Bio-Efficacy of Aureofungin-sol in Control of Downy and Powdery Mildews in Grape

Bio-efficacy of Aureofungin-sol, an antifungal antibiotic, for control of downy mildew and powdery mildew of grape was evaluated during October 2008 - April 2009 fruiting season in vineyards at three locations in Maharashtra. Four to nine sprays of Aureofungin-sol, @ 0.108, 0.163 and 0.217 g/l, starting from 12-16 days to 46-75 days after fruit pruning gave good control of downy mildew on leaves and bunches, and increased harvestable yield over the Control. Similarly, four sprays of Aureofungin-sol @ 0.108 g/l at 11 to 20 days' interval at 65 days after pruning provided complete control of powdery mildew on leaves and bunches. No residue of Aureofungin-sol was found in harvest samples above the limit of detection (0.1 mg/kg)

The Effectiveness of Teleglaucoma versus In-Patient Examination for Glaucoma Screening: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment in the world affecting 60.5 million people worldwide in 2010, which is expected to increase to approximately 79.6 million by 2020. Therefore, glaucoma screening is important to detect, diagnose, and treat patients at the earlier stages to prevent disease progression and vision loss. Teleglaucoma uses stereoscopic digital imaging to take ocular images, which are transmitted electronically to an ocular specialist. The purpose is to synthesize literature to evaluate teleglaucoma, its diagnostic accuracy, healthcare system benefits, and cost-effectiveness. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted to help locate published and unpublished studies. Studies which evaluate teleglaucoma as a screening device for glaucoma were included. A meta-analysis was conducted to provide estimates of diagnostic accuracy, diagnostic odds ratio, and the relative percentage of glaucoma cases detected. The improvements to healthcare service quality and cost data were assessed. RESULTS: Of 11237 studies reviewed, 45 were included. Our results indicated that, teleglaucoma is more specific and less sensitive than in-person examination. The pooled estimates of sensitivity was 0.832 [95% CI 0.770, 0.881] and specificity was 0.790 [95% CI 0.668, 0.876]. The relative odds of a positive screen test in glaucoma cases are 18.7 times more likely than a negative screen test in a non-glaucoma cases. Additionally, the mean cost for every case of glaucoma detected was $1098.67 US and of teleglaucoma per patient screened was$922.77 US. CONCLUSION: Teleglaucoma can accurately discriminate between screen test results with greater odds for positive cases. It detects more cases of glaucoma than in-person examination. Both patients and the healthcare systems benefit from early detection, reduction in wait and travel times, increased specialist referral rates, and cost savings. Teleglaucoma is an effective screening tool for glaucoma specifically for remote and under-services communities

Immediate versus Delayed Sequential Bilateral Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS), the cataract surgery that is performed in both eyes simultaneously, is gaining popularity worldwide compared to the traditional treatment paradigm: delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS), the surgery that is performed in each eye on a different day as a completely separate operation. ISBCS provides advantages to patients and patients\u27 families in the form of fewer hospital visits. Additionally, patients enjoy rapid rehabilitation, lack of anisometropia - potentially reducing accidents and falls, and avoid suboptimal visual function in daily life. The hospital may benefit due to lower cost. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate ISBCS and DSBCS. DATA SOURCES: Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, CINAHL, Health Economic Evaluations Database (HEED), ISI Web of Science (Thomson-Reuters) and the Cochrane Library were searched. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. METHODS: Literature was systematically reviewed using EPPI-Reviewer 4 gateway. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA v. 13.0. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics. Fixed-effect and random-effect models were computed based on heterogeneity. Meta-analysis was done by instrument used to calculate utility score. RESULTS: In total, 9,133 records were retrieved from multiple databases and an additional 128 records were identified through grey literature search. Eleven articles with 3,657 subjects were included for analysis. Our meta-analysis results indicated significant improvement in post-operative utility score using TTO, EQ5D, HUI3, VF-7, and VF-14 and a non-significant improvement using Catquest questionnaire for both surgeries. For ISBCS versus DSBCS, utility-specific fixed-effect model provided an overall SMD of the utility score using the TTO method as 0.12 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.40), EQ5D as 0.14 (95% CI: -0.14, 0.41), HUI3 as 0.12 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.40), VF-7 as -0.02 (95% CI: -0.15, 0.10), and Catquest Questionnaire as 1.45 (95% CI: -0.88, 2.01). The results for utility score, which were measured using various instruments, indicated non-significant improvement in the utility due to DSBCS compared to ISBCS. However, a significant improvement in post-operative utility score was seen using Catquest questionnaire for ISBCS compared to DSBCS. The included studies using VF-14 instrument were highly heterogeneous (I2 = 97.1%). Results provided SMD of -0.25 (95% CI:-1.06, 0.57) using VF-14 indicating non-significant improvement in the utility due to DSBCS compared to ISBCS surgery. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) significantly improved after both surgeries (overall SMD of BCVA due to ISBCS was -1.79 (95% CI: -2.45, -1.14) and due to DSBCS was -1.53 (95% CI: -2.25, -0.81)). A non-significant improvement was seen in BCVA due to ISBCS when compared to DSBCS (SMD = -0.18; 95% CI: -0.37, 0.01). CONCLUSION: Both surgeries, ISBCS and DSBCS significantly improve patients\u27 quality of life and visual acuity. Further, ISBCS may deliver certain additional benefits at the individual and societal levels as well

Integrated plasma proteomic and single-cell immune signaling network signatures demarcate mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19

The biological determinants of the wide spectrum of COVID-19 clinical manifestations are not fully understood. Here, over 1400 plasma proteins and 2600 single-cell immune features comprising cell phenotype, basal signaling activity, and signaling responses to inflammatory ligands were assessed in peripheral blood from patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19, at the time of diagnosis. Using an integrated computational approach to analyze the combined plasma and single-cell proteomic data, we identified and independently validated a multivariate model classifying COVID-19 severity (multi-class AUCtraining = 0.799, p-value = 4.2e-6; multi-class AUCvalidation = 0.773, p-value = 7.7e-6). Features of this high-dimensional model recapitulated recent COVID-19 related observations of immune perturbations, and revealed novel biological signatures of severity, including the mobilization of elements of the renin-angiotensin system and primary hemostasis, as well as dysregulation of JAK/STAT, MAPK/mTOR, and NF-κB immune signaling networks. These results provide a set of early determinants of COVID-19 severity that may point to therapeutic targets for the prevention of COVID-19 progression

Dynamics of Methyl Radical Formation Following 266 nm Dissociative Photoionization of Dimethyl- and Trimethyl- Pyridines

The 266 nm photolysis of various positional isomers of dimethylpyridines (DMPs) and trimethylpyridine (TMP) was investigated by measuring the translational energy distribution of methyl radical following {sp2}C−C{sp3} bond dissociation. The observed translational energy distribution is attributed to the dissociative photoionization in the cationic ground state following [1+1+1] three-photon absorption. The translational energy distribution profiles of the methyl radical were broad with the maximum translation energy in the excess of 2 eV, which originates due to the dissociation of {sp2}C−C{sp3} bond ortho to nitrogen atom in the ring. The dynamics of {sp2}C−C{sp3} bond dissociation in the cationic ground state of methyl pyridines is marginally dependent on the number and position of the methyl groups, however is site selective with preferential cleavage of the C−C bond in the ortho position to the pyridinic nitrogen atom

Non-Resonant Probing of the Methyl Fragment at 213 nm following 266nm Photolysis of Methyl Iodide

The velocity map imaging of the methyl radical formed by 266 nm photolysis of methyl iodide using 213 nm non-resonant multi-photon ionization (NRMPI) method. Comparison of the NRMPI method with the well-known (2+1) resonance multi-photon ionization (REMPI) method at 333.45 nm, which selectively probes Q-branch of band-origin transition of the methyl radical, indicates that the NRMPI method yields a significantly higher I/I* branching ratio in comparison to the REMPI method, even though the velocity map images of both the methods are qualitatively similar. The higher I/I* branching ratio obtained in the NRMPI method is attributed to the non-resonant ionization of higher quanta states of the umbrella bending mode along with higher rotational states of the methyl fragment in the CH3+I dissociation channel. Thus, results obtained in the present work signify that a 213 nm excitation source, which is easily available as the fifth harmonic of Nd:YAG laser, can be used as an alternative and efficient probe to investigate photo-dissociation dynamics of polyatomic molecules

Double aortic arches, esophageal atresia and tracheal compression

We report a case of double aortic arch in a 12-month-old male infant well delineated on 64 slice computed tomography scan. It formed a complete vascular ring around the trachea compressing it. The symptoms resolved after surgical division of the ring

Bacteria Associated with Benthic Diatoms from Lake Constance: Phylogeny and Influences on Diatom Growth and Secretion of Extracellular Polymeric Substances▿

The composition of diatom-associated bacterial communities was studied with 14 different unialgal xenic diatom cultures isolated from freshwater epilithic biofilms of Lake Constance, Germany. A clear dominance of Alphaproteobacteria was observed, followed by Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia. Pure cultures of the diatom Cymbella microcephala, which was found to be dominant in epilithic biofilms in Lake Constance, were cocultivated with six associated bacterial strains. All these bacterial strains were able to grow in C. microcephala cultures in the absence of organic cosubstrates. Diatom growth was generally enhanced in the presence of bacteria, and polysaccharide secretion was generally increased in the presence of Proteobacteria. The monomer composition of extracellular polysaccharides of C. microcephala changed in relation to the presence of different bacteria, but the dominant monomers were less affected. Our results indicate that these changes were caused by the diatom itself rather than by specific bacterial degradation. One Bacteroidetes strain strongly influenced carbohydrate secretion by the alga via extracellular soluble compounds. Biofilms were formed only in the presence of bacteria. Phylogenetic analysis and coculture studies indicate an adaptation of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes to the microenvironment created by the diatom biofilm