The genome of the mesopolyploid crop species Brassica rapaThe Brassica rapa Genome Sequencing Project Consortium 1 Abstract:The Brassicaceae family which includes Arabidopsis thaliana, is a natural priority for reaching beyond botanical models to more deeply sample angiosperm genomic and functional diversity. Here we report the draft genome sequence and its annoation of Brassica rapa, one of the two ancestral species of oilseed rape. We modeled 41,174 protein-coding genes in the B. rapa genome. B. rapa has experienced only the second genome triplication reported to date, with its close relationship to A. thaliana providing a useful outgroup for investigating many consequences of triplication for its structural and functional evolution. The extent of gene loss (fractionation) among triplicated genome segments varies, with one copy containing a greater proportion of genes expected to have been present in its ancestor (70%) than the remaining two (46% and 36%). Both a generally rapid evolutionary rate, and specific copy number amplifications of particular gene families, may contribute to the remarkable propensity of Brassica species for the development of new morphological variants. The B. rapa genome provides a new resource for comparative and evolutionary analysis of the Brassicaceae genomes and also a platform for genetic improvement of Brassica oil and vegetable crops.2

This paper describes the diagnostic criteria for bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP) by the Classification Committee of the Bárány Society. The diagnosis of BVP is based on the patient history, bedside examination and laboratory evaluation. Bilateral vestibulopathy is a chronic vestibular syndrome which is characterized by unsteadiness when walking or standing, which worsen in darkness and/or on uneven ground, or during head motion. Additionally, patients may describe head or body movement-induced blurred vision or oscillopsia. There are typically no symptoms while sitting or lying down under static conditions.The diagnosis of BVP requires bilaterally significantly impaired or absent function of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). This can be diagnosed for the high frequency range of the angular VOR by the head impulse test (HIT), the video-HIT (vHIT) and the scleral coil technique and for the low frequency range by caloric testing. The moderate range can be examined by the sinusoidal or step profile rotational chair test.For the diagnosis of BVP, the horizontal angular VOR gain on both sides should be <0.6 (angular velocity 150-300°/s) and/or the sum of the maximal peak velocities of the slow phase caloric-induced nystagmus for stimulation with warm and cold water on each side <6°/s and/or the horizontal angular VOR gain <0.1 upon sinusoidal stimulation on a rotatory chair (0.1 Hz, Vmax = 50°/sec) and/or a phase lead >68 degrees (time constant of <5 seconds). For the diagnosis of probable BVP the above mentioned symptoms and a bilaterally pathological bedside HIT are required.Complementary tests that may be used but are currently not included in the definition are: a) dynamic visual acuity (a decrease of ≥0.2 logMAR is considered pathological); b) Romberg (indicating a sensory deficit of the vestibular or somatosensory system and therefore not specific); and c) abnormal cervical and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials for otolith function.At present the scientific basis for further subdivisions into subtypes of BVP is not sufficient to put forward reliable or clinically meaningful definitions. Depending on the affected anatomical structure and frequency range, different subtypes may be better identified in the future: impaired canal function in the low- or high-frequency VOR range only and/or impaired otolith function only; the latter is evidently very rare.Bilateral vestibulopathy is a clinical syndrome and, if known, the etiology (e.g., due to ototoxicity, bilateral Menière's disease, bilateral vestibular schwannoma) should be added to the diagnosis. Synonyms include bilateral vestibular failure, deficiency, areflexia, hypofunction and loss.

clinical practiceT h e ne w e ngl a nd jou r na l o f m e dicine n engl j med 370;12 nejm.org march 20, 2014 An audio version of this article is available at NEJM.orgA 58-year-old woman seeks care from her primary physician after the occurrence of sudden vertigo and imbalance with nausea and vomiting, which began that morning when she got out of bed. The vertigo lasted less than a minute but recurred when she lay back down in bed, rolled over in bed, or got up again. She reports no tinnitus or hearing loss. How should this patient be evaluated and treated?The Clinic a l ProblemBenign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is by far the most common type of vertigo, with a reported prevalence between 10.7 and 64.0 cases per 100,000 population and a lifetime prevalence of 2.4%. 1,2 The condition is characterized by brief spinning sensations, usually lasting less than 1 minute, which are generally induced by a change in head position with respect to gravity. 3,4 Vertigo typically develops when a patient gets in or out of bed, rolls over in bed, tilts the head back, or bends forward. 3 Even though patients with BPPV occasionally report persistent dizziness and imbalance, a careful history taking almost always reveals that their symptoms are worse with changes in head position. 4 Many patients also have nausea, sometimes with vomiting. Attacks of BPPV usually do not have a known cause, although cases may be associated with head trauma, a prolonged recumbent position (e.g., at a dentist's office or hair salon), or various disorders of the inner ear. 3 Spontaneous remissions and recurrences are frequent; the annual rate of recurrence is approximately 15%. 5 Patients with BPPV are at increased risk for falls and impairment in the performance of daily activities. 6 The prevalence of idiopathic BPPV is increased among elderly persons and among women, with peak onset between 50 and 60 years of age and a female-to-male ratio of 2:1 to 3:1. 2,3 BPPV has also been reported to be associated with osteopenia or osteoporosis and with decreased serum levels of vitamin D -associations that are not explained by age or sex. 7,8 The fundamental pathophysiological process in BPPV involves dislodged otoconia from the macula of the utricular otolith that enter the semicircular canals. When there is a change in the static position of the head with respect to gravity, the otolithic debris moves to a new position within the semicircular canals, leading to a false sense of rotation. BPPV usually arises from the posterior semicircular canal, which is the most gravity-dependent canal; this type of BPPV accounts for 60 to 90% of all cases. 4 However, the proportion of patients with BPPV that involves the horizontal semicircular canal may have been underestimated, since involvement at this site is more likely to remit spontaneously than involvement in the posterior semicircular canal. 9 BPPV rarely involves the anterior semicircular canal, probably because of its uppermost position in the labyrinth, where otolithic debris is unlikely to become tra...

ED nurses taking care of MERS-CoV-infected patients should be aware that burnout is higher for nurses in their divisions than nurses in other hospital departments and that job stress is the biggest influential factor of burnout. To be ready for the outbreak of emerging contagious diseases such as MERS-CoV, efforts and preparations should be made to reduce burnout. Job stress should be managed and resolved. Working conditions for mitigating job stress and systematic stress management programs should be provided, and hospital resources for the treatment of MERS-CoV need to be reinforced. Moreover, promoting support from family and friends is required.

The interaction between histones and DNA is important for eukaryotic gene expression. A loose interaction caused, for example, by the neutralization of a positive charge on the histone surface by acetylation, induces a less compact chromatin structure, resulting in feasible accessibility of RNA polymerase and increased gene expression. In contrast, the formation of a tight chromatin structure due to the deacetylation of histone lysine residues on the surface by histone deacetylases enforces the interaction between the histones and DNA, which minimizes the chance of RNA polymerases contacting DNA, resulting in decreased gene expression. Therefore, the balance of the acetylation of histones mediated by histone acetylases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) is an issue of transcription that has long been studied in relation to posttranslational modification. In this review, current knowledge of HDACs is briefly described with an emphasis on recent progress in research on HDACs, especially on class IIa HDACs.