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

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 “Ca. Phytoplasma.” Although phytoplasmas are associated with habitats and ecology different from acholeplasmas, the two genera Acholeplasma and “Candidatus Phytoplasma” 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 “Candidatus Phytoplasma” 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 “Ca. Phytoplasma” includes plant pathogens of major economic relevance worldwide. To date, 36 “Ca. Phytoplasma species” have been described

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

Complicações 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 freqüência de complicações em pacientes tratados com warfarina e acompanhados no Ambulatório de Anticoagulação da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu da Universidade Estadual Paulista. MÉTODOS: 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 clínicos. A cada retorno, ou quando o paciente procurou o hospital por intercorrência, foi preenchida ficha com a razão normatizada internacional, existência e tipo de intercorrência e condições 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 municípios. Foram registradas 30 intercorrências: nove não relacionadas ao uso da warfarina e 21 complicações hemorrágicas (38,8 por 100 pacientes/ano). Uma hematêmese foi considerada grave (1,9 por 100 pacientes/ano). As demais foram consideradas moderadas ou leves. Não houve óbitos, hemorragia intracraniana ou necrose cutânea. A única associação significante foi da freqüência de hemorragia com nível médio de razão normatizada internacional. CONCLUSÃO: Nossos resultados mostram a viabilidade desse tratamento em pacientes vasculares em nosso meio, mesmo em população de baixo nível socioeconômico, quando tratados em ambulatório 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