Effect of Environmental Factors on Mycelial Growth and Conidial Germination of Fusicladium eriobotryae, and the Infection of Loquat Leaves.

In Spain, loquat scab, caused by Fusicladium eriobotryae, is usually controlled by fungicides when there are favorable conditions for infection. Lacking specific data on the effect of weather conditions on infection by F. eriobotryae, infection periods are predicted based on the Mills table for apple scab. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of temperature, wetness duration, relative humidity (RH), and dry periods on mycelial growth, conidial germination, and infection of loquat leaves by F. eriobotryae. F. eriobotryae was able to grow and the conidia to germinate in a wide range of temperatures, whereas no germination occurred at RH < 100%. Maximum conidial germination occurred with 24 h of wetness and germination was strongly reduced by >10 h of dryness interrupting the wetness period. Loquat infection occurred between 10 and 20\ub0C, and disease incidence and severity increased as the duration of wetness period increased. The combined effect of temperature and wetness duration on conidial germination of F. eriobotryae and infection of leaves was described by combining \u3b2 and Gompertz equations, while the effect of dry periods on reducing the conidial germination was described by a logarithmic equation. The equations developed in this work provided a reasonable fit of the biological processes investigated and could be used for better disease control; they could be further integrated in a disease prediction system for scheduling fungicide sprays against loquat scab

Risk factors for unfavourable postoperative outcome in patients with Crohn's disease undergoing right hemicolectomy or ileocaecal resection. An international audit by ESCP and S-ECCO

Aim: Patient- and disease-related factors, as well as operation technique, all have the potential to impact on postoperative outcome in Crohn's disease. The available evidence is based on small series and often displays conflicting results. The aim was to investigate the effect of preoperative and intra-operative risk factors on 30-day postoperative outcome in patients undergoing surgery for Crohn's disease. Method: This was an international prospective snapshot audit including consecutive patients undergoing right hemicolectomy or ileocaecal resection. The study analysed a subset of patients who underwent surgery for Crohn's disease. The primary outcome measure was the overall Clavien\u2013Dindo postoperative complication rate. The key secondary outcomes were anastomotic leak, reoperation, surgical site infection and length of stay in hospital. Multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were used to produce odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: In all, 375 resections in 375 patients were included. The median age was 37 and 57.1% were women. In multivariate analyses, postoperative complications were associated with preoperative parenteral nutrition (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.10\u20134.97), urgent/expedited surgical intervention (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.13\u20133.55) and unplanned intra-operative adverse events (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.20\u20134.45). The postoperative length of stay in hospital was prolonged in patients who received preoperative parenteral nutrition (OR 31, 95% CI 1.08\u20131.61) and those who had urgent/expedited operations (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07\u20131.37). Conclusion: Preoperative parenteral nutritional support, urgent/expedited operation and unplanned intra-operative adverse events were associated with unfavourable postoperative outcome. Enhanced preoperative optimization and improved planning of operation pathways and timings may improve outcomes for patients