Fusarium spp. suppress germination and parasitic establishment of bean and hemp broomrapes

Thirty-nine Fusarium isolates were obtained from newly emerged infected bean broomrape (Orobanche crenata) and hemp broomrape (O. ramosa) collected from infested fields of faba bean (Vicia faba) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) respectively, in two governorates located south of Giza, Egypt. All Fusarium isolates were identified to species level and the effect of their culture filtrates on the germination of seeds from the two Orobanche species was tested in vitro. The inhibition of seed germination differed between the tested Fusarium isolates, depending on the plant part from which they were isolated, with isolates from the shoots of Orobanche inhibiting seed germination more than isolates from the inflorescences. The culture filtrates of Fusarium species from O. crenata were more toxic to the seeds of both Orobanche species than the Fusarium filtrates from O. ramosa. Seeds of O. crenata were more resistant to Fusarium culture filtrates than seeds of O. ramosa. The highest inhibition of Orobanche seed germination was achieved by six Fusarium isolates, one of which was identified as F. oxysporum, one as F. equiseti, whilst the other four were all F. compactum. Aqueous mixtures of mycelia and conidia of all the Fusarium isolates were directly sprayed on O. ramosa tubercles attached to the roots of tomato plants grown in transparent plastic bags, and were also used to infest soil in pots seeded with both faba bean and O. crenata. Two of the four F. compactum isolates (22 and 29) were significantly more pathogenic against O. crenata and O. ramosa, respectively, than the other Fusarium isolates tested in the pots and plastic bags. The study clearly shows the potential of biocontrol agents originating in one Orobanche sp. (e.g. O. crenata) to control another Orobanche sp. (e.g. O. ramosa), as many Fusarium isolates deriving from O. crenata were found to be more pathogenic to O. ramosa seeds than the isolates from O. ramosa themselves. This may widen the host range of these fungal pathogens, with the use of isolates from one Orobanche species effective against other species as well

Suboptimal correction of low anorectal anomalies: a possible cause for intractable constipation in children

Background Constipation is a common problem among patients following the repair of low anorectal anomalies. We present our experience in managing constipation in a group of these patients with reoperation to correct residual anterior anal misplacement.Patients and methods The study included pediatric patients presenting with significant constipation following the repair of low anorectal anomalies. Patients with evidence of residual anterior anal misplacement (either clinically, by means of MRI, or using electrical muscle stimulation) were offered a reoperation to bring their ani backward to an orthotropic position.Results Thirteen patients were included in the study between September 2009 and June 2015. Their ages ranged from 1.5 to 10 years. The primary anomaly was rectoperineal fistula in 10 (seven boys and three girls) and rectovestibular in three girls. Two types of reoperations were performed: a posterior anoplasty with posterior sphincterotomy (five cases), and a limited sagittal anorectoplasty (eight cases). Straining at defecation was relieved in all patients. Of the 13 patients, nine were relieved from their constipation (69%) and had regular bowel movements without medications. The remaining four (31%) showed partial improvement.Conclusion Among patients with low anorectal anomalies, suboptimal correction with residual anterior anal misplacement represents one correctable cause for persistence of constipation

PAX6 aniridia and interhemispheric brain anomalies

Purpose: To report the clinical and genetic study of patients with autosomal dominant aniridia

RAX and anophthalmia in humans: Evidence of brain anomalies

PURPOSE: To report the clinical and genetic study of two families of Egyptian origin with clinical anophthalmia. To further determine the role of the retina and anterior neural fold homeobox gene (RAX) in anophthalmia and associated cerebral malformations. METHODS: Three patients with clinical anophthalmia and first-degree relatives from two consanguineous families of Egyptian origin underwent full ophthalmologic, general and neurologic examination, and blood tests. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in the index cases of both families. Genomic DNA was prepared from venous leukocytes, and direct sequencing of all the exons and intron-exon junctions of RAX was performed after PCR amplification. RESULTS: Clinical bilateral anophthalmia was observed in all three patients. General and neurologic examinations were normal; obesity and delay in psychomotor development were observed in the isolated case. Orbital MRI showed a hypoplastic orbit with present but rudimentary extraocular muscles and normal lacrimal glands. Cerebral MRI showed agenesis of the optic nerves, optic tracts, and optic chiasma. In the index case of family A, the absence of the frontal and sphenoidal sinuses was also noted. In the index case of family B, only the sphenoidal sinus was absent, and there was significant cortical atrophy. The three patients carried a novel homozygous c.543+3A>G mutation (IVS2+3A>G) in RAX. Parents were healthy heterozygous carriers. No mutations were detected in orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2), ventral anterior homeobox 1 (VAX1), or sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of a homozygous splicing RAX mutation associated with autosomal recessive bilateral anophthalmia. To our knowledge, only two isolated cases of anophthalmia, three null and one missense case affecting nuclear localization or the DNA-binding homeodomain, have been found to be caused by compound heterozygote RAX mutations. A novel missense RAX mutation was identified in three patients with bilateral anophthalmia and a distinct systemic and neurologic phenotype. The mutation potentially affects splicing of the last exon and is thought to result in a protein that has an aberrant homeodomain and no paired-tail domain. Functional consequences of this change still need to be characterized

Etiology of stipe necrosis of cultivated mushrooms (Agaricus bosporus) in Egypt

Internal stipe necrosis of cultivated button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) is caused by the bacterium Ewingella americana (Enterobacteriaceae), which is part of the endogenous bacterial population in mushroom sporocarp tissues. Isolation of the causal agent of stipe necrosis led to the recovery of three bacterial morphotypes. Ewingella americana was isolated from 90% of mushroom samples showing mild stipe browning, while Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. tolaasii were also isolated. Inoculation with E. americana into button mushroom sporocarps yielded typical browning symptoms which were distinguishable from those of the bacterial soft rot. This bacterium was re-isolated and its identification was verified, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates. However, inoculations with P. fluorescens and P. tolaasii caused no stipe browning. The strain identities were verified by biochemical identification and through analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. This study has outlined the etiology of stipe necrosis of cultivated button mushroom in Egypt, and is the first report of E. americana in this country

Compound Heterozygous VSX2 Mutation Causing Bilateral Anophthalmia in a Consanguineous Egyptian Family

Purpose: To report the clinical and genetic study of a child with bilateral anophthalmia. Methods: A 14-year-old Egyptian boy, born from consanguineous parents, underwent a general and a full ophthalmological examination. Mutation screen of the A/M genes with recessive inheritance was done stepwise and DNA was analyzed by Sanger sequencing. Results: Bilateral anophthalmia, arachnodactyly of the feet and high arched palate were observed on general examination. The parents were first cousins and healthy. Sequencing analysis revealed a novel compound heterozygous mutation in one of the copy of exon 2 of VSX2 and a possible deletion of at least exon 2 on the other allele. Conclusions: A compound heterozygous VSX2 mutation associated with anophthalmia was identified in a patient from an Egyptian consanguineous family. This report brings the number of VSX2 mutation in anophthalmia/microphthalmia (A/M) to 13. Functional consequences of the reported changes still need to be characterized, as well as the percentage of A/M caused by mutations in the VSX2 gene. This family also shows that despite consanguinity, heterozygous mutations can also happen and one should not restrict the molecular analysis to homozygous mutations

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente