Factors affecting regeneration from root fragments in two Physalis species

Le coqueret glabre (Physalis virginiana var. subglabrata) et le coqueret hétérophylle (P. heterophylla) sont des mauvaises herbes indigènes, devenant plus répandues dans le sud de l'Ontario. Leur succès est dû en grande partie à la multiplication végétative, surtout lors de la dispersion des fragments racinaires pendant le travail du sol. Des fragments racinaires de longueurs différentes, échantillonnés à différents stades du cycle vital et provenant de parties différentes du système racinaire, furent plantés à différentes profondeurs et orientés en différentes positions, afin de déterminer le pourcentage de régénération sous des conditions naturelles et en serre. Aucun des fragments laissés à la surface du sol ne s'est régénéré. La régénération la plus rapide s'est produite à de faibles profondeurs (5 cm). La longueur minimum à laquelle la régénération fut observée était 2,5 cm. Le pourcentage maximum de régénération fut obtenu chez les fragments d'une longueur de 10 cm. Pour les deux espèces, l'orientation des fragments n'avait aucune influence sur la capacité de régérération, ni le temps requis pour se régénérer. Pour les deux espèces, les fragments échantillonnés lors de la dispersion des fruits ont montré une régénération réduite (durant la même saison) comparativement à ceux échantillonnés tôt pendant le stade végétatif. Les fragments racinaires prélevés près du collet ont démontré le pourcentage de régénération le plus faible. Les fragments présentant des bourgeons lors de la plantation se sont régénérés plus rapidement que ceux dépourvus de bourgeons. En serre et sous conditions naturelles, les plantules de coqueret glabre ont émergé avant celles du coqueret hétérophylle. Ces résultats suggèrent que la réduction des infestations de coqueret serait possible en rapportant les fragments en surface lors du travail du sol.Smooth ground-cherry (Physalis virginiana var. subglabrata) and clammy ground-cherry (P. heterophylla) are native weeds that are becoming more common in arable land in southern Ontario. Much of their success stems from vegetative propagation, especially after dispersal of root fragments during cultivation. Root fragments of different lengths, collected at different life cycle stages, from different parts of the root System and replanted at different depths and orientations in the soil, were tested for regeneration in the field and the greenhouse. No fragments left on the soil surface regenerated. Shallow (5 cm) burial led to the fastest regeneration. Fragments as short as 2.5 cm regenerated but the highest percentage regeneration was from fragments 10- cm long. Orientation had no effect on the capacity of root fragments to regenerate nor on the time taken to regenerate in either species. In both species, fewer root fragments sampled from plants at the fruit dispersal stage regenerated in the same season than fragments obtained at the early vegetative stage. Root fragments obtained from parts of the root System closest to the crown had the least regeneration. Root fragments with preformed visible buds at planting time regenerated faster than those with no preformed buds. In both the greenhouse and the field, smooth ground-cherry shoots emerged faster than those of clammy ground-cherry. These results suggest that reduction in ground-cherry infestations could be achieved by cultivating and dragging fragments to the surface

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 84.7%) were from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 62.8%), followed by strabismus (n = 429 10.2%) and proptosis (n = 309 7.4%). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 95% CI, 12.94-24.80, and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 95% CI, 4.30-7.68). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs. © 2020 American Medical Association. All rights reserved

Serosurvey and factors associated with Leishmania donovani infection in febrile HIV infected individuals attending Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

Background: Leishmania Donovani (L. donovani) is an obligate intracellular pathogen. L. donovani and HIV co-infection is neglected clinical entity in sub-Saharan African. L. donovani infections have been shown to deplete host cellular immunity and proceed to severe diseases. As part of the ongoing research efforts in Nigeria to improve the healthcare of HIV infected individuals through diagnosis and treatment of co-infections with leishmaniasis, this study was instigated.Methods & Materials: Three hundred and forty blood samples were individually collected from HIV infected individuals with fever>10 days attending University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. EDTA anticoagulated blood was tested for CD4+ cell counts, while sera were tested for L. donovanii IgG antibodies using flow cytometry and Enzyme linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) respectively. Interviewer-based questionnaires were used to collect participants' sociodemographic  variables. Data were analysed for statistical association and relation between seropositivity of L. donovani IgG and risk factors.Results: Of the 340 participants studied, the seroprevalence of L. donovanii antibodies was 8.2%. The mean CD4+ cell count of those with L. donovani seropositivity (n = 28) was 119.4cells/mm3. There was statistical relation between CD4+ cell counts and L. donovani antibodies. There was statistical association between L. donovani IgG seropositivity with age of participants (p = 0.014), residential area (p = 0.033), living condition (p = 0.0006) and Proximity to water collection (p<0.0006) and bushes/ vegetation (p=0.049). Skin disfiguration wassignificantly associated with L. donovani IgG antibodies (p=0.000).Conclusion: Findings from this study revealed that L. donovani is an etiological agent of acute fever and skin disfiguration in HIV infected patients and significantly associated with CD4+ lymphopaenia in HIVco-infectedpatients.Keywords: Leishmaniasis; HIV coinfections; Surveillance; Cellular immunit