Preliminary Observation of Phenolic Acids on Basal Stem Rot Infected Oil Palm

An observation was conducted in Kam Cheong Plantations Sdn Bhd, Lungmanis Fields 8 and 10, Sandakan, Sabah from October 2018 to September 2019. A biocontrol formulation consisting of phenolic acids was applied to Ganoderma infected palms via trunk injection to control the basal stem rot (BSR) and reduce the oil palm yield losses. The formulation was first produced in Universiti Malaysia Sabah before being applied to the infected palms. A total of three rounds of the phenolic acids formulation were applied to 120 infected palms in Kam Cheong with two months interval each. Every infected palm was injected with 40 ml of the formulation (20 ml/injection hole) using a manual trunk injector. This was followed by monitoring and recording of the oil palm yield and disease recovery. The recovery of the infected palms was assessed based on the physical changes of the palms. Out of the 120 treated palms in the two affected areas, 68.33 per cent were still productive although infected, 13.33 per cent recovered from the infection, 9.17 per cent had dead Ganoderma fruiting bodies but with BSR foliar symptoms while 9.17 per cent collapsed or died after the six months’ observation. The fresh fruit bunch yield increased from 1.24 to 3.14 tonnes per hectare in Field 10, an increment of about 154 per cent. However, the yield varied in Field 8 during the observation. This paper serves as a preliminary report on the benefits of phenolic acids to Ganoderma infected palms. More research may be necessary in the future to confirm this result especially on the effect of yield

Evaluation on the effectiveness of organic acids combination against Ganoderma boninense, the causal pathogen of basal stem rot in oil palm

Basal Stem Rot (BSR) disease mainly caused by Ganoderma boninense has become a serious threat to the South East Asia oil palm industry. With no conclusive remedy to date, the oil palm industry is still in search of effective ways to manage this disease. The present work reports the effectiveness of organic acids combination (OAC) in managing Ganoderma infection in oil palm. In this study, the pre-formulated organic acids combination from a product to control BSR caused by Ganoderma was carried out both in the field and nursery. The trial was conducted for a duration of approximately 18 months. The field trial was carried out at Bode Estate of Kretam Plantations Sabah in Sandakan. The possibility of the OAC in preventing the infection from spreading to newly planted seedlings in the area with Ganoderma history was also assessed via nursery trial at Mile 25, estate of Kam Cheong Sdn Bhd. In the field trial, three different sets of protocols i.e.: A (0.4% v/v with 5 rounds of application), B (0.4% v/v with 3 rounds of application), and C (0.5% v/v with 3 rounds of application) of the OAC treatment were applied along with Ganoderma Selective Medium (GSM) analysis, ergosterol content analysis, in vitro antagonistic evaluation and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) observation to comprehensively investigate the efficacy of the combination. Protocols A, B and C had significantly reduced the colonisation / amount of ergosterol content (8.832-9.095 μg/g of trunk tissues) in the infected palms in comparison to those Ganoderma infected but left untreated palms (48.956 μg/g of trunk tissues). However, there was no significant difference between the effectiveness among the three protocols in reduction of Ganoderma colonisation till month-12, in which protocol C proved to perform better compared to the other two protocols. There was slight ergosterol content increment in oil palm tissues treated with various protocols of the OAC at month-18, but were much lesser compared to untreated palms. Nonetheless, none of the protocols in application of OAC gave an absolute control of Ganoderma till the end of the trial, as the treated palms remained infected but with much lower ergosterol content compared to untreated palms. Application of the OAC as soil treatment for prevention of Ganoderma infection to seedlings replanted in the area with Ganoderma history in Kam Cheong Estate showed lesser disease incidences compared to those untreated ones. The infected seedlings which were treated by this product also showed lesser amount of ergosterol content which represents lesser colonisation of the pathogenic fungi. However, OAC-treated seedlings still recorded the presence of ergosterol from low to moderate in some of the tested samples. In vitro experiment of OAC and Ganoderma mycelia further elaborates the possible interaction between these organic acids with Ganoderma when in contact with either the tissues or soil. The in vitro results suggest OAC has destructive effect against the mycelia of Ganoderma with SEM evidences of massive damaging effects of the product to the mycelia of the fungi. Based on the GC-MS analysis, the OAC were identified from the products propanoic acid, acetic acid, benzoic acid, sorbic acid and besylic acid

Intravenous alteplase for stroke with unknown time of onset guided by advanced imaging: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data

Background: Patients who have had a stroke with unknown time of onset have been previously excluded from thrombolysis. We aimed to establish whether intravenous alteplase is safe and effective in such patients when salvageable tissue has been identified with imaging biomarkers. Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data for trials published before Sept 21, 2020. Randomised trials of intravenous alteplase versus standard of care or placebo in adults with stroke with unknown time of onset with perfusion-diffusion MRI, perfusion CT, or MRI with diffusion weighted imaging-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (DWI-FLAIR) mismatch were eligible. The primary outcome was favourable functional outcome (score of 0–1 on the modified Rankin Scale [mRS]) at 90 days indicating no disability using an unconditional mixed-effect logistic-regression model fitted to estimate the treatment effect. Secondary outcomes were mRS shift towards a better functional outcome and independent outcome (mRS 0–2) at 90 days. Safety outcomes included death, severe disability or death (mRS score 4–6), and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020166903. Findings: Of 249 identified abstracts, four trials met our eligibility criteria for inclusion: WAKE-UP, EXTEND, THAWS, and ECASS-4. The four trials provided individual patient data for 843 individuals, of whom 429 (51%) were assigned to alteplase and 414 (49%) to placebo or standard care. A favourable outcome occurred in 199 (47%) of 420 patients with alteplase and in 160 (39%) of 409 patients among controls (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·49 [95% CI 1·10–2·03]; p=0·011), with low heterogeneity across studies (I2=27%). Alteplase was associated with a significant shift towards better functional outcome (adjusted common OR 1·38 [95% CI 1·05–1·80]; p=0·019), and a higher odds of independent outcome (adjusted OR 1·50 [1·06–2·12]; p=0·022). In the alteplase group, 90 (21%) patients were severely disabled or died (mRS score 4–6), compared with 102 (25%) patients in the control group (adjusted OR 0·76 [0·52–1·11]; p=0·15). 27 (6%) patients died in the alteplase group and 14 (3%) patients died among controls (adjusted OR 2·06 [1·03–4·09]; p=0·040). The prevalence of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage was higher in the alteplase group than among controls (11 [3%] vs two [<1%], adjusted OR 5·58 [1·22–25·50]; p=0·024). Interpretation: In patients who have had a stroke with unknown time of onset with a DWI-FLAIR or perfusion mismatch, intravenous alteplase resulted in better functional outcome at 90 days than placebo or standard care. A net benefit was observed for all functional outcomes despite an increased risk of symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage. Although there were more deaths with alteplase than placebo, there were fewer cases of severe disability or death. Funding: None

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Band Tail Engineering in Kesterite Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ Thin-Film Solar Cells with 11.8% Efficiency

Herein, we report a facile process, i.e., controlling the initial chamber pressure during the postdeposition annealing, to effectively lower the band tail states in the synthesized CZTSSe thin films. Through detailed analysis of the external quantum efficiency derivative (<i>d</i>EQE/<i>d</i>λ) and low-temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) data, we find that the band tail states are significantly influenced by the initial annealing pressure. After carefully optimizing the deposition processes and device design, we are able to synthesize kesterite CZTSSe thin films with energy differences between inflection of d­(EQE)/dλ and LTPL as small as 10 meV. These kesterite CZTSSe thin films enable the fabrication of solar cells with a champion efficiency of 11.8% with a low <i>V</i>_oc deficit of 582 mV. The results suggest that controlling the annealing process is an effective approach to reduce the band tail in kesterite CZTSSe thin films

Arabidopsis ubiquitin-specific protease 6 (AtUBP6) interacts with calmodulin

Calmodulin (CaM), a key Ca2+ sensor in eukaryotes, regulates diverse cellular processes by interacting with many proteins. To identify Ca2+/CaM-mediated signaling components, we screened an Arabidopsis expression library with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated Arabidopsis calmodulin2 (AtCaM2) and isolated a homolog of the UBP6 deubiquitinating enzyme family (AtUBP6) containing a Ca2+-dependent CaM-binding domain (CaMBD). The CaM-binding activity of the AtUBP6 CaMBD was confirmed by CaM mobility shift assay, phosphodiesterase competition assay and site-directed mutagenesis. Furthermore, expression of AtUBP6 restored canavanine resistance to the Delta ubp6 yeast mutant. This is the first demonstration that Ca2+ signaling via CaM is involved in ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation and/or stabilization in plants.close8