Forecasting Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides foot rot of winter wheat

The use of fungicides for the control of foot rot of winter wheat, caused by Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides (Fron) Dei., requires a forecast of disease risk to optimize this management practice ecologically and economically. Foot rot occurs in both the mild, wet (100+ cm, ppt./year) annual cropped areas in western Oregon, and the drier (25-50 cm. ppt./year) summer-fallowed areas in eastern Oregon, that have colder winters and warmer summers. Adaptation to the wide range of conditions was examined to deter mine the need for considering ecotypic variation in a forecasting scheme. Although there were isolate differences, no in vitro growth patterns at 5-30°C on KC1 or mannitol osmotically-amended media were indicative of ecotypic variation. The forecasting data base, collected in 1979-80 and 1980-81, included climatological, geographic, agronomic and pathological factors for 39 commercial wheat fields from eastern and western Oregon. The best predictor of end-of-season disease severity from data collected by mid-season, when fungicide applications are made, was the following multiple regression equation: proportion severely infected tillers = -1.08 + 0.04 RSF + 0.20 SDEPTH -0.05 RSPACE where: RSF was a rain score from Sept. to Feb., which relates new infections with amount of daily precipitation; SDEPTH was seeding depth; and RSPACE was row spacing. The variables correspond with macroclimate of new infections (RSF) and microclimate important to disease development (seed date and row space). The model explained 74 percent of the variation in mean disease severity for eastern Oregon-grown Stephens wheat. Several diseases, especially take-all caused by Gaemannomyces graminis var. tritici, confounded foot rot assessments for western Oregon sites and rain score data exceeded values in the model; thus the model was not applicable to western Oregon sites. Minimum yield losses, expected for particular levels of disease severity, were determined as a reference to severity forecasts. Significant (P ≤ .05) yield losses occurred at intervals of approximately 15 percent (10-20) and followed the relationship: percentage yield loss = -1.96 + 0.44 SF where: SF was the percentage of severely infected tillers. Analysis of individual-tiller yield components showed that under conditions of abundant moisture and no lodging, P. herpotrichoides reduced the number of kernels, per head, even with concurrent Septoria spp. head infections that affected both mean kernel weight and number of kernels per head

Early prediction of response to cetuximab and radiotherapy by FDG-PET/CT for the treatment of a locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx

Cetuximab (CTX) is used for the concurrent treatment with radiotherapy (RT) in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (HNSCC). There are no reliable clinical predictive markers of effectiveness of CTX at yet. We describe the clinical case of patient who received a CTX/RT to cure locoregionally advanced hypopharyngeal SCC. 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) was performed before the treatment and repeated 10 days after CTX induction dose. A repeated 18FDG-PET/CT scan showed dramatic decrease of metabolic parameters. Patient had a complete response after treatment and is still alive and cured after 5 years

Acute radiation dermatitis evaluation with reflectance confocal microscopy: a prospective study /

BACKGROUND: During radiotherapy (RT), most breast cancer patients experience ionizing radiation (IR)-induced skin injury-acute radiation dermatitis (ARD). The severity of ARD is determined by a physician according to CTCAE or RTOG scales, which are subjective. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a noninvasive skin imaging technique offering cellular resolution. Digital dermoscopy (DD) performed in conjugation with RCM can provide more information regarding skin toxicity. The purpose of this study is to create an RCM and DD features-based ARD assessment scale, to assess the association with CTCAE scale and possible predictive value. METHODS: One hundred and three breast cancer patients during RT were recruited; every week, clinical symptoms of ARD (CTCAE scale) were evaluated and RCM, together with digital dermoscopy (DD), was performed. RESULTS: According to RCM; after 2 RT weeks, exocytosis and/or spongiosis were present in 94% of patients; after 3 weeks, mild contrast cells (MMCs) were detected in 45%; disarrayed epidermis (DE) was present in 66% of patients after 4 weeks and in 93% after 5 weeks; abnormal dermal papillae (ADP) were present in 68% of patients after 5 weeks. The coefficients of RCM features (RCMcoef) alone and together with dermoscopically determined erythema (RCM-ERYcoef) were significantly associated with ARD severity grade. RCMcoef is a significant predictive factor for the clinical manifestation of ARD. CONCLUSIONS: RCM features of irradiated skin appear earlier than clinical symptoms, have a characteristic course, and allow the severity of ARD to be predicted

Individual radiosensitivity as a risk factor for the radiation-induced acute radiodermatitis

Background: Up to 95% of irradiated patients suffer from ionizing radiation (IR) induced early skin reaction, acute radiation dermatitis (ARD). Some experts think that additional skin hydra-tion can reduce acute skin reactions. Individual radiosensitivity (IRS) determined from lymphocytes may help to predict acute radiation toxicity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical manifestation of ARD in different skincare groups during whole breast radiotherapy depending on IRS and other risk factors. Methods: A total of 108 early-stage breast cancer patients were randomized into best supportive care (BSC) and additional skincare (ASC) groups. IRS was evaluated using a G2 assay modified with caffeine-induced G2 checkpoint arrest. All patients received a 50 Gy dose to the breast planning target volume (PTV). Clinical assessment of ARD symptoms according to the CTCAE grading scale was performed once a week. Results: IRS was successfully determined for 91 out of 108 patients. A total of 10 patients (11%) had normal IRS, 47 patients (52%) were categorized as radiosensitive, and 34 (37%) as highly radiosensitive. There was no significant difference in the manifestation of ARD between patient groups by skincare or IRS. According to logistic regression, patients with bigger breasts were prone to more severe ARD (p = 0.002). Conclusions: The additional skincare did not improve skin condition during RT. A total of 89% of patients had increased radiosensitivity. IRS determined before RT did not show the predictive value for the manifestation of ARD. Logistic regression revealed that breast volume was the most significant risk factor for the manifestation of ARD

Effects of Pre- And Postanthesis Applications of Demethylation Inhibitor Fungicides on Fusarium Head Blight and Deoxynivalenol in Spring and Winter Wheat

Anthesis is generally recommended as the optimum growth stage for ap- and PA resulted in the highest ̄C values for IND, 52.2 and 51.5%, respecplying a foliar fungicide to manage Fusarium head blight (FHB) and the tively, compared with 45.9% for CL, 41.3% for PL, and less than 33% for Fusarium-associated toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in wheat. However, CE and PE. Anthesis and postanthesis treatments reduced mean IND by because it is not always possible to treat fields at anthesis, studies were 14.9 to 29.7% relative to preanthesis treatments. The estimated effect size conducted to evaluate pre- and postanthesis treatment options for managwas also statistically significant for comparisons between CA and CL and ing FHB and DON in spring and winter wheat. Network meta-analytical PA and PL; CA reduced IND by 11.7% relative to CL, whereas PA remodels were fitted to data from 19 years of fungicide trials, and log reduced the disease by 17.4% relative to PL. Differences in efficacy against sponse ratio (L) and approximate percent control (C̅) relative to a nontreated IND between pairs of prothioconazole + tebuconazole and metconazole check were estimated as measures of the effects of six treatments on FHB treatments applied at the same timing (CE versus PE, CA versus PA, and index (IND: mean percentage of diseased spikelets per spike) and DON. CL versus PL) were not statistically significant. However, CA and CL The evaluated treatments consisted of either Caramba (metconazole) apoutperformed PA and PL by 7 and 12.8%, respectively, in terms of effiplied early (at heading [CE]), at anthesis (CA), or late (5 to 7 days after cacy against DON. All application programs had comparable efficacy anthesis; CL), or Prosaro (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) applied at the against IND between spring and winter wheat types, but efficacy against same three times and referred to as PE, PA, and PL, respectively. All DON was 10 to 16% greater for spring than winter wheat for applications treatments reduced mean IND and DON relative to the nontreated check, made at or after anthesis. All programs led to an increase in mean grain but the magnitude of the effect varied with timing and wheat type. CA yield and test weight relative to the nontreated check

Soybean yield loss estimates due to diseases in the United States and Ontario, Canada, from 2010 to 2014

Annual decreases in soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) yield caused by diseases were estimated by surveying university-affiliated plant pathologists in 28 soybean-producing states in theUnitedStates and in Ontario, Canada, from 2010 through 2014. Estimated yield losses from each disease varied greatly by state or province and year. Over the duration of this survey, soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) was estimated to have caused more than twice as much yield loss than any other disease. Seedling diseases (caused by various pathogens), charcoal rot (caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid), and sudden death syndrome (SDS) (caused by Fusarium virguliforme O\u27Donnell & T. Aoki) caused the next greatest estimated yield losses, in descending order. The estimated mean economic loss due to all soybean diseases, averaged across U.S. states and Ontario from 2010 to 2014, was $60.66 USD per acre. Results from this survey will provide scientists, breeders, governments, and educators with soybean yield-loss estimates to help inform and prioritize research, policy, and educational efforts in soybean pathology and disease management