Structure of Polish isolates of Bipolaris sorokiniana and effect of different pathotypes on spot blotch severity of selected spring barley cultivars

Spot blotch of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana, is worldwide and economically one of the most important diseases. The structure of the B. sorokiniana population is not uniform. Within isolates of this species, there are strains that differ in virulence and aggressiveness. The aim of the study was to determine the variability of virulence within Polish isolates of B. sorokiniana and to test selected strains of this fungus terms of their pathogenicity in relation to different spring barley cultivars. The diversity of 70 Polish isolates of B. sorokiniana was determined based on the reaction of three spring barley test lines – Bowman, ND5883 and NDB12 with a certain susceptibility to infection by this pathogen and compared to three isolates of B. sorokiniana: ND93-1 classified to pathotype 0, ND85F – pathotype 1 and ND90Pr – pathotype 2. In the population of 70 isolates of B. sorokiniana, two pathotypes – 0 (14 isolates) and 1 (56 isolates) were identified. The mean values of leaf infection index evaluated for lines – Bowman, ND5883 and NDB12 in the case of B. sorokiniana isolates of pathotype 0 ranged: 17.08, 25.42 and 18.13, respectively, and in the case of B. sorokiniana isolates of pathotype 1: 15.57, 59.81 and 17.98, respectively. In the second experiment, the susceptibility of 8 spring barley cultivars to leaf infection by 10 selected isolates of B. sorokiniana (5 of pathotype 0 and 5 of pathotype 1) was tested. The mean value of leaf infection index calculated for analyzed cultivars in experimental combination with pathotype 0 isolates of B. sorokiniana was 1.56, and in the case of isolates of pathotype 1 was 16.58

A prospective survey in European Society of Cardiology member countries of atrial fibrillation management: baseline results of EURO bservational Research Programme Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) Pilot General Registry

Aims: Given the advances in atrial fibrillation (AF) management and the availability of new European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, there is a need for the systematic collection of contemporary data regarding the management and treatment of AF in ESC member countries. Methods and results: We conducted a registry of consecutive in- and outpatients with AF presenting to cardiologists in nine participating ESC countries. All patients with an ECG-documented diagnosis of AF confirmed in the year prior to enrolment were eligible. We enroled a total of 3119 patients from February 2012 to March 2013, with full data on clinical subtype available for 3049 patients (40.4% female; mean age 68.8 years). Common comorbidities were hypertension, coronary disease, and heart failure. Lone AF was present in only 3.9% (122 patients). Asymptomatic AF was common, particularly among those with permanent AF. Amiodarone was the most common antiarrhythmic agent used (~20%), while beta-blockers and digoxin were the most used rate control drugs. Oral anticoagulants (OACs) were used in 80% overall, most often vitamin K antagonists (71.6%), with novel OACs being used in 8.4%. Other antithrombotics (mostly antiplatelet therapy, especially aspirin) were still used in one-third of the patients, and no antithrombotic treatment in only 4.8%. Oral anticoagulants were used in 56.4% of CHA 2DS2-VASc = 0, with 26.3% having no antithrombotic therapy. A high HAS-BLED score was not used to exclude OAC use, but there was a trend towards more aspirin use in the presence of a high HAS-BLED score. Conclusion: The EURObservational Research Programme Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) Pilot Registry has provided systematic collection of contemporary data regarding the management and treatment of AF by cardiologists in ESC member countries. Oral anticoagulant use has increased, but novel OAC use was still low. Compliance with the treatment guidelines for patients with the lowest and higher stroke risk scores remains suboptimal. © The Author 2013

Impact of renal impairment on atrial fibrillation: ESC-EHRA EORP-AF Long-Term General Registry

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and renal impairment share a bidirectional relationship with important pathophysiological interactions. We evaluated the impact of renal impairment in a contemporary cohort of patients with AF. Methods: We utilised the ESC-EHRA EORP-AF Long-Term General Registry. Outcomes were analysed according to renal function by CKD-EPI equation. The primary endpoint was a composite of thromboembolism, major bleeding, acute coronary syndrome and all-cause death. Secondary endpoints were each of these separately including ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic event, intracranial haemorrhage, cardiovascular death and hospital admission. Results: A total of 9306 patients were included. The distribution of patients with no, mild, moderate and severe renal impairment at baseline were 16.9%, 49.3%, 30% and 3.8%, respectively. AF patients with impaired renal function were older, more likely to be females, had worse cardiac imaging parameters and multiple comorbidities. Among patients with an indication for anticoagulation, prescription of these agents was reduced in those with severe renal impairment, p <.001. Over 24 months, impaired renal function was associated with significantly greater incidence of the primary composite outcome and all secondary outcomes. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated an inverse relationship between eGFR and the primary outcome (HR 1.07 [95% CI, 1.01–1.14] per 10 ml/min/1.73 m2 decrease), that was most notable in patients with eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 (HR 2.21 [95% CI, 1.23–3.99] compared to eGFR ≥90 ml/min/1.73 m2). Conclusion: A significant proportion of patients with AF suffer from concomitant renal impairment which impacts their overall management. Furthermore, renal impairment is an independent predictor of major adverse events including thromboembolism, major bleeding, acute coronary syndrome and all-cause death in patients with AF

Clinical complexity and impact of the ABC (Atrial fibrillation Better Care) pathway in patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the ESC-EHRA EURObservational Research Programme in AF General Long-Term Registry

Background: Clinical complexity is increasingly prevalent among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The ‘Atrial fibrillation Better Care’ (ABC) pathway approach has been proposed to streamline a more holistic and integrated approach to AF care; however, there are limited data on its usefulness among clinically complex patients. We aim to determine the impact of ABC pathway in a contemporary cohort of clinically complex AF patients. Methods: From the ESC-EHRA EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry, we analysed clinically complex AF patients, defined as the presence of frailty, multimorbidity and/or polypharmacy. A K-medoids cluster analysis was performed to identify different groups of clinical complexity. The impact of an ABC-adherent approach on major outcomes was analysed through Cox-regression analyses and delay of event (DoE) analyses. Results: Among 9966 AF patients included, 8289 (83.1%) were clinically complex. Adherence to the ABC pathway in the clinically complex group reduced the risk of all-cause death (adjusted HR [aHR]: 0.72, 95%CI 0.58–0.91), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; aHR: 0.68, 95%CI 0.52–0.87) and composite outcome (aHR: 0.70, 95%CI: 0.58–0.85). Adherence to the ABC pathway was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death (aHR: 0.74, 95%CI 0.56–0.98) and composite outcome (aHR: 0.76, 95%CI 0.60–0.96) also in the high-complexity cluster; similar trends were observed for MACEs. In DoE analyses, an ABC-adherent approach resulted in significant gains in event-free survival for all the outcomes investigated in clinically complex patients. Based on absolute risk reduction at 1 year of follow-up, the number needed to treat for ABC pathway adherence was 24 for all-cause death, 31 for MACEs and 20 for the composite outcome. Conclusions: An ABC-adherent approach reduces the risk of major outcomes in clinically complex AF patients. Ensuring adherence to the ABC pathway is essential to improve clinical outcomes among clinically complex AF patients

Impact of clinical phenotypes on management and outcomes in European atrial fibrillation patients: a report from the ESC-EHRA EURObservational Research Programme in AF (EORP-AF) General Long-Term Registry

Background: Epidemiological studies in atrial fibrillation (AF) illustrate that clinical complexity increase the risk of major adverse outcomes. We aimed to describe European AF patients\u2019 clinical phenotypes and analyse the differential clinical course. Methods: We performed a hierarchical cluster analysis based on Ward\u2019s Method and Squared Euclidean Distance using 22 clinical binary variables, identifying the optimal number of clusters. We investigated differences in clinical management, use of healthcare resources and outcomes in a cohort of European AF patients from a Europe-wide observational registry. Results: A total of 9363 were available for this analysis. We identified three clusters: Cluster 1 (n = 3634; 38.8%) characterized by older patients and prevalent non-cardiac comorbidities; Cluster 2 (n = 2774; 29.6%) characterized by younger patients with low prevalence of comorbidities; Cluster 3 (n = 2955;31.6%) characterized by patients\u2019 prevalent cardiovascular risk factors/comorbidities. Over a mean follow-up of 22.5 months, Cluster 3 had the highest rate of cardiovascular events, all-cause death, and the composite outcome (combining the previous two) compared to Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 (all P <.001). An adjusted Cox regression showed that compared to Cluster 2, Cluster 3 (hazard ratio (HR) 2.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.27\u20133.62; HR 3.42, 95%CI 2.72\u20134.31; HR 2.79, 95%CI 2.32\u20133.35), and Cluster 1 (HR 1.88, 95%CI 1.48\u20132.38; HR 2.50, 95%CI 1.98\u20133.15; HR 2.09, 95%CI 1.74\u20132.51) reported a higher risk for the three outcomes respectively. Conclusions: In European AF patients, three main clusters were identified, differentiated by differential presence of comorbidities. Both non-cardiac and cardiac comorbidities clusters were found to be associated with an increased risk of major adverse outcomes

Grzyby porażające cynię wytworną (Zinnia elegans Jacq.) z uwzględnieniem podatności odmian na wybrane patogeny

Zinnia elegans is an annual plant recommended for cultivation for cut flowers as well as flowerbeds. This ornamental plant can be infected by: viruses, bacteria, phytoplasms and by a number of fungi species. Presented studies were conducted in 2006 in three localities of the Lublin region: in the vicinity of Zamość, near Krasnystaw and near Opole Lubelskie. Those studies included three cultivars of Zinnia elegans Jacq.: Golden Dawn, Lawa, Scarlet Flame as well as the mixed material of the cultivars belonging to the dahlia group. Six weeks after the sowing, the seedling’s healthiness was assessed. The proportion of seedlings with disease symptoms ranged from 7% to 44%. The main cause of root infection at the seedling stage proved to be the species of F. equiseti and S. sclerotiorum. Considerable amounts of B. cinerea and F. culmorum and A. alternata were also detected from diseased seedlings. Studies on the susceptibility of analyzed cultivars and the mixed material of elegans zinnia to infection by B. cinerea and F. avenaceum F. culmorum and F. equiseti were conducted in a growth chamber. Results obtained from this experiment confirmed considerable harmfulness of the species B. cinera and F. equiseti towards the seedlings of elegans zinnia, which can be reduced introducing less susceptible varieties to the cultivation. However, none of the studied varieties of elegans zinnia, only its mixed material, showed such properties.Zinnia elegans polecana jest głównie do uprawy na kwiat cięty oraz na rabatach. Ta roślina ozdobna porażana jest przez: wirusy, bakterie, fitoplazmy i różne gatunki grzybów. Prezentowane badania przeprowadzono w 2006 r. w trzech lokalizacjach woj. lubelskiego: w okolicach Zamościa, w okolicach Krasnegostawu i w okolicach Opola Lubelskiego. Objęto nimi 3 odmiany cynii wytwornej (Golden Dawn, Lawa, Scarlet Flame) należące do grupy daliowatych oraz materiał mieszany odmian. Po 6 tygodniach od wysiewu przeprowadzono ocenę zdrowotności siewek. Udział siewek z objawami chorobowymi wahał się od 7 do 44%. Główną przyczyną porażenia korzeni w stadium siewki okazały się gatunki F. equiseti i S. sclerotiorum. Z chorych siewek w znacznych ilościach uzyskiwano także B. cinerea i F. culmorum oraz A. alternata. Badania podatności siewek analizowanych odmian i materiału mieszanego cynii wytwornej na porażenie przez B. cinerea oraz F. avenaceum, F. culmorum i F. equiseti przeprowadzono w fitotronie. Uzyskane wyniki potwierdziły szczególnie dużą szkodliwość dla siewek cynii wytwornej gatunków B. cinera i F. equiseti, którą można zmniejszyć wprowadzając do uprawy odmiany mniej podatne, jednak takiej właściwości nie wykazywała żadna z badanych odmian cynii wytwornej, jedynie materiał mieszany odmian

Fuzarioza kłosów żyta ozimego (Secale cereale L.)

Investigations on Fusarium head blight of rye were carried out in the years 2005-2007 on 10 production fields in the Lublin region. The percentage of heads showing the fusariosis symptoms in the years 2005-2007 ranged from 0 to 7%. Mycological analysis of kernels and chaff obtained from heads with Fusarium blight (scab) symptoms showed that Fusarium avenaceum, Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium sporotrichioides were the largest threat to heads of this cereal. The species of Fusarium poae and Fusarium crookwellense were also isolated from infected rye heads. The dominance of particular species in infecting rye heads was determined by weather conditions