Incorporation of Residues of the Medicinal Plant Echinacea purpurea for Weed Management in an Organic Sunflower

Eastern purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.] is globally recognized as one of the most popular medicinal herbs. In the present study, the effects of incorporation of the plant residues of this medicinal plant on weed flora and early growth of a sunflower crop were investigated. A field and a pot experiment were conducted at the Agricultural University of Athens. The field experiment was conducted under organic conditions, while in the pot experiment the focus was on the early growth of sunflower plants under the effect of plant residues. The results showed that there was a significant effect of plant residues on weed flora and the producted biomass, especially during the first crucial growth stages of sunflower. Particularly, the incorporation of E. purpurea residues resulted to a lower number of different weed species (low richness) and an intense effect on most weed species. The pot experiment revealed that sunflower seed germination was not affected by the incorporation of E. purpurea residues. However, the activity of eastern purple coneflower residues was inadequately selective (and needs to be further evaluated), since there was a negative effect on sunflower growth

Sudden Arrhythmic Death: Family Evaluation Identifies the Cause

A 23-year-old female professional dancer died suddenly following physical activity. Routine postmortem examination failed to establish the cause of death. No cardiac structural abnormalities were revealed. She had a history of presyncopal episodes during the last two months preceding her sudden cardiac death (SCD). Following the proband’s death, her family was referred to our department for clinical evaluation. Following informed consent, family members were evaluated with a standard protocol. All individuals underwent detailed non-invasive evaluation followed by genetic testing.The proband’s uncle was the first family member to undergo clinical investigation. He had been diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) almost 5 years before his niece’s SCD. The proband was positive for a plakophilin-2 (PKP2) mutation and both her father and uncle had a typical form of the ARVC/D disease. To strengthen our diagnostic assessment an immunohistochemical analysis was undertaken of a myocardial sample obtained at autopsy, which pointed towards ARVC. Thus, her death was attributed to ARVC. Probably, the mutation had been inherited from her paternal grandfather. Although he had never been clinically evaluated, and no tissue was available for genetic analysis, he had a history of SCD at the age of 72, thus, raising suspicions of cardiac diseas

A Case of Asymptomatic Brugada Electrocardiographic Pattern Incidentally Unmasked During the Recovery Phase of an Exercise Stress Test

The interest about Brugada syndrome, an inherited channelopathy associated with sudden cardiac death in individuals without structural heart disease, is exponentially increasing lately. Similarly to chameleon, the electrocardiographic (ECG) signal of the disease fluctuates over time, it is often concealed, and may be unmasked under certain conditions. Recently, emergence of the characteristic ST-segment elevation during exercise stress test (EST) has been reported, probably resulting from an alteration of the autonomic tone in the different stages of exercise. We present the case of a 43-year-old, otherwise healthy male with an asymptomatic Brugada ECG pattern incidentally unmasked during the recovery phase of an EST

The evolution of multiple-insecticide resistance in UK populations of tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta

BACKGROUND The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, is an economically important pest of tomatoes in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. In the UK this species is controlled using an integrated pest management (IPM) programme which incorporates the insecticides spinosad and chlorantraniliprole. In response to UK grower concerns of loss of efficacy of these compounds at certain sites, insecticide bioassays were performed on five populations collected from four commercial glasshouses and potential mechanisms of resistance investigated. RESULTS We observed high levels of resistance to spinosad in four of the strains, and in two of these tolerance to chlorantraniliprole. Selection of one of these strains with chlorantraniliprole rapidly resulted in a line exhibiting potent resistance to this compound. Sequencing of messenger RNA encoding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) alpha 6 subunit, target of spinosad, revealed Ta alpha 6 transcripts in the spinosad-resistant strains that lack exon 4 and encode a highly truncated protein, or contain a triplet deletion in the predicted first transmembrane domain resulting in the loss of a highly conserved amino acid. Sequencing of the ryanodine receptor gene, encoding the target of diamide insecticides, of the chlorantraniliprole-selected line revealed an amino acid substitution (G4903V) that has been previously linked to diamide resistance in populations of T. absoluta in the Mediterranean and South America. CONCLUSION Taken together our results reveal emerging resistance in UK populations of T. absoluta to two of the most important insecticides used as part of IPM, with significant implications for the control of this species in the UK. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical IndustryThis work was funded by PhD studentship awards from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) (CP 162) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (grant number: 1096240). ER was supported by funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under the STomP project, grant agreement no. 219262 (ARIMNet)

Serum Levels of Surfactant Proteins in Patients with Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE)

Introduction Emphysema and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) present either per se or coexist in combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE). Serum surfactant proteins (SPs) A, B, C and D levels may reflect lung damage. We evaluated serum SP levels in healthy controls, emphysema, IPF, and CPFE patients and their associations to disease severity and survival. Methods 122 consecutive patients (31 emphysema, 62 IPF, and 29 CPFE) and 25 healthy controls underwent PFTs, ABG-measurements, 6MWT and chest HRCT. Serum levels of SPs were measured. Patients were followed-up for 1-year. Results SP-A and SP-D levels differed between groups (p = 0.006 and p= 26 ng/mL) presented a weak association with reduced survival (p = 0.05). Conclusion In conclusion, serum SP-A and SP-D levels were higher where fibrosis exists or coexists and related to disease severity, suggesting that serum SPs relate to alveolar damage in fibrotic lungs and may reflect either local overproduction or overleakage. The weak association between high levels of SP-B and survival needs further validation in clinical trials

Mechanistic insights into arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy caused by desmocollin-2 mutations

Aims: Recent immunohistochemical studies observed the loss of plakoglobin (PG) from the intercalated disc (ID) as a hallmark of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), suggesting a final common pathway for this disease. However, the underlying molecular processes are poorly understood. Methods and results: We have identified novel mutations in the desmosomal cadherin desmocollin 2 (DSC2 R203C, L229X, T275M, and G371fsX378). The two missense mutations (DSC2 R203C and T275M) have been functionally characterized, together with a previously reported frameshift variant (DSC2 A897fsX900), to examine their pathogenic potential towards PG's functions at the ID. The three mutant proteins were transiently expressed in various cellular systems and assayed for expression, processing, localization, and binding to other desmosomal components in comparison to wild-type DSC2a protein. The two missense mutations showed defects in proteolytic cleavage, a process which is required for the functional activation of mature cadherins. In both cases, this is thought to cause a reduction of functional DSC2 at the desmosomes in cardiac cells. In contrast, the frameshift variant was incorporated into cardiac desmosomes; however, it showed reduced binding to PG. Conclusion: Despite different modes of action, for all three variants, the reduced ability to provide a ligand for PG at the desmosomes was observed. This is in agreement with the reduced intensity of PG at these structures observed in ARVC patients

An Updated Overview of the Satellite Networked Open Ground Stations (SatNOGS) Project

An overview of the SatNOGS project, a network of satellite ground stations around the world, optimized for modularity, built from readily available and affordable tools and resources. The rate of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite launches increases with the participation of old and new entities. In this growing environment, SatNOGS provides a scalable and modular solution to track, identify, receive telemetry from, monitor, and assist operators in command/control of satellites. The SatNOGS global community, dedicated to its free and open-source values, develops hardware ground station designs (antennas, rotators, electronics), software for SDR-based communications, satellite scheduling and mission monitoring platforms. SatNOGS continuously develops and improves its infrastructure to allow observers to use this networked ground segment and remotely operate SatNOGS ground stations around the world. It also provides an easy way to store, access and view increasingly received satellites data, by supporting VHF, UHF, L and S bands

Investigation of insecticide resistance mechanisms and geographical distribution of responsible genes in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci and the spider mite Tetranychus urticae

Spider mite Tetranychus urticae and whitefly Bemisia tabaci are two of the mostdamaging pests in agriculture. Chemicals are the main way to control their populations.However, their extensive use is responsible for the selection of extremely high levels ofinsecticide/acaricide resistance for both species.We examined the levels of resistance in nine T. urticae populations from Greeceagainst a range of chemicals with different mode of actions. The majority of the populationsdisplayed high levels of resistance in at least one active ingredient. In one populationoriginating from a roses greenhouse we detected extremely high levels of resistance toabamectin. We examined the molecular mechanisms responsible for abamectin resistance,by employing a comprehensive approach including bioassays with synergists, biochemicalanalysis of detoxification pathways, use of RNAi via feedings with artificial diet, andmolecular analysis of target sites. We identified a novel mutation in the GluCl3 which wasstrongly correlated with resistance. We employed genetic crosses and single individualgenotyping to investigate the link between the mutation and the resistant phenotype, andconcluded that the mutation has a crucial role in abamectin resistance and is necessary forthe mite to survive at high concentrations of the chemical. Subsequently, moleculardiagnostics were developed for the detection of abamectin resistance in the field.Ten populations of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci collected from Crete, exhibitedresistance against different neonicotinoid insecticides. Laboratory selection with theneonicotinoids, imidacloprid and acetamiprid, was subsequently undertaken. The resistantstrains exhibited very high levels of resistance to thiacloprid (RR>900) and moderate levelsto imidacloprid (24 900) καιμέτρια επίπεδα στα imidacloprid (24 <RR< 56) και acetamiprid (9 <RR< 17). In vivoπειράματα με ενζυμικούς παρεμποδιστές καθώς και βιοχημικά πειράματα με ενζυμικάυποστρώματα και RNAi μέσω τροφής με τεχνητή δίαιτα χρησιμοποιήθηκαν για διερεύνησητων μηχανισμών ανθεκτικότητας.Υποδείχτηκε συμμετοχή των P450s στην ανθεκτικότητα. Πειράματα Real Time PCRέδειξαν υψηλά επίπεδα έκφρασης της γνωστής για τον ρόλο της στον μεταβολισμόνεονικοτινοειδών P450, CYP6CM1, στα ανθεκτικά στελέχη. Ωστόσο, η συγκεκριμένη P450έχει συσχετιστεί ισχυρά με την ανθεκτικότητα στα imidacloprid και thiacloprid αλλά όχι στο acetamiprid. Είναι πιθανή η ύπαρξη επιπρόσθετου μηχανισμού ανθεκτικότητας στανεονικοτινοειδή.Στο τελευταίο κεφάλαιο της διατριβής, εξετάστηκε η παρουσία και διασποράγνωστών μεταλλαγών ανθεκτικότητας στόχου σε 33 δείγματα τετράνυχων από 20 χώρες, μεαλληλούχιση. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι αν και οι συχνότητες των μεταλλαγώνανθεκτικότητας διέφεραν σημαντικά, οι περισσότερες από αυτές ήταν ευρύταταδιαδεδομένες γεωγραφικά σε πολλές περιοχές του κόσμου.Μελετήθηκε η εξελικτική προέλευση των μεταλλαγών της ακετυλοχολινεστεράσης(ace) προκειμένου να απαντηθεί το ερώτημα αν οι μεταλλαγές ανθεκτικότηταςεμφανίστηκαν σε μια περιοχή και εξαπλώθηκαν παγκοσμίως ή εμφανίστηκαν σεδιαφορετικές περιοχές ανεξάρτητα. Εξετάστηκε το γενετικό υπόβαθρο των μεταλλαγώναυτών μέσω αλληλούχισης τμήματος του γονιδίου της ace συμπεριλαμβανομένωνιντρονίων. Βρέθηκε σημαντική παραλλακτικότητα της ace, χωρίς συσχέτιση με τηνγεωγραφική κατανομή. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τον αριθμό των διαφορετικών μεταλλαγών ήσυνδυασμό μεταλλαγών καθώς και το γεγονός ότι κάθε μεταλλαγή σχετίζεται μεδιαφορετικά γενετικά υπόβαθρά βγήκε το συμπέρασμα ότι οι μεταλλαγές εμφανίστηκαν σεδιαφορετικές γεωγραφικές περιοχές ανεξάρτητα, τουλάχιστον τρεις φορές