Genetic affinities of Fusarim spp. and their correlation with origin and pathogenicity

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses was used in combination with pathogenicity assays to study the taxonomic kinships among five Fusarium species. A total of 46 isolates of Fusarium spp. obtained from diseased cotton seedlings showing typical root rot and dampping-off symptoms were characterized. Of 10 primers tested, four primers produced polymorphic amplification patterns with taxon-specific bands, in addition to individual-specific bands. Genetic analysis indicated into 2 main clusters, with the minor cluster included all F. moniliforme and F. solani at the genetic similarity of GS=57.82%. The major cluster consisted of all F. oxysporum, F. avenaceum and F. chlamydosporum clustered at 71% similarity. There was no clear-cut relationship between clustering in the RAPD dendrogram, pathogenicity test and geographic origin of tested isolates. The results suggest that RAPD-PCR is a useful method for analysing genetic variation within and between Fusarium spp. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2003 2(5): 109-113

Molecular phylogeny of Fusarium species by AFLP fingerprint

The high-resolution genotyping method of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to study the genetic relationships within and between natural populations of five Fusarium spp. AFLP templates were prepared by the digestion of Fusarium DNA with EcoRI and MseI restriction endonucleases and subsequent ligation of corresponding site-specific adapters. An average of 44 loci was assayed simultaneously with each primer pair and DNA markers in the range 100 to 500 bp were considered for analysis. A total of 80 AFLP polymorphic markers were obtained using four primer combinations, with an average of 20 polymorphic markers observed per primer pair. UPGMA analyses indicated 5 distinct clusters at the phenon line of 30% on the genetic similarity scale corresponding to the 5 taxa. The similarity percent of each group oscillated between 87 and 97%. The phenetic dendrogram generated by UPGMA as well as principal coordinate analysis (PCA) grouped all of the Fusarium spp. isolates into five major clusters. No clear trend was detected between clustering in the AFLP dendrogram and geographic origin, host genotype of the tested isolates with a few exceptions. The results of the present study provide evidence of the high discriminatory power of AFLP analysis, suggesting the possible applicability of this method to the molecular characterization of Fusarium. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2003 2(3): 51-55

PCR identification of Fusarium genus based on nuclear ribosomal-DNA sequence data

We have developed two taxon-selective primers for quick identification of the Fusarium genus. These primers, ITS-Fu-f and ITS-Fu-r were designed by comparing the aligned sequences of internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) of a range of Fusarium species. The primers showed good specificity for the genus Fusarium, and the approximately 389-bp product was amplified exclusively. PCR sensitivity ranged from 100 fg to 10 ng for DNA extracted from Fusarium oxysporum mycelium. No amplification products were detected with PCR of DNA from Rhizoctonia solani and Macrophomina phaseolina isolates using these primers. The assay is useful for rapid identification of Fusarium spp. cultures. The application of these PCR methods for early diagnosis of the seedling and wilt disease of cotton needs to be studied further. (African Journal of Biotechnology: 2003 2(4): 82-85

PREVALENCE, ANTIBIOGRAM AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF Aeromonas hydrophila ISOLATED FROM FROZEN FISH MARKETED IN EGYPT

Fish is one of the most important foods because of its high nutritional value, high palatability and easy digestion. On the same time, it acts as a vehicle for many types of pathogenic microorganisms especially Aeromonas spp., which results in public health hazards. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of Aeromonas spp. in frozen fish (mackerel, herrings and fish fillets) marketed in Zagazig city, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. In addition, multiplex PCR was done to detect some virulence-associated genes in A. hydrophila isolates. Furthermore, antimicrobial susceptibility testing of A. hydrophila isolates to the commonly used antimicrobials in Egypt including cephalothin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulphamethoxazol, oxytetracycline, cloxacillin, gentamicin, kanamycin, amikacin, ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, erythromycin, streptomycin and neomycin was conducted using the disc diffusion method. The achieved results indicated contamination of frozen fish with different species of Aeromonas such as A. veronii, A. sobria, A. caviae and A. hydrophila. A. veronii was the predominant species isolated from the examined fish; its prevalence rates in mackerel, fish fillets and herrings were 62.5, 50 and 45%, respectively. A. sobria came second; it was isolated only from herrings (30%) and fish fillets (16.7%). The prevalence rates of A. hydrophila in mackerel, fillets and herrings were 12.5, 33.3 and 10%, respectively; while A. caviae was isolated only from mackerel (25%) and herrings (15%). The isolated A. hydrophila harbored some virulence attributes such as aerolysin (aerA) and haemolysin (ahh1). A. hydrophila isolates were resistant to different antimicrobial agents used in Egypt including cloxacillin, erythromycin and streptomycin (100% each); cefotaxime and sulphamethoxazol (80% each); and cephalothin, chloramphenicoland oxytetracycline (60% each); while it was sensitive to ampicillin (80%) and gentamicin (60%). Therefore, hygienic measures should be adopted to control the microbial contamination either in the aquatic environment or in fish markets.Key words: fish; A. hydrophila; virulence genes; antibiotic sensitivit

Corporate reporting and disclosures in the emerging capital market of Kuwait:the perceptions of users and preparers

The objective of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of users and preparers regarding financial disclosure practices in annual reports of Kuwaiti listed firms. To measure participants' views, a questionnaire survey was distributed in Kuwait between October and December 2012, to preparers (financial managers) and users (financial analysts) within Kuwaiti listed companies. The study compares between the perceptions of financial managers and financial analysts regarding disclosing information in corporate annual reports as well as the main obstacles facing the disclosure process and what the problems restricting the use of companies' annual reports. The study also seeks to investigate whether there is a perceived need for improving the usefulness of Kuwaiti companies' annual reports for decision-making. The results, based on 137 responses, indicate that accounting practices in Kuwaiti firms are firmly rooted in a decision-usefulness tradition with management and the board of directors viewed as the key audience for reporting information. Indeed, the annual reports of Kuwaiti listed companies are perceived as the most important sources of information. On the whole both users and preparers shared similar concerns regarding the volume of information contained within annual reports; however, their views differed in terms of identifying potential solutions. The results of the study are likely to have implications for decision makers, the academic community and accounting standard setters. 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature

Burden of disease scenarios for 204 countries and territories, 2022–2050: a forecasting analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background:Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods: Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings: In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation: Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions. Funding: Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.</p

Comparative pathogenicity of infectious bronchitis virus Massachusetts and Delmarva (DMV/1639) genotypes in laying hens

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is a highly contagious and acute viral disease of chicken caused by the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) of the family Coronaviridae. Even with extensive vaccination against IB by the poultry industry, the occurrence of new IBV genotypes is a continuous challenge encountered by the global poultry industry. This experiment was designed to compare the pathogenicity of two IBV strains belonging to Massachusetts (Mass) and Delmarva DMV/1639 genotypes. Specific pathogen-free laying hens were challenged during the peak of production (30 weeks), keeping a mock-infected control group. During 21 days of observation following infection, a significant drop in egg production with miss-shaped and soft shells was observed in the DMV/1639 IBV-infected hens only. The DMV/1639 IBV infected group showed prolonged and higher cloacal viral shedding compared with the Mass IBV-infected group. At the end of the study (21 days post-infection), the viral genome loads in the respiratory, urogenital, and immune tissues were significantly higher in the DMV/1639 IBV-infected group compared with the Mass IBV-infected group. Macroscopic lesions such as distorted ova leading to egg peritonitis were observed only in the DMV/1639 IBV-infected group. Moreover, microscopic lesion scores were significantly higher in the lung, kidney, cecal tonsils, and oviduct of the DMV/1639 IBV-infected group compared with the Mass IBV-infected group. Finally, the apoptosis index in the kidney, ovary, magnum, isthmus, and shell gland was significantly higher in the DMV/1639 IBV-infected group compared with the control and Mass-infected groups. This study examined the pathogenicity of two IBV genotypes that are impacting the layer industry in North America

Evaluating the Feasibility of Pro-Neurotensin and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 as Possible Indicators for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Complications

(1) Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and metabolic syndrome are associated with decreased vitamin D. In contrast, high pro-neurotensin (pro-NT) levels are linked with an increased risk of T2DM and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine the validity of pro-NT and 25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 levels as predictors for T2DM complications; (2) Methods: One hundred T2DM, and one hundred healthy volunteers participated in this case-control study. Their Pro-NT and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels were evaluated using the ELISA technique; (3) Results: Pro-NT and 25 (OH) vitamin D3 have significant validity and accuracy in T2DM prediction, 84.5%, and 90.5%, respectively (p = 0.001). At a value of \u3c29.5, 25-Hydroxy vitamin D3 showed 88% sensitivity and 93% specificity in predicting T2DM. At a value of \u3e124 Pmol/L, Pro-NT showed 81% sensitivity and 88% specificity in predicting T2DM. At a value of 16.5, 25-Hydroxy vitamin D3 had 78.4% sensitivity and 68.3% specificity in predicting T2DM complications. At a value of \u3e158 pmol/L, Pro-NT predicted T2DM complications with 67.6% sensitivity and 56.0% specificity; (4) Conclusions: 25 (OH) Vit D3 and Pro-NT could identify T2DM patients and predict T2DM complications. More extensive research is required to adequately validate this novel perspective with a large population study

Burden of Disease Scenarios for 204 Countries and Territories, 2022–2050: A Forecasting Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background Future trends in disease burden and drivers of health are of great interest to policy makers and the public at large. This information can be used for policy and long-term health investment, planning, and prioritisation. We have expanded and improved upon previous forecasts produced as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) and provide a reference forecast (the most likely future), and alternative scenarios assessing disease burden trajectories if selected sets of risk factors were eliminated from current levels by 2050. Methods Using forecasts of major drivers of health such as the Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a composite measure of lag-distributed income per capita, mean years of education, and total fertility under 25 years of age) and the full set of risk factor exposures captured by GBD, we provide cause-specific forecasts of mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) by age and sex from 2022 to 2050 for 204 countries and territories, 21 GBD regions, seven super-regions, and the world. All analyses were done at the cause-specific level so that only risk factors deemed causal by the GBD comparative risk assessment influenced future trajectories of mortality for each disease. Cause-specific mortality was modelled using mixed-effects models with SDI and time as the main covariates, and the combined impact of causal risk factors as an offset in the model. At the all-cause mortality level, we captured unexplained variation by modelling residuals with an autoregressive integrated moving average model with drift attenuation. These all-cause forecasts constrained the cause-specific forecasts at successively deeper levels of the GBD cause hierarchy using cascading mortality models, thus ensuring a robust estimate of cause-specific mortality. For non-fatal measures (eg, low back pain), incidence and prevalence were forecasted from mixed-effects models with SDI as the main covariate, and YLDs were computed from the resulting prevalence forecasts and average disability weights from GBD. Alternative future scenarios were constructed by replacing appropriate reference trajectories for risk factors with hypothetical trajectories of gradual elimination of risk factor exposure from current levels to 2050. The scenarios were constructed from various sets of risk factors: environmental risks (Safer Environment scenario), risks associated with communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases (CMNNs; Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination scenario), risks associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs; Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario), and the combined effects of these three scenarios. Using the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways climate scenarios SSP2-4.5 as reference and SSP1-1.9 as an optimistic alternative in the Safer Environment scenario, we accounted for climate change impact on health by using the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change temperature forecasts and published trajectories of ambient air pollution for the same two scenarios. Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy were computed using standard methods. The forecasting framework includes computing the age-sex-specific future population for each location and separately for each scenario. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for each individual future estimate were derived from the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles of distributions generated from propagating 500 draws through the multistage computational pipeline. Findings In the reference scenario forecast, global and super-regional life expectancy increased from 2022 to 2050, but improvement was at a slower pace than in the three decades preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (beginning in 2020). Gains in future life expectancy were forecasted to be greatest in super-regions with comparatively low life expectancies (such as sub-Saharan Africa) compared with super-regions with higher life expectancies (such as the high-income super-region), leading to a trend towards convergence in life expectancy across locations between now and 2050. At the super-region level, forecasted healthy life expectancy patterns were similar to those of life expectancies. Forecasts for the reference scenario found that health will improve in the coming decades, with all-cause age-standardised DALY rates decreasing in every GBD super-region. The total DALY burden measured in counts, however, will increase in every super-region, largely a function of population ageing and growth. We also forecasted that both DALY counts and age-standardised DALY rates will continue to shift from CMNNs to NCDs, with the most pronounced shifts occurring in sub-Saharan Africa (60·1% [95% UI 56·8–63·1] of DALYs were from CMNNs in 2022 compared with 35·8% [31·0–45·0] in 2050) and south Asia (31·7% [29·2–34·1] to 15·5% [13·7–17·5]). This shift is reflected in the leading global causes of DALYs, with the top four causes in 2050 being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared with 2022, with ischaemic heart disease, neonatal disorders, stroke, and lower respiratory infections at the top. The global proportion of DALYs due to YLDs likewise increased from 33·8% (27·4–40·3) to 41·1% (33·9–48·1) from 2022 to 2050, demonstrating an important shift in overall disease burden towards morbidity and away from premature death. The largest shift of this kind was forecasted for sub-Saharan Africa, from 20·1% (15·6–25·3) of DALYs due to YLDs in 2022 to 35·6% (26·5–43·0) in 2050. In the assessment of alternative future scenarios, the combined effects of the scenarios (Safer Environment, Improved Childhood Nutrition and Vaccination, and Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenarios) demonstrated an important decrease in the global burden of DALYs in 2050 of 15·4% (13·5–17·5) compared with the reference scenario, with decreases across super-regions ranging from 10·4% (9·7–11·3) in the high-income super-region to 23·9% (20·7–27·3) in north Africa and the Middle East. The Safer Environment scenario had its largest decrease in sub-Saharan Africa (5·2% [3·5–6·8]), the Improved Behavioural and Metabolic Risks scenario in north Africa and the Middle East (23·2% [20·2–26·5]), and the Improved Nutrition and Vaccination scenario in sub-Saharan Africa (2·0% [–0·6 to 3·6]). Interpretation Globally, life expectancy and age-standardised disease burden were forecasted to improve between 2022 and 2050, with the majority of the burden continuing to shift from CMNNs to NCDs. That said, continued progress on reducing the CMNN disease burden will be dependent on maintaining investment in and policy emphasis on CMNN disease prevention and treatment. Mostly due to growth and ageing of populations, the number of deaths and DALYs due to all causes combined will generally increase. By constructing alternative future scenarios wherein certain risk exposures are eliminated by 2050, we have shown that opportunities exist to substantially improve health outcomes in the future through concerted efforts to prevent exposure to well established risk factors and to expand access to key health interventions. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation