Neonectria liriodendri sp. nov., the main causal agent of black foot disease of grapevines

Black foot disease is a serious disease of grapevine crops in most areas where vines are grown. Mainly two species of Cylindrocarpon, C. destructans and C. macrodidymum, are associated with this disease. Recent studies have revealed a tremendous molecular variation within the former but only slight molecular variation within the latter, indicating that C. destructans presents a complex of several species The present study elucidates the taxonomic status of C. destructans-like isolates associated with black foot disease of grapevines. Grapevine isolates were studied morphologically, subjected to DNA analyses of their ITS and partial β-tubulin genes, and were mated in all combinations in vitro. Cylindrocarpon destructans strains isolated from grapevines in Europe and South Africa appeared morphologically and genetically identical, and had identical ITS and partial β-tubulin gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses placed these strains in a clade closely related but clearly distinct from other clades with C. destructans-like anamorphs obtained from various herbaceous or woody hosts. Only the ex-type strain of Cylindrocarpon liriodendri had identical sequences to strains isolated from grapevines, and could also not be distinguished by morphological characters. The grapevine isolates are therefore reidentified here as Cylindrocarpon liriodendri. Cylindrocarpn liriodendri formed perithecia in heterothallic conditions and the holomorph of this species is described as Neonectria liriodendri sp. nov. Neonectria liriodendri is genetically distinct from the ex-type strain of Neonectria radicicola, which originated from Cyclamen in Sweden. Both ex-type strains also differ from at least two other clades comprising additional C. destructans-like strains. Many of these strains originated from Panax sp., which is the host of the type of C. destructans. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that C. destructans is not the anamorph of N. radicicola and that N. liriodendri, N. radicicola and several C. destructans-like taxa may have evolved independently within the same phylogenetic species complex

Organic Farming e-book

A agricultura biológica está-se a tornar cada vez mais importante como um caminho preferencial para a produção de produtos agrícolas, face à crescente procura do mercado mundial. A relevância da agricultura biológica é ainda maior, devido à necessidade e procura de produtos agrícolas de origem biológica, que são isentos de produtos químicos, saudáveis e amigos do ambiente. Atualmente, a agricultura biológica resulta em produtos de valor acrescentado, mas estes sistemas de produção exigem abordagens especializadas. Verifica-se uma lacuna de conhecimento especializado para enfrentar os desafios e exigências da agricultura biológica. Além disso, um número crescente de pessoas com níveis elevados de educação está a mudar a sua atividade para a agricultura sem qualquer tipo de formação nesta área técnica, principalmente em países com dificuldades económicas, como Portugal. Há, portanto, necessidade de desenvolver a capacidade de pessoas com algum tipo de qualificação prévio, a fim de melhorar suas competências agrícolas e facilitar a sua capacidade de desempenho e inovação, para que possam contribuir para a Estratégia Europeia (CE) de Desenvolvimento Rural. Este e-book foi concebido para melhorar as competências desses agricultores. O seu objectivo geral é dotar os novos agricultores com conhecimentos e capacidades necessários para o desenvolvimento da cadeia de valor dos produtos da agricultura biológica. Os objectivos específicos são: i) Fornecer conhecimento básico em vários aspectos da agricultura biológica e áreas afins, tais como a gestão de recursos naturais (solo, água, plantas, ambiente) e desenvolvimento rural (conservação, agricultura biológica e familiar, multifuncionalidade). ii) Facilitar a troca efetiva de conhecimento e experiências em agricultura biológica, desenvolvimento rural e ambiente. iii) Oferecer suporte técnico e conhecimento em agricultura biológica num contexto de mobilidade e em ambiente de trabalho. Este e-livro, produzido em sete idiomas diferentes (Português, Inglês, Espanhol, Italiano, Eslovaco, Turco e Húngaro) também contribui para preservar línguas e culturas Europeias e, assim, melhorar a comunicação entre os diferentes intervenientes e grupos-alvo. O e-book inclui os princípios e técnicas da agricultura biológica, com base no triângulo planta-solo-ambiente e nas relações entre a produção animal e o ambiente. A preparação de alimentos e rotulagem, marketing e conversão à agricultura biológica são também abordados. Os princípios e as técnicas apresentadas são explicados com base em regras e diretrizes (normas), baseados numa abordagem logística que garante o equilíbrio e integridade do sistema. O e-book apresenta também os regulamentos e normas nacionais e Europeias que são obrigatórias para os agricultores biológicos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Blood Transfusion Requirements for Patients With Sarcomas Undergoing Combined Radio- and Chemotherapy

Patients with bony and soft tissue sarcomas may require intensive treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which often leads to a fall in haemoglobin levels, requiring blood transfusion. There may be advantages in predicting which patients will require transfusion, partly because anaemia and hypoxia may worsen the response of tumours to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Between 1997 and 2003, a total of 26 patients who received intensive treatment with curative intent were identified. Transfusions were given to maintain the haemoglobin at 10g/dl or above during chemotherapy, and at 12 g/dl or above during radiotherapy. Eighteen (69%) required a transfusion, the majority as a result of both the chemotherapy and RT criteria. There were 78 transfusion episodes, and 181 units of blood given. In the 18 patients who required transfusion, the average number of units was 10.1, but seven patients required more blood than this. The most significant factor influencing blood transfusion was choice of intensive chemotherapy. Intensive chemotherapy and presenting Hb less than 11.6 g/dl identified 13 out of 18 patients who needed transfusion. Adding a drop in haemoglobin of greater than 1.7 g/dl after one cycle of chemotherapy identified 16 out of 18 patients who required transfusion. The seven patients who had heavy transfusion requirements were identified by age 32 or less, intensive chemotherapy and a presenting Hb of 12 g/dl or less. Erythropoietin might be a useful alternative to transfusion in selected patient groups, especially those with heavy transfusion requirements

A systematic review of clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for the management of pain, sedation, delirium and iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome in pediatric intensive care

IntroductionThis systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and recommendations for managing pain, sedation, delirium, and iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome in pediatric intensive care (PICU). The objectives included evaluating the quality of recommendations, synthesizing recommendations, harmonizing the strength of the recommendation (SoR) and the certainty of evidence (CoE), and assessing the relevance of supporting evidence.MethodsA comprehensive search in four electronic databases (Medline, Embase.com, CINAHL and JBI EBP Database), 9 guideline repositories, and 13 professional societies was conducted to identify CPGs published from January 2010 to the end of May 2023 in any language. The quality of CPGs and recommendations was assessed using the AGREE II and AGREE-REX instruments. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize recommendations, and the GRADE SoR and CoE harmonization method was used to interpret the credibility of summary recommendations.ResultsA total of 18 CPGs and 170 recommendations were identified. Most CPGs were of medium-quality, and three were classified as high. A total of 30 summary recommendations were synthesized across each condition, focused on common management approaches. There was inconsistency in the SoRs and CoE for summary recommendations, those for assessment showed the highest consistency, the remaining were conditional, inconsistent, inconclusive, and lacked support from evidence.ConclusionThis systematic review provides an overview of the quality of CPGs for these four conditions in the PICU. While three CPGs achieved high-quality ratings, the overall findings reveal gaps in the evidence base of recommendations, patient and family involvement, and resources for implementation. The findings highlight the need for more rigorous and evidence-based approaches in the development and reporting of CPGs to enhance their trustworthiness. Further research is necessary to enhance the quality of recommendations for this setting. The results of this review can provide a valuable foundation for future CPG development.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=274364, PROSPERO (CRD42021274364)

Risk factors for death from invasive pneumococcal disease, europe, 2010

We studied the possible association between patient age and sex, clinical presentation, Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype, antimicrobial resistance, and death in invasive pneumococcal disease cases reported by 17 European countries during 2010. The study sample comprised 2,921 patients, of whom 56.8% were men and 38.2% were >65 years of age. Meningitis occurred in 18.5% of cases. Death was reported in 264 (9.0%) cases. Older age, meningitis, and nonsusceptibility to penicillin were signifcantly asso ciated with death. Non-pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) serotypes among children 65 years of age, risk did not differ by serotype. These fndings highlight differences in case-fatality rates between sero types and age; thus, continued epidemiologic surveillance across all ages is crucial to monitor the long-term effects of PCVs

Sponge non-metastatic Group I Nme gene/protein - structure and function is conserved from sponges to humans

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nucleoside diphosphate kinases NDPK are evolutionarily conserved enzymes present in Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya, with human Nme1 the most studied representative of the family and the first identified metastasis suppressor. Sponges (Porifera) are simple metazoans without tissues, closest to the common ancestor of all animals. They changed little during evolution and probably provide the best insight into the metazoan ancestor's genomic features. Recent studies show that sponges have a wide repertoire of genes many of which are involved in diseases in more complex metazoans. The original function of those genes and the way it has evolved in the animal lineage is largely unknown. Here we report new results on the metastasis suppressor gene/protein homolog from the marine sponge <it>Suberites domuncula</it>, NmeGp1Sd. The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of the sponge Group I Nme gene and protein, and compare it to its human homolog in order to elucidate the evolution of the structure and function of Nme.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that sponge genes coding for Group I Nme protein are intron-rich. Furthermore, we discovered that the sponge NmeGp1Sd protein has a similar level of kinase activity as its human homolog Nme1, does not cleave negatively supercoiled DNA and shows nonspecific DNA-binding activity. The sponge NmeGp1Sd forms a hexamer, like human Nme1, and all other eukaryotic Nme proteins. NmeGp1Sd interacts with human Nme1 in human cells and exhibits the same subcellular localization. Stable clones expressing sponge NmeGp1Sd inhibited the migratory potential of CAL 27 cells, as already reported for human Nme1, which suggests that Nme's function in migratory processes was engaged long before the composition of true tissues.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study suggests that the ancestor of all animals possessed a NmeGp1 protein with properties and functions similar to evolutionarily recent versions of the protein, even before the appearance of true tissues and the origin of tumors and metastasis.</p

Identification of metabolic pathways influenced by the G-protein coupled receptors GprB and GprD in Aspergillus nidulans

Heterotrimeric G-protein-mediated signaling pathways play a pivotal role in transmembrane signaling in eukaryotes. Our main aim was to identify signaling pathways regulated by A. nidulans GprB and GprD G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). When these two null mutant strains were compared to the wild-type strain, the DeltagprB mutant showed an increased protein kinase A (PKA) activity while growing in glucose 1% and during starvation. In contrast, the DeltagprD has a much lower PKA activity upon starvation. Transcriptomics and (1)H NMR-based metabolomics were performed on two single null mutants grown on glucose. We noted modulation in the expression of 11 secondary metabolism gene clusters when the DeltagprB and DeltagprD mutant strains were grown in 1% glucose. Several members of the sterigmatocystin-aflatoxin gene cluster presented down-regulation in both mutant strains. The genes of the NR-PKS monodictyphenone biosynthesis cluster had overall increased mRNA accumulation in DeltagprB, while in the DeltagprD mutant strain the genes had decreased mRNA accumulation. Principal component analysis of the metabolomic data demonstrated that there was a significant metabolite shift in the DeltagprD strain. The (1)H NMR analysis revealed significant expression of essential amino acids with elevated levels in the DeltagprD strain, compared to the wild-type and DeltagprB strains. With the results, we demonstrated the differential expression of a variety of genes related mainly to secondary metabolism, sexual development, stress signaling, and amino acid metabolism. We propose that the absence of GPCRs triggered stress responses at the genetic level. The data suggested an intimate relationship among different G-protein coupled receptors, fine-tune regulation of secondary and amino acid metabolisms, and fungal development