Evaluation of the efficiency of a conventional PCR protocol for the diagnosis of bacterial spot disease caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni in stone fruits and almond

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap), the causal agent of bacterial spot disease of stone fruits and almond, has a quarantine status for the European Union and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. The symptoms in the diverse hosts show some differences and, although being quite typical, could be confused with those of some fungal diseases or other biotic or abiotic causes. Consequently, an accurate molecular diagnosis method is required for a rapid identification of the pathogen in samples of imported plants, from nurseries, orchards, etc. A protocol for conventional PCR designed by Pagani (2004) has been the only molecular analytic tool available for several years. It has been optimised for improving its specificity and sensitivity, and the results of its evaluation in 316 bacterial spot-like symptomatic samples of almond, apricot, cherry, Japanese plum and peach, compared with those of isolation and real-time PCR, are reported. The optimised PCR protocol showed specificity for a collection of Xap strains tested. Few non-desired reactions were obtained with some other xanthomonads which have not been reported from Prunus species. Sensitivity thresholds ranged from 102 to 105 CFU ml-1, depending on the hosts and type of plant material. This conventional PCR assay proved to be an excellent candidate for a rapid screening and presumptive diagnosis in cases where real-time PCR equipment is not available

BK polyomavirus microRNA levels in exosomes are modulated by non-coding control region activity and down-regulate viral replication when delivered to non-infected cells prior to infection

In immunosuppressed patients, BKPyV-variants emerge carrying rearranged non-coding control-regions (rr-NCCRs) that increase early viral gene region (EVGR) expression and replication capacity. BKPyV also encodes microRNAs, which have been reported to downregulate EVGR-encoded large T-antigen transcripts, to decrease viral replication in infected cells and to be secreted in exosomes. To investigate the interplay of NCCR and microRNAs, we compared archetype- and rr-NCCR-BKPyV infection in cell culture. We found that laboratory and clinical rr-NCCR-BKPyV-strains show higher replication rates but significantly lower microRNA levels than archetype virus intracellularly and in exosomes. To investigate whether rr-NCCR or increased EVGR activity modulated microRNA levels, we examined the (sp1-4)NCCR-BKPyV, which has an archetype NCCR-architecture but shows increased EVGR expression due to point mutations inactivating one Sp1 binding site. We found that microRNA levels following (sp1-4)NCCR-BKPyV infection were as low as in rr-NCCR-variants. Thus, NCCR rearrangements are not required for lower miRNA levels. Accordingly, Sp1 siRNA knock-down decreased microRNA levels in archetype BKPyV infection but had no effect on (sp1-4)- or rr-NCCR-BKPyV. However, rr-NCCR-BKPyV replication was downregulated by exosome preparations carrying BKPyV-microRNA prior to infection. To explore the potential relevance in humans, urine samples from 12 natalizumab-treated multiple sclerosis patients were analysed. In 7 patients, rr-NCCR-BKPyV were detected showing high urine BKPyV loads but low microRNAs levels, whereas the opposite was seen in 5 patients with archetype BKPyV. We discuss the results in a dynamic model of BKPyV replication according to NCCR activity and exosome regulation, which integrates immune selection pressure, spread to new host cells and rr-NCCR emergence

Search for supersymmetry with a dominant R-parity violating LQDbar couplings in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 130GeV to 172 GeV

A search for pair-production of supersymmetric particles under the assumption that R-parity is violated via a dominant LQDbar coupling has been performed using the data collected by ALEPH at centre-of-mass energies of 130-172 GeV. The observed candidate events in the data are in agreement with the Standard Model expectation. This result is translated into lower limits on the masses of charginos, neutralinos, sleptons, sneutrinos and squarks. For instance, for m_0=500 GeV/c^2 and tan(beta)=sqrt(2) charginos with masses smaller than 81 GeV/c^2 and neutralinos with masses smaller than 29 GeV/c^2 are excluded at the 95% confidence level for any generation structure of the LQDbar coupling.Comment: 32 pages, 30 figure

A First Search for coincident Gravitational Waves and High Energy Neutrinos using LIGO, Virgo and ANTARES data from 2007

We present the results of the first search for gravitational wave bursts associated with high energy neutrinos. Together, these messengers could reveal new, hidden sources that are not observed by conventional photon astronomy, particularly at high energy. Our search uses neutrinos detected by the underwater neutrino telescope ANTARES in its 5 line configuration during the period January - September 2007, which coincided with the fifth and first science runs of LIGO and Virgo, respectively. The LIGO-Virgo data were analysed for candidate gravitational-wave signals coincident in time and direction with the neutrino events. No significant coincident events were observed. We place limits on the density of joint high energy neutrino - gravitational wave emission events in the local universe, and compare them with densities of merger and core-collapse events.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, science summary page at http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S5LV_ANTARES/index.php. Public access area to figures, tables at https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=p120000

Recommendations for implementing lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in Europe

Lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) was demonstrated in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) to reduce mortality from the disease. European mortality data has recently become available from the Nelson randomised controlled trial, which confirmed lung cancer mortality reductions by 26% in men and 39–61% in women. Recent studies in Europe and the USA also showed positive results in screening workers exposed to asbestos. All European experts attending the “Initiative for European Lung Screening (IELS)”—a large international group of physicians and other experts concerned with lung cancer—agreed that LDCT-LCS should be implemented in Europe. However, the economic impact of LDCT-LCS and guidelines for its effective and safe implementation still need to be formulated. To this purpose, the IELS was asked to prepare recommendations to implement LCS and examine outstanding issues. A subgroup carried out a comprehensive literature review on LDCT-LCS and presented findings at a meeting held in Milan in November 2018. The present recommendations reflect that consensus was reached

Transitions of cardio-metabolic risk factors in the Americas between 1980 and 2014

Describing the prevalence and trends of cardiometabolic risk factors that are associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is crucial for monitoring progress, planning prevention, and providing evidence to support policy efforts. We aimed to analyse the transition in body-mass index (BMI), obesity, blood pressure, raised blood pressure, and diabetes in the Americas, between 1980 and 2014

Search for Bs0B^{0}_{s} oscillations using inclusive lepton events

A search for Bs oscillations is performed using a sample of semileptonic b-hadron decays collected by the ALEPH experiment during 1991-1995. Compared to previous inclusive lepton analyses, the prop er time resolution and b-flavour mistag rate are significantly improved. Additional sensitivity to Bs mixing is obtained by identifying subsamples of events having a Bs purity which is higher than the average for the whole data sample. Unbinned maximum likelihood amplitude fits are performed to derive a lower limit of Dms>9.5 ps-1 at 95% CL. Combining with the ALEPH Ds based analyses yields Dms>9.6 ps-1 at 95% CL.A search for B0s oscillations is performed using a sample of semileptonic b-hadron decays collected by the ALEPH experiment during 1991-1995. Compared to previous inclusive lepton analyses, the proper time resolution and b-flavour mistag rate are significantly improved. Additional sensitivity to B0s mixing is obtained by identifying subsamples of events having a B0s purity which is higher than the average for the whole data sample. Unbinned maximum likelihood amplitude fits are performed to derive a lower limit of Deltam_s>9.5ps^-1 at 95% CL. Combining with the ALEPH D-s based analyses yields Deltam_s>9.6ps^-1 at 95% CL

Limit on Bs0B^0_s oscillation using a jet charge method

A lower limit is set on the B_{s}^{0} meson oscillation parameter \Delta m_{s} using data collected from 1991 to 1994 by the ALEPH detector. Events with a high transverse momentum lepton and a reconstructed secondary vertex are used. The high transverse momentum leptons are produced mainly by b hadron decays, and the sign of the lepton indicates the particle/antiparticle final state in decays of neutral B mesons. The initial state is determined by a jet charge technique using both sides of the event. A maximum likelihood method is used to set a lower limit of \, \Delta m_{s}. The 95\% confidence level lower limit on \Delta m_s ranges between 5.2 and 6.5(\hbar/c^{2})~ps^{-1} when the fraction of b quarks from Z^0 decays that form B_{s}^{0} mesons is varied from 8\% to 16\%. Assuming that the B_{s}^{0} fraction is 12\%, the lower limit would be \Delta m_{s} 6.1(\hbar/c^{2})~ps^{-1} at 95\% confidence level. For x_s = \Delta m_s \, \tau_{B_s}, this limit also gives x_s 8.8 using the B_{s}^{0} lifetime of \tau_{B_s} = 1.55 \pm 0.11~ps and shifting the central value of \tau_{B_s} down by 1\sigma