12 research outputs found
Genetic diversity of phytoplasma strains inducing phyllody, flat stem and witchesâ broom symptoms in Manilkara zapota in India
Phytoplasma diseases of medicinal crops
Phytoplasma diseases of medicinal plants occur worldwide and are of great
concern. So far 19 different phytoplasma ribosomal groups encompassing various
subgroups have been reported. The subgroup 16SrI-B phytoplasmas are the prevalent
agents mainly detected in Europe, North America and Asia. Phytoplasma diseases of
medicinal plants severely reduce yield and quality of crops along with the longevity
of the plants. Changes in the composition of secondary metabolites are induced, while
the levels of valuable phytochemicals are greatly affected. In contrast, an accumulation
of pharmaceutically important compounds such as vinblastine and vincristine is
reported in periwinkle upon phytoplasma infections. Important phytoplasma diseases
of several medicinal plants with special reference to their impact on active biological
constituents and secondary metabolites are reviewed. General information on geographic
distribution, diagnostics, genetic diversity, natural transmission and management
aspects of phytoplasmas infecting medicinal plants are also discussed
Detection and molecular characterisation of a group 16SrIX phytoplasma infecting citrus (Citrus sinensis and C. limon), coffee (Coffea arabica), periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), and tabebuia (Tabebuia heterophylla) in Puerto Rico
Autosomal dominant frontotemporal lobar degeneration due to the C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion: late-onset psychotic clinical presentation
BACKGROUND:
A hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the first intron of C9ORF72 has been shown to be responsible for a high number of familial cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Atypical presentations have been described, particularly psychosis.
METHODS:
We determined the frequency of the hexanucleotide repeat expansions in a population of 651 FTLD patients and compared the clinical characteristics of carriers and noncarriers. In addition, we genotyped 21 patients with corticobasal syndrome, 31 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, and 222 control subjects.
RESULTS:
The pathogenic repeat expansion was detected in 39 (6%) patients with FTLD (17 male and 22 female subjects); however, it was not detected in any corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy patients or controls. Twenty-four of 39 carriers had positive family history for dementia and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (61.5%), whereas only 145 of 612 noncarriers had positive family history (23.7%; p<.000001). Clinical phenotypes of carriers included 29 patients with the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD; 5.2% of all bvFTD cases), 8 with bvFTD/motor neuron disease (32% bvFTD/motor neuron disease cases), 2 with semantic dementia (5.9% of patients with semantic dementia), and none with progressive nonfluent aphasia. The presentation with late-onset psychosis (median age = 63 years) was more frequent in carriers than noncarriers (10/33 vs. 3/37, p = .029), as well as the presence of cognitive impairment at onset (15/33 vs. 5/37; p = .0039).
CONCLUSIONS:
The repeat expansion in C9ORF72 is a common cause of FTLD and often presents with late-onset psychosis or memory impairment
The Family Acholeplasmataceae (Including Phytoplasmas)The Prokaryotes
The family Acholeplasmataceae was originally established to
accommodate the genus Acholeplasma, comprising the mollicutes that
could be cultivated without the supplement of cholesterol and that
use UGA as a stop codon instead of coding for tryptophan. It was
later shown that the phytoplasmas, a large group of uncultivable,
wall-less, non-helical mollicutes that are associated with plants and
insects, shared taxonomically relevant properties with members of the
genus Acholeplasma. Being not cultivable in vitro in axenic culture, the
phytoplasmas could not be classified using the standards used for other
mollicutes and are named using the category of Candidatus, as âCa.
Phytoplasma.â
Although phytoplasmas are associated with habitats and ecology
different from acholeplasmas, the two genera Acholeplasma and
âCandidatus Phytoplasmaâ are phylogenetically related and form a
distinct clade within the Mollicutes. The persisting inability to grow
the phytoplasmas in vitro hinders the identification of their distinctive
phenotypic traits, important criteria for mollicute classification. Until
supplemental phenotypic traits become available, the genus âCandidatus
Phytoplasmaâ is designated, on the basis of phylogeny, as a tentative
member in the family Acholeplasmataceae. Phylogenetic analysis based
on gene sequences, in particular, ribosomal sequences, has provided
the major supporting evidence for the composition and taxonomic
subdivision of this group of organisms with diverse habitats and ecology
and has become the mainstream for the Acholeplasmataceae systematics.
However, without the ability to determine phenotypic properties, the
circumscription of related species among the non culturable members of
the family remains a major issue.
The genus Acholeplasma comprises 14 species predominantly associated
with animals and isolated from mammalian fluids but regarded as not
normally pathogenic. Conversely, the genus âCa. Phytoplasmaâ includes
plant pathogens of major economic relevance worldwide. To date, 36
âCa. Phytoplasma speciesâ have been described
Characterization of SCO4439, a D-alanyl-D-alanine carboxypeptidase involved in spore cell wall maturation, resistance and germination in Streptomyces coelicolor
Phytoplasma Diseases in Ornamental Crops
An extensive and update review of the literature reporting the phytoplasma associated diseases in a number of ornamental plants and their classification is presented with major emphasis to reports in the main floricultural areas. Symptomatology of reported diseases is described in the most relevant traditional species as well as in emerging species used in floriculture and gardening worldwide
Memantine effects on behaviour in moderately severe to severe Alzheimer's disease: a post-marketing surveillance study.
The aim of this study is to evaluate memantine effectiveness on behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in clinical practice and to identify variables that may predict the therapy effects. The effects of memantine on behaviour were analysed in the database of a post-marketing surveillance study promoted by the Lombardy Region Health Office and involving 43 Alzheimer\u2019s disease (AD) Units. From July to December 2005, 399 moderately severe-to-severe AD patients free of cholinergic medications were enrolled, treated with memantine and followed-up for 6 months. BPSD were assessed in a subgroup of 297 patients [mean age 77 \ub1 8 years; 73% females; mean neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI) score 28 \ub1 24] for whom the 12-item NPI subscores at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months were available. The 12 BPSD were clustered as follows: affect, physical behaviour, psychosis and hypomania. The main outcome measure was the proportion of individual cluster responders at 6 months of therapy. The proportion of individual cluster responders was 30% affect, 24% physical behaviour, 29% psychosis, 27% hypomania. Patients taking 20 mg memantine daily during the study period had a statistically significant higher probability to experience behavioural improvement than those who discontinued treatment or did not complete memantine titration (affect OR 9.0; 95% CI 3.8\u201321.6; physical behaviour OR 17.8; 95% CI 5.9\u201353.6; psychosis OR 23.6; 95% CI 5.1\u2013110.8). The logistic regression analysis was not applicable to the hypomania subsyndrome because of the low cluster prevalence. The standard 20 mg daily memantine treatment regimen was found to be associated with a modest 6-month behavioural improvement in the affect, physical behaviour and psychosis domains in 24\u201330% of patients
ComplicaçÔes da terapia anticoagulante com warfarina em pacientes com doença vascular periférica: estudo coorte prospectivo Complications of anticoagulant therapy with warfarin in patients with peripheral vascular disease: a cohort prospective study
OBJETIVO: Estudar prospectivamente a freqĂŒĂȘncia de complicaçÔes em pacientes tratados com warfarina e acompanhados no AmbulatĂłrio de Anticoagulação da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu da Universidade Estadual Paulista. MĂTODOS: Pacientes sorteados entre os agendados para consulta de junho de 2002 a fevereiro de 2004. Na primeira consulta, foi preenchida ficha com dados de identificação e clĂnicos. A cada retorno, ou quando o paciente procurou o hospital por intercorrĂȘncia, foi preenchida ficha com a razĂŁo normatizada internacional, existĂȘncia e tipo de intercorrĂȘncia e condiçÔes de uso dos antagonistas da vitamina K. RESULTADOS: Foram acompanhados 136 pacientes (61 homens e 75 mulheres), 99 com tromboembolismo venoso e 37 com doença arterial; 59 pacientes eram de Botucatu, e 77, de outros municĂpios. Foram registradas 30 intercorrĂȘncias: nove nĂŁo relacionadas ao uso da warfarina e 21 complicaçÔes hemorrĂĄgicas (38,8 por 100 pacientes/ano). Uma hematĂȘmese foi considerada grave (1,9 por 100 pacientes/ano). As demais foram consideradas moderadas ou leves. NĂŁo houve Ăłbitos, hemorragia intracraniana ou necrose cutĂąnea. A Ășnica associação significante foi da freqĂŒĂȘncia de hemorragia com nĂvel mĂ©dio de razĂŁo normatizada internacional. CONCLUSĂO: Nossos resultados mostram a viabilidade desse tratamento em pacientes vasculares em nosso meio, mesmo em população de baixo nĂvel socioeconĂŽmico, quando tratados em ambulatĂłrio especializado.<br>OBJECTIVE: To prospectively study the frequency of complications in patients treated with warfarin followed at Botucatu Medical School. METHODS: Patients randomly selected among those with appointments scheduled from June 2002 to February 2004. At the first appointment, a protocol was filled with identification and clinical data. At every return or when the patient went to the hospital due to clinical events, another form was filled with the international normalized ratio, existence and type of clinical event and the conditions of use of vitamin K antagonists. RESULTS: A total of 136 patients (61 men and 75 women), were followed; 99 patients with venous thromboembolism and 37 with arterial disease; 59 were from Botucatu and 77 were from other municipalities. Thirty clinical events were registered: nine of them were not related to the use of warfarin and 21 were hemorrhagic complications (38.8 per 100 patients-year). One hematemesis was considered severe (1.9 per 100 patients-year). The others were considered moderate or mild. There were no deaths, intracranial hemorrhage or cutaneous necrosis. The only significant association was frequency of hemorrhage and average international normalized ratio level. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate the feasibility of this treatment in vascular patients in our country, even in socially and economically poor populations, when treated in specialized clinics