Identification and characterization of Peach latent mosaic viroid and Hop stunt viroid in different peach cultivars showing dapple fruit, fruit yellow mosaic and cracked suture symptoms

From the early 1990s, a fruit peach syndrome characterized mainly by small discoloured spots (dapple fruit) and/or yellow areas on the skin (yellow mosaic), cracked suture and deformations was identified in most commercial orchards in the Emilia Romagna region (Northern Italy). In the past, Peach latent mosaic viroid (PLMVd) and Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) have been detected in trees with symptomatic fruits. In order to ascertain the presence and spread of these two viroids, symptomatic fruit samples were collected from five different cultivars: ‘Royal Glory’, ‘Crimson Lady’, ‘Grenat’, ‘Diamond Princess’ and ‘Laura’. Dapple fruit symptoms affected all cultivars, ‘Grenat’ samples also showed evident yellow mosaic and fruit deformation, and ‘Royal Glory’ severe cracked sutures. The results showed a large diffusion of the two viroids, mainly in mixed infections. Anvaluation of the role the viroids could play in symptom expression has been complicated by the high number of samples infected by both viroids (60%). Nonetheless, PLMVd was confirmed to be strictly associated with the yellow mosaic, cracked suture and fruit deformation symptoms. The aetiological origin of the dapple fruit disease, however, seems to be more complicated, since in the ‘Diamond Princess’, only PLMVd has been found to be associated with the symptoms, whereas in all other cultivars, the presence of HSVd could have influenced the symptom expression. Moreover, the molecular characterization of some PLMVd isolates does not show any correlation between nucleotide sequence and symptoms although new PLMVd variants were identified. Keywords: peach fruit symptoms, PLMVd, HSVd, mixed infectio

The molecular characterization of HSVd isolates associated with dapple fruit and fruit rugosity in plum seedlings suggests a possible role of breeding in viroid dissemination

In a wide range of hosts, the infection caused by Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) appears to be latent, whereas in some others it is frequently pathogenic. In this work, the presence of HSVd has been found to be associated with symptoms of dapple fruit and fruit rugosity in plum seedlings obtained from cross breeding for quality. Symptomatic and symptomless plum seedling samples have been analyzed for the presence of the principal stone fruit viroids and viruses. HSVd was found in all symptomatic samples, whereas no other viruses or viroids were found in the analyzed samples with the exception of ACLSV, which was detected rarely. The RNAs of all HSVd isolates have been cloned and sequenced. The sequence analysis showed a high percentage of homology among the isolates, making it possible to hypothesize a potential unique origin of the infection. For this purpose, those plants used in breeding as pollen donors have been analyzed. The results showed that the same HSVd isolate was also present in the parental plants, both in the leaves and pollen, suggesting a possible role of breeding in the dissemination of the viroid.Keywords: Plum, seedlings, fruit rugosity, dapple fruit, HSVd, polle

AB0901 PREVALENCE OF OSTEOPOROSIS IN ITALIAN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN ACCORDING TO DEFRA ALGORITHM

Background:Osteoporosis is a recognized health problem and the burden of the disease is mostly associated with the occurrence of hip and vertebral fracture.Objectives:This study was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of osteoporosis in Italian postmenopausal women, defined by DeFRA calculation as a 10 years fracture risk equal or higher than 20%.Methods:This is a monocenter cohort study evaluating 1850 post-menopausal women aged 50 years and older. All the participants were evaluated as far as anthropometrics. Defra questionnaire was administered and calculated with bone mineral density (DXA) measured at lumbar spine and femoral neck.Results:The prevalence of osteoporosis as assessed by DeFRA was 29.8% in the whole population, according to literature. The frequency of a risk fracture equal or higher than 20% varied from 7.9% in the group aged 50-59 years to 35% in subjects aged >80. Among clinical risk factors for fracture, the presence of a previous fracture (spine primarily) was the most commonly observed.Conclusion:Our data showed that about one third of post-menopausal women aged 50 and older in Italy has osteoporosis on the basis of DeFRA algorithm, with a high 10 years fracture risk. A previous fracture is the most common risk factor. The data should be considered in relation to the need to increase prevention strategies and therapeutic intervention.Disclosure of Interests:None declare

Influence of the dynamic classification of asteroids on observation astrometric errors: a statistical analysis

The ephemerides of minor planets are computed on the basis of astrometric observations. The asteroid orbit determination process requires these observations to be properly weighted to take into account the expected accuracy of the data. If not directly provided by the observers, the weights are, in general, computed after a station-specific statistical analysis on the observation residuals, where the influence of external factors such as epoch of observation, magnitude, and employed catalogue has been proven. In this paper, we perform a statistical analysis on observation residuals of the major surveys taking into account a new factor, i.e. the dynamical classification of asteroids, to understand whether the observation quality may have a dependence on the different type of observed object. If an influence is actually found, then it will be possible to develop a new weighting system based on these results. The weights will be easily applicable once one knows the asteroid orbit. In particular, four stations have been found having different qualities depending on whether they are observing near-Earth asteroids or main-belt asteroids. Moreover, the cross-correlation between the dynamic classification and epoch, magnitude, and catalogue is investigated, as well as the influence of these factors on observations’ quality

Are Long Term Cryopreservation and Patency of Vein Allograft Truly Achievable?

Despite extensive experimental work, neither the effect of long term cryopreservation on vein graft architecture nor the failure of alloveins due to graft rejection have yet been investigated. Herein, we investigated ultrastructurally: a) the integrity of rabbit jugular veins following 1, 2 and 3 months of cryopreservation; b) the outcome of the three-month cryopreserved vein auto- and allografts after 1 month of implantation in the rabbit carotid artery; and c) the immunologic response to cryopreserved vein allografts with and without seeded autologous endothelium. Prior to implantation, the cryopreserved rabbit veins were well-maintained except for endothelial cell damage. Following implantation, the cryopreserved vein autografts were comparable to fresh veins with a complete endothelial lining. Conversely, only one of the allograft was still patent with features of acute rejection. After seeding with autologous endothelium , these explants failed shortly after surgery. We found absence of endothelium and necrosis of the media components with neutrophil infiltration. Although three months of cryopreservation does not affect vein graft architecture significantly, endothelial cells are damaged irrespective of the time of cryopreservation. Vein autografts promptly healed after one month of implantation at which time a viable endothelial cell lining was restored from the host artery. Conversely, vein allografts, with and without seeded autologous endothelium, failed due to graft rejection. This study highlights that current methods of cryopreservation do not reduce antigenicity of venous allografts significantly

Sex Influence on Fenestrated and Branched Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair: Outcomes From a National Multicenter Registry

Introduction: Women are generally underrepresented in trials focusing on aortic aneurysm. Nevertheless, sex-related differences have recently emerged from several studies and registries. The aim of this research was to assess whether sex-related anatomical disparities existed in fenestrated and branched aortic repair candidates and whether these discrepancies could influence endovascular repair outcomes. Methods: Data from all consecutive patients treated during the 2008–2019 period within the Italian Multicenter fenestrated or branched endovascular aortic repair (F/BEVAR) Registry were included in the present study. Propensity matching was performed using a logistic regression model adjusted for demographic data and comorbidities to obtain comparable male and female samples. The selection model led to a final study population of 176 patients (88 women and 88 men) among the total initial cohort of 596. Study endpoints were technical and clinical success, overall survival, aneurysm-related death, and reintervention rates evaluated at 30 days and during follow-up. Results: Twenty-eight patients (15.9%) received urgent/emergent repair. In most of the cases (71.6%), women received treatment for extensive thoracoabdominal pathology (Crawford type I, II, or III aneurysm rather than type IV or juxta-pararenal) versus 46.6% of men (p=0.001). Female patients presented with more challenging iliac accesses with at least one side considered hostile in 27.3% of the cases (vs 13.6% in male patients, p=0.039). Finally, women had significantly smaller visceral vessels. Women had significantly worse operative outcomes, with an 86.2% technical success rate versus 96.6% in the male population (p=0.016). No differences were recorded in terms of 30-day reinterventions between men and women. The 5-year estimate of freedom from late reintervention, according to Kaplan-Meier analysis, was 85.6% in men versus 81.6% in women (p=ns). No aneurysm-related death was recorded during follow-up (median observational time, 23 months [interquartile range, 7–45 months]). Conclusion: Women presented a significantly higher incidence of thoracoabdominal aneurysms, smaller visceral vessels, and more complex iliofemoral accesses, resulting in a significantly lower technical success after F/BEVAR. Further studies assessing sex-related differences are needed to properly determine the impact on outcomes and stratify procedural risks. Clinical Impact: Women are generally underrepresented in trials focusing on aortic aneurysms. Aiming to assess whether sex may affect outcomes after a complex endovascular aortic repair, a propensity score selection was applied to a total population of 596 patients receiving F/BEVAR aortic repair with the Cook platform, matching each treated female patient with a corresponding male patient. Women presented more frequently a thoracoabdominal aneurysm extent, smaller visceral vessels, and complex iliofemoral accesses, resulting in significantly worse operative outcomes, with an 86.2% technical success versus 96.6% (p=0.016). No differences were recorded in terms of short-term and mid-term reinterventions. According to these results, careful and critical assessment should be posed in case of female patients receiving complex aortic repair, especially regarding preoperative anatomical evaluation and clinical selection with appropriate surgical risk stratification

Molecular Diagnosis of Chrysanthemum stunt viroid for Routine Indexing

In 2002, a two-year study was started to check for Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) during the production and selective breeding of new chrysanthemum varieties in a central-Italy flower-growing farm. Two molecular techniques, one-tube RT-PCR and tissue printing for hybridization assays, were improved for their effectiveness in viroid detection at different stages of plant selection. Both molecular techniques proved sensitive, reliable and easy to apply in a programme of routine indexing for the production of new and healthy chrysanthemum varieties

Validation of a microarrays protocol for detection and genotyping isolates of Plum pox virus

A genomic strategy for PPV identification has been recently developed (Pasquini et al., 2008). The method is based on using a 70-mer oligonucleotide DNA microarray chip capable of simultaneously detecting and genotyping PPV strains. Universal and specific probes have been identified and used with a sensitive protocol of hybridization using an indirect fluorescent labelling of cDNA product with cyanine able to enhance the sensitivity of the virus detection avoiding the use of the PCR amplification step. In order to evaluate the protocol fitness for diagnostic use, about 30 samples belonging to a PPV isolates collection, including M, D, EA and C strains, have been used for its validation, that was determined, estimating the performance criteria that include the following parameters: diagnostic sensitivity (D-SN), diagnostic specificity (D-SP) and diagnostic accuracy (D-AC). Keywords: oligonucleotides chip, PPV, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, performance criteri

Probable role of Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) in lung hypertension secondary to scleroderma

BACKGROUND Scleroderma, when complicated with pulmonary hypertension (PHT), presents a worse prognosis; recently treatment with new drugs seems to offer good perspectives, especially in early diagnosis and treatment. The standard approach for diagnosing PHT consists in measurement of the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) by means of echodoppler. AIM OF INVESTIGATION Aim of this work is evaluating the significance of the NT-proBNP parameter, matched to echodoppler, in diagnosing scleroderma PHT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty (60) patients, who came to observation for progressive systemic sclerosis underwent echodoppler in order to measure the PAP (normal values up to 30 mmHg). NT-proBNP was determined on serum sample using ECLIA method by Modular E170 (Roche Diagnostics); manufacturer reference values for age and gender were used. Forty-three (43) patients underwent a further NT-proBNP sampling 5 days later in order to assess parameter stability. RESULTS PHT and non- PHT patients showed statistically different (p < 0,001) medians (126 vs 69 pg/ml). No pathologic values of NT-proBNP were measured in the group with PAP < 30 mmHg, while 27% of cases who had PAP between 30 and 40 showed pathologic concentrations. The positivity ratio increases to 57% in patients showing PAP > 40 mmHg. No relevant correlation (r = 0,2) was found between PAP and NT-proBNP. Mean average between the two sampling groups was 31%. CONCLUSIONS In scleroderma patients, combination of NT-proBNP and PAP seems to improve the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, especially in presence of borderline pulmonary pressure values. We therefore propose the biochemical observation of NT-proBNP when PAP is > 30 mmHg and in monitoring the evolution of the pathology