Close similarities between Cherry chlorotic rusty spot disease from Italy and Cherry leaf scorch from Spain

Cherry chlorotic rusty spot (CCRS), a disease affecting sweet and sour cherry in Southern Italy was regularly found associated with an unidentified fungus and with a complex pattern of viral-like double-stranded RNAs as well as with two small circular RNAs (cherry small circular RNAs, cscRNAs). Further studies revealed that i) the ds-RNAs correspond to the genome of different mycoviruses belonging to the genera Chrysovirus, Partitivirus and Totivirus and ii) the two viroid-like RNAs consist of two groups of variants with similar sequences but differing in size (394–415 and 372–377 nt for cscRNA1 and cscRNA2, respectively). Here we report that the dsRNAs of Chrysovirus and Partitivirus have been detected by RT-PCR analysis with CCRS specific primers in nucleic acid preparations from cherry leaves affected by cherry leaf scorch (CLS) in Spain, a disease whose etiological agent is the ascomycetes Apiognomonia erythrostoma, order Diaporthales. Moreover, Northern-blot hybridization assays showed that a viroid-like RNA comigrating and sharing high sequence similarity with the cscRNA1 previously reported in Italy, accumulate in leaves from CLS affected trees in Spain. These data, together with other evidence showing similar symptoms, disease cycle and fungal fructifications in CCRS and CLS affected trees, suggest a close relationship between the two cherry disorders.Keywords: dsRNAs, cscRNAs, Apiognomonia erythrostoma, Diaporthale

Collagen proportionate area predicts long-term mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis

Background and aims: There are several short-term prognostic scores for alcoholic hepatitis (AH) that combine demographical and biochemical parameters. The extent of liver fibrosis may also be relevant to the prognosis of AH with potential added value. We evaluated collagen proportionate area (CPA) as a predictor of short and long-term mortality in AH. Methods: We retrospectively included patients with biopsy-verified AH. Clinical, laboratory and outcome data were collected. CPA and five AH scores were calculated: Maddrey's DF, MELD, GAHS, ABIC, and the Lille Model. Predictors of short and long-term all-cause mortality were assessed using Cox regression analysis. Results: We included 140 patients with AH. In total, 67 (48%) patients died after a median follow-up of 66 (IQR 102) months, with 17 (12%) dying within the first 90-days. CPA was not a predictor of 90-days mortality and had no additional value to the prognostic AH scores on short-term mortality. However, CPA predicted long-term mortality independently of prognostic AH scores. Importantly, CPA and abstinence from alcohol were independent predictors of long-term mortality in patients alive 90 days after the biopsy. Conclusion: CPA predicts long-term mortality in patients with AH independently of abstinence from alcohol but has no prognostic value on short-term mortality

Inhaled drugs to reduce exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Most patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) receive inhaled long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids. Conventional meta-analyses established that these drugs reduce COPD exacerbations when separately compared with placebo. However, there are relatively few head-to-head comparisons and conventional meta-analyses focus on single comparisons rather than on a simultaneous analysis of competing drug regimens that would allow rank ordering of their effectiveness. Therefore we assessed, using a networkmeta analytic technique, the relative effectiveness of the common inhaled drug regimes used to reduce exacerbations in patients with COPD. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and searched existing systematic reviews and electronic databases for randomized trials of >=4 weeks' duration that assessed the effectiveness of inhaled drug regimes on exacerbations in patients with stable COPD. We extracted participants and intervention characteristics from included trials and assessed their methodological quality. For each treatment group we registered the proportion of patients with >=1 exacerbation during follow-up. We used treatment-arm based logistic regression analysis to estimate the absolute and relative effects of inhaled drug treatments while preserving randomization within trials. RESULTS: We identified 35 trials enrolling 26,786 patients with COPD of whom 27% had >=1 exacerbation. All regimes reduced exacerbations statistically significantly compared with placebo (odds ratios ranging from 0.71 (95%confidence interval [CI] 0.64 to 0.80) for long-acting anticholinergics to 0.78 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.86) for inhaled corticosteroids). Compared with long-acting bronchodilators alone, combined treatment was not more effective (comparison with long-acting beta-agonists: odds ratio 0.93 [95% CI 0.84 to 1.04] and comparison with long-acting anticholinergics: odds ratio 1.02 [95% CI 0.90 to 1.16], respectively). If FEV1 was 40% predicted. This effect modification was significant for inhaled corticosteroids (P=0.02 for interaction) and combination treatment (P=0.01) but not for long-acting anticholinergics (P=0.46). A limitation of this analysis is its exclusive focus on exacerbations and lack of FEV1 data for individual patients. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that one single inhaled drug regimen is more effective than another in reducing exacerbations. Inhaled corticosteroids when added to long-acting beta-agonists reduce exacerbations only in patients with COPD with FEV1<=40%

Differential effects of alprazolam and clonazepam on the immune system and blood vessels of non-stressed and stressed adult male albino rats

Benzodiazepines belongs to one of the most commonly used anxiolytic and anticonvulsant drugs in the world. Full description of toxic effects on different organs is lacking for nearly all the current benzodiazepines. The aim of the current work was to study the immunologic and vascular changes induced by sub-chronic administration of alprazolam and clonazepam in non-stressed and stressed adult male albino rats. Forty-two adult male albino rats were divided into 6 groups (I): (Ia) Negative control rats, (Ib): Positive control rats received distilled water, (II): Stressed rats, (III): Non-stressed rats received daily oral dose of clonazepam (0.5 mg/kg), (IV): Stressed rats received daily oral dose of clonazepam (0.5 mg/kg), (V): Non-stressed rats received daily oral dose of alprazolam (0.3 mg/kg). (VI): Stressed rats received daily oral dose of alprazolam (0.3 mg/kg). At the end of the 4th week, total leukocyte count (WBCs) and differential count were determined, anti-sheep RBC antibody (Anti-SRBC) titer and interleukin-2 (IL-2) level were assessed, thymus glands, lymph nodes, spleens and abdominal aortae were submitted to histopathological examination. Alprazolam was found to induce a significant increase in neutrophil count and a significant decrease in lymphocytes, anti-SRBC titer and IL-2 level with severe depletion of the splenic, thymal and nodal lymphocytes, accompanied by congestion and eosinophilic vasculitis of all organs tested in comparison to clonazepam treated rats. Stress enhanced the toxic effects. It was concluded that the immune system and blood vessels can be adversely affected to a greater extent by short-term chronic administration of alprazolam than by clonazepam, and these toxic effects are aggravated by stress

Elicitation of immune responsiveness against antigenic challenge in age-related diseases: effects of red wine polyphenols

Polyphenols contained in red wine possess a broad array of properties which seem to be beneficial to human and animal health. We have investigated the ability of red wine polyphenols to promote the in vitro release of both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines from human healthy mononuclear cells, as well as of immunoglobulins from B cells. Following red wine (Negroamaro) pretreatment of lymphomonocytes, results will show a production of regulatory Interleukin (IL)-12, proinflammatory (IL-1β and IL-6), and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines, as well as of IgA and IgG. The fine balance between inflammation and antiinflammation, as well as the role of humoral immune response either systemic or mucosal will be discussed as a consequence of red wine intake. Finally, since ageing is characterized by a decline of many immune functions, our results suggest that moderate use of red wine may be beneficial in age-related disorders where the host immune response is very often not effective against a variety of antigen