Soybean root rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium graminearum: interactions with biotic and abiotic factors

Fusarium oxysporum (Fo) and Fusarium graminearum (Fg) are important components of the Fusarium root rot complex in soybean. Fo is one of the species most frequently associated with soybean root rot, and Fg isolates that colonize wheat and maize have been found to be highly pathogenic on soybean, in the United States. Fo and Fg cause seed decay, damping-off, crown and root rots and pod blight. The goal of this research was to characterize the biology of Fo and Fg and determine their role as soybean seedling pathogens in the Fusarium root rot complex. The objectives were to: i) assess the phenotypic characteristics of Fo isolates from soybean, including the interaction between Fo isolates and soybean cultivars, growth characteristics in culture, and sensitivity to fungicides, ii) evaluate the effect of pH and temperature on the development of soybean root rot caused by Fo, and iii) determine the impact of soil texture, soil pH and soil water content on seedling disease caused by Fg. For objective 1, pathogenicity of fourteen Fo isolates was evaluated on eleven soybean cultivars in rolled-towel and petri-dish assays. Our study revealed that cultivars differed in susceptibility to Fo, and there were significant isolate ÃÂÃÂ cultivar interactions. These results suggests that the pattern of resistance or susceptibility for each soybean cultivar differs among isolates. In addition, soybean cultivars differed in susceptibility to Fo, illustrating the variability among Fo isolates from soybean and the potential for their management through cultivar selection. Fo isolates also differed in radial growth on PDA. Pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin effectively reduced conidial germination, and ipconazole effectively reduced fungal growth, but fludioxonil was ineffective against Fo fungal growth. These results illustrate the variability among Fo isolates from soybean and the potential for their management through cultivar selection or seed treatment. For objective 2, a growth chamber study was performed to assess the effects of pH and temperature on Fo fungal growth and seedling disease. Fo isolates were grown on artificial culture media at four pH levels (4, 5, 6, 7, 8), and incubated at four temperatures (15 20, 25, or 30ᵒC). In a rolled-towel assay, seeds were inoculated with a suspension of a pathogenic or a non-pathogenic Fo isolate. We found that Fo isolates had the greatest radial growth at pH 6 and 25ᵒC, and caused the most severe root rot at pH 6 and 25ᵒC. In addition, a Gaussian model was performed to estimate optimal pH and temperature for fungal growth and disease severity. Optimal conditions estimated using a Gaussian model were pH 6.4 at 27.4 ᵒC for maximal fungal growth, and pH 5.9 at 30ᵒC for maximal root rot severity. These results indicate that optimal pH and temperature conditions for Fo growth are similar to optimal conditions for infection and disease in soybean seedlings, and suggest that Fo may be a more important seedling pathogen when soybeans are planted later, under warm conditions. For objective 3, we tested the effect of four artificial soil textures (sand, loamy sand, sandy loam and loam), two levels of soil pH (6 and 8), and three levels of soil moisture (permanent wilting point, field capacity and saturation) on root rot of soybean caused by Fg. We found a significant interaction between soil moisture and soil texture for root rot. The greatest severity (~70%) was observed at pH 6 and permanent wilting point in sandy loam soils. In contrast, pot saturation resulted in the lowest levels of disease in sandy loam and loam soils (11.6 and 10.8%, respectively). Percentages of reduction on seedling growth parameters relative to the non-inoculated control, such as root length, foliar area, shoot and root dry weights and root tips were significantly higher in sandy loam soils. In contrast, there were no relative growth reductions in sandy soils. Our results suggest root disease caused by Fg increases in water-stressed plants, resulting in detrimental effects on plant development

Influence of soils, nutrition, and water relations upon charcoal rot disease processes in Kansas.

Master of ScienceDepartment of Plant PathologyChristopher R. LittleChristopher R. LittleCharcoal rot, caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, is the most important soybean disease in Kansas. Several strategies have been recommended to control this disease including crop rotation, lower plant densities, biological control, plant resistance and tolerance, and fungicide application. However, those techniques have not been completely effective and the information concerning soil texture, irrigation and micronutrient fertility (particularly manganese) upon charcoal rot disease severity and the pathogen population is limited. The objective of this study was to determine key factors that affect the biology of M. phaseolina and charcoal rot processes under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. M. phaseolina microsclerotia were produced from PDA pure isolate and infested Japanese millet in the laboratory and characterized by different techniques such as serial dilutions in semi selective media with the aim to produce quality inoculum to reliably infect soybean seedling roots under greenhouse conditions; production of inoculum by infesting Japanese millet was the most efficient method. Root colonization and root infection of soybean seedlings was assessed through the use of M. phaseolina inoculum under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. Root infection by M. phaseolina and microsclerotia longevity in soil is determined by environmental factors such as soil moisture content, soil texture and source of inoculum. The objective of the greenhouse study was to determine the impact of these variables on seedling root infection at the V1 and V2 development stages. Artificial soils with different textures were infested; M. phaseolina microsclerotia and soybean seedlings were exposed to different soil moisture contents including pot saturation, pot (field) capacity, and permanent wilting point. Soil populations and levels of root colonization for the stages were assessed by estimating CFUs and root length. Results indicate that soil texture has a significant impact upon root morphology and root length. Root populations of M. phaseolina were significantly higher in sandy soil textures and lower in the fine-textured soils, suggesting an impact of soil water holding capacity in the root infection process. The effect of water stress on seedling root colonization by M. phaseolina indicates that early infection may be more important than previously thought. A field study was also conducted to determine the effect of the aforementioned variables in a 2-year field experiment conducted at two Kansas locations. Pathogen colonization was iii assessed by measuring colony-forming units (CFUs) from ground root tissue at R2-R4 (post-flowering/early pod development) and R8 (maturity) stages. Soil populations (pre-planting and post-harvest) of M. phaseolina, yield parameters, and plant characteristics were obtained. Results indicated that there are complex relationships between soil physiochemical properties (pH, NPK content, exchangeable cations, and organic matter) and soil texture (sand, soil, and clay composition), which may mitigate disease severity and pathogen levels in host tissue. Results also indicated that in natural M. phaseolina-infested soils, cropping history and soil texture play an important role in charcoal rot processes and influence the levels of pathogen soil populations, root colonization at maturity and, more importantly, soybean yield

Cancer stem cells from human glioblastoma resemble but do not mimic original tumors after in vitro passaging in serum-free media

Human gliomas harbour cancer stem cells (CSCs) that evolve along the course of the disease, forming highly heterogeneous subpopulations within the tumour mass. These cells possess self-renewal properties and appear to contribute to tumour initiation, metastasis and resistance to therapy. CSC cultures isolated from surgical samples are considered the best preclinical in vitro model for primary human gliomas. However, it is not yet well characterized to which extent their biological and functional properties change during in vitro passaging in the serum-free culture conditions. Here, we demonstrate that our CSC-enriched cultures harboured from one to several CSC clones from the human glioma sample. When xenotransplanted into mouse brain, these cells generated tumours that reproduced at least three different dissemination patterns found in original tumours. Along the passages in culture, CSCs displayed increased expression of stem cell markers, different ratios of chromosomal instability events, and a varied response to drug treatment. Our findings highlight the need for better characterization of CSC-enriched cultures in the context of their evolution in vitro, in order to uncover their full potential as preclinical models in the studies aimed at identifying molecular biomarkers and developing new therapeutic approaches of human gliomas.Peer reviewe

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since July 2014. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the fourteenth from SDSS overall (making this, Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes public data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (July 2014-2016). Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS); the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data driven machine learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release, and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V.Comment: SDSS-IV collaboration alphabetical author data release paper. DR14 happened on 31st July 2017. 19 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by ApJS on 28th Nov 2017 (this is the "post-print" and "post-proofs" version; minor corrections only from v1, and most of errors found in proofs corrected

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

SELNET clinical practice guidelines for bone sarcoma

Bone sarcoma are infrequent diseases, representing < 0.2% of all adult neoplasms. A multidisciplinary management within reference centers for sarcoma, with discussion of the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies within an expert multidisciplinary tumour board, is essential for these patients, given its heterogeneity and low frequency. This approach leads to an improvement in patient's outcome, as demonstrated in several studies. The Sarcoma European Latin-American Network (SELNET), aims to improve clinical outcome in sarcoma care, with a special focus in Latin-American countries. These Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) have been developed and agreed by a multidisciplinary expert group (including medical and radiation oncologist, surgical oncologist, orthopaedic surgeons, radiologist, pathologist, molecular biologist and representatives of patients advocacy groups) of the SELNET consortium, and are conceived to provide the standard approach to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of bone sarcoma patients in the Latin-American context

The case for strategic international alliances to harness nutritional genomics for public and personal health

Nutrigenomics is the study of how constituents of the diet interact with genes, and their products, to alter phenotype and, conversely, how genes and their products metabolise these constituents into nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive compounds. Results from molecular and genetic epidemiological studies indicate that dietary unbalance can alter gene-nutrient interactions in ways that increase the risk of developing chronic disease. The interplay of human genetic variation and environmental factors will make identifying causative genes and nutrients a formidable, but not intractable, challenge. We provide specific recommendations for how to best meet this challenge and discuss the need for new methodologies and the use of comprehensive analyses of nutrient-genotype interactions involving large and diverse populations. The objective of the present paper is to stimulate discourse and collaboration among nutrigenomic researchers and stakeholders, a process that will lead to an increase in global health and wellness by reducing health disparities in developed and developing countrie

The Fourteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey and from the Second Phase of the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment

The fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV) has been in operation since 2014 July. This paper describes the second data release from this phase, and the 14th from SDSS overall (making this Data Release Fourteen or DR14). This release makes the data taken by SDSS-IV in its first two years of operation (2014–2016 July) public. Like all previous SDSS releases, DR14 is cumulative, including the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since the first phase began operations in 2000. New in DR14 is the first public release of data from the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey; the first data from the second phase of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE-2), including stellar parameter estimates from an innovative data-driven machine-learning algorithm known as "The Cannon"; and almost twice as many data cubes from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey as were in the previous release (N = 2812 in total). This paper describes the location and format of the publicly available data from the SDSS-IV surveys. We provide references to the important technical papers describing how these data have been taken (both targeting and observation details) and processed for scientific use. The SDSS web site (www.sdss.org) has been updated for this release and provides links to data downloads, as well as tutorials and examples of data use. SDSS-IV is planning to continue to collect astronomical data until 2020 and will be followed by SDSS-V

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to &lt;90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], &gt;300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of &lt;15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P&lt;0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P&lt;0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years