of the Iranian universities of medical sciences, and academic and research institutes are run with governmental budget, their submission should be rejected outright. On the other hand, the new law specifies that the sanctions do not apply to any academic and research institutions, or their staff or informational materials, and the USA, OFAC, has used new regulations to target certain Iranian nationals, including Iranian government employees (but not Iranian universities) that are supposed to be contracted in or assisting the development of weapons technologies or supporting the government-owned energy industry. However, it seems that fear of personal penalty has made scientific journal editors more conservative . Although the Elsevier Company states that free flow of ideas and information is a principle for science and for society, the statements of Mark Seeley the chief lawyer, regarding the misunderstanding of some US editors on the publisher’s instructions, confirms the “lability phobia” and conservativeness. “The problem is over and the exact definition of ‘government employees’ other than academics and practitioners is not clear”: Seeley said (5). Furthermore, he stated that the Elsevier Company will try to dispel this ambiguity, but has not done so yet (5). On the other hand, some other American and British journals, including the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), the New England Journal of Medicine, and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) continue to publish Iranian submissions (5). The Lancet (which is published by Elsevier) is currently working to strengthen its links with Iranian medical and public health scientists (5). Several other scientific organizations said that OFAC tangled with scientific journals; they did not see a need to alter the way they manage manuscripts at present (3). “I certainly do not condone what Iran or its government says or does (or for that matter any country that has less than positive relations with the US). “Please leave this kind of politics out of science” said the Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods on behalf of … (deleted by them to avoid abuse) (7). In this regard, political scientists believe that the impact of sanctions on their stated objectives is very low (8).I believe that free dissemination of information in scholarly and scientific communities, and scientific journals and publications requires discussions with the statutory authorities regarding revisions of regulations. The Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences endorses the following recommended clause of The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), which is drawn from the text developed by World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). This clause is that:“Editorial decisions should not be affected by the origins of the manuscript, including the nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion of the authors. Decisions to edit and publish should not be determined by the policies of governments or other agencies outside of the journal itself.” (9).


The International Association for Radiation Research established in 1985 the Henry S. Kaplan Distinguished Scientist Award. The award, which is presented every four years at the International Congress of Radiation Research, consists of a medal, a certificate and a cash prize. A plenary session is designated for the award ceremony, including a lecture by the awardee. Previous recipients of this award were Professors Mortimer M. Elkind (1987), H. Rodney Withers (1991), Gerald Edward Adams (1995), John B. Little (1999), Eric J. Hall (2003), J. Martin Brown (2007) and P. Richard Hill (2011).The purpose of the award is to honour outstanding contributions to the field of radiation research. Any scientist who has made superior contributions to the field through investigations in physics, chemistry, biology or medicine is eligible.(e.g. 3-page) narrative describing the accomplishments of the nominee. Additional letters of support, up to a maximum of two, may be included with the nomination papers.Nominations may be submitted either by an individual or by a society. Each nomination should include a current curriculum vitae, bibliography and a brief st May 2014 to Professor Gianfranco Grossi, Secretary-Treasurer IARR, Department of Physics, University Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte Sant'Angelo, Via Cinthia, I-80126 Napoli, Italy (gianfranco.grossi@unina.it). All nomination packages will be forwarded to the Selection Committee, comprising Professors Marco Durante, Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff and Ohtsura Niwa. The recipient of the Kaplan award will be notified before the end of October 2014.Nominations for the 2015 award are now invited, and should be submitted by 1


As we are entering a new era of genomics and as sequencing and system-level approaches are boosting life science and human disease research, the journal Current Genomics will continue to provide the community with comprehensive reviews of last developments in the field. Current Genomics values openness, originality and high scientific standard and it will be the 2013 goal of the journal and its editorial board to keep working along these lines together with an expanding community of contributors and readers.