An integrated weed management approach in tomato using soil steaming, mulching, and winter cover crops

One of the most significant yield losses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is due to weeds. Yellow and purple nutsedge, large crabgrass, and Palmer amaranth are the most troublesome weed species in tomato production throughout the southeastern United States. This study aimed to determine the impact of soil steaming, plastic mulching, and cover crops on weed suppression, tomato height, and fruit yield. The cover crops used were hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), and cereal rye (Secale cereale). The study was conducted at the Mississippi State University Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, USA. The experiment used a completely randomized block design with three fall cover crop treatments, including fallow, and each was replicated three times and repeated in two years. Each plot was broadcasted with a mixture of yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.), large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis L.), barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), and Palmer amaranth [Amaranthus palmeri (S.) Watson] at a density of 20 plants m-2 for each weed species. Two days after sowing the weed seeds, the soil surface was steamed according to its assigned treatment until it reached 61°C for either 0, 5, or 20 min. After steaming, drip irrigation tubing was laid on each row, and covered by black, 0.0254-mm plastic mulch. Data were recorded in both years, including weed cover, plant height, and fruit yield. The lowest weed cover was observed at 5 min of soil steaming in mulched treatment, and the highest cover was noted at 0 min of soil steaming in the absence of mulching. Yellow nutsedge was the dominant weed species, even under steam and mulch treatments. The use of cover crops did not show a difference compared to fallow treatments. However, hairy vetch showed the lowest weed cover, followed by crimson clover. Tomato plants in steamed soil were up to 13 cm taller than those in unsteamed soils. Additionally, steaming at 5 or 20 min in combination with plastic mulch increased the marketable and cull yield. Soil steaming and mulching increased tomato plant height and yield while decreasing weed population and can, therefore, be effectively incorporated into an integrated weed management program in tomato

Travelers With Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Cured Without Systemic Therapy

Guidelines recommend wound care and/or local therapy as first-line treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis. An analysis of a referral treatment program in 135 travelers showed that this approach was feasible in 62% of patients, with positive outcome in 83% of evaluable patient

Demographic, clinical and antibody characteristics of patients with digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis: data from the DUO Registry

OBJECTIVES: The Digital Ulcers Outcome (DUO) Registry was designed to describe the clinical and antibody characteristics, disease course and outcomes of patients with digital ulcers associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS: The DUO Registry is a European, prospective, multicentre, observational, registry of SSc patients with ongoing digital ulcer disease, irrespective of treatment regimen. Data collected included demographics, SSc duration, SSc subset, internal organ manifestations, autoantibodies, previous and ongoing interventions and complications related to digital ulcers. RESULTS: Up to 19 November 2010 a total of 2439 patients had enrolled into the registry. Most were classified as either limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc; 52.2%) or diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc; 36.9%). Digital ulcers developed earlier in patients with dcSSc compared with lcSSc. Almost all patients (95.7%) tested positive for antinuclear antibodies, 45.2% for anti-scleroderma-70 and 43.6% for anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The first digital ulcer in the anti-scleroderma-70-positive patient cohort occurred approximately 5 years earlier than the ACA-positive patient group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides data from a large cohort of SSc patients with a history of digital ulcers. The early occurrence and high frequency of digital ulcer complications are especially seen in patients with dcSSc and/or anti-scleroderma-70 antibodies

How to Define Mild to Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa? A Simple New Tool Based on Latent Class Analysis of EPIVER Data Study

Purpose: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by recurrent or chronic painful and suppurating lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing regions. The lack of knowledge about HS and its extremely heterogeneous clinical presentation, in terms of both lesion appearance and sites of involvement, frequently delay its diagnosis for several years. Objectives: in this study, using the latent class analysis, it was demonstrated that severity of HS could be evaluated not only with clinical or surgical characteristics but also with gender specificities. Patients and Methods: Clinical and sociodemographic data of HS patients were retrospectively analysed with the latent class method in order to create a classification tool of disease severity. Results: From the study of 1428 HS patients (544 men and 884 women), two classification models, depending on gender, were developed. Each classification model was composed of three distinct latent classes clearly identified and defined from mild-to-severe cases of HS. These classification models of HS severity were not distorted by patient ages and were coherent with Hurley stages but were more clinically precise. Conclusion: In this study, a convenient classification tool, useful for facilitating decision support in routine practice, has been developed. This tool could be used to define clinical subgroups within a study population

Effective short term treatment of Paget's disease with oral etidronate.

Twelve patients with Paget's disease of bone were treated with high doses of disodium etidronate for one month and compared with patients given treatments for longer periods. The effects of treatment for one month with etidronate 20 mg/kg daily were indistinguishable from six months' continuous treatment with the same dose but significantly better than treatment with 5 mg/kg daily in suppressing biochemical indices of disease activity. Treatment for one month was associated with transient osteomalacia but sustained suppression of bone resorption. Short term treatments with high doses of disodium etidronate may maximise suppression of disease activity but decrease exposure to unwanted effects