Circulating pro-apoptotic mediators in burn septic acute renal failure

The pathogenesis of septic acute kidney injury (AKI) is not well understood. In the present issue of Critical Care, the combined clinical and experimental study from Mariano's group provides new insight into the disease. The study shows that plasma from septic burn patients with acute renal failure initiated pro-apoptotic effects and functional alterations in renal tubular cells and podocytes in vitro that correlated with the degree of proteinuria and renal dysfunction. Pro-apoptotic effects were not attributable to antibiotic or uremic toxicity, but were partially attributable to endotoxin. Sepsis and burn had additive effects. Apart from increasing our understanding of the pathogenesis of septic AKI, the study justifies further research on therapeutic interventions in several directions. These include the binding and elimination of the source of endotoxin by selective decontamination of the digestive tract, the blocking of apoptotic pathways, or the extracorporeal removal of circulating toxic mediators using high permeability hemofiltration or coupled plasma filtration and absorption

Using next-generation sequencing technology for pathogen discovery

Blueberries are woody perennials that, with proper care, can produce a crop each year for decades. In some fields in New Jersey, fruit yields and plant health are declining without definitive cause. Microbial communities in the soil can directly or indirectly affect plant health. Thus, determining what soil organisms are associated with decline, might provide clues for developing approaches to remediation. Soils were collected from the rhizosphere of blueberry plants in healthy and ‘decline-associated’ fields. DNA was extracted from the soils and target regions (16S for bacteria, ITS for fungi, and 18S for nematodes) were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Taxonomic determinations of the soil microorganisms were based on sequence similarity using BLAST. Preliminary data showed the bacterial community was dominated by the Proteobacteria, with no distinct differences between the soil types. FUNGuild was used to assign the fungal taxa to ecological guild. Most of the fungi detected were saprotrophs, but a substantial number of potential plant pathogens were also identified. We identified more than 70 nematode genera and of those genera detected, only three were classified by NEMAGuild to be plant parasites. Follow up studies are needed to confirm the presence and potential impact of bacterial, fungal, and nematode phyla that may be associated with decline

Variation and Heritability of Phenology in the Fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi on Blueberry

The germination of field-collected pseudosclerotia and the development of apothecia from eight New Jersey populations of the mummy berry fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi were evaluated under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. Development data for apothecia were used to describe the timing of apothecium formation and to estimate broad- and narrow-sense heritabilities of fungal phenology. Mean development times for the formation of apothecia ranged from 35.4 to 54.7 days. The mean development times for populations collected from early-season cv. Weymouth ranged from 35.4 to 39.6 days and were significantly shorter than the development times for three of the four populations collected from late-season cv. Jersey (46.9 to 54.7 days) or for the population collected from mixed stands of cultivated blueberries (42.7 days). The development of populations from late cultivars planted in very close proximity to early cv. Weymouth was early (36.5 to 39.0 days) and not significantly different from the development of populations collected from cv. Weymouth. Phenotypic and genetic variances of apothecium development for individual populations ranged from 18.9 to 44.8 and 7.2 to 30.9, respectively. Broad-sense heritabilities of apothecia development for each fungal population, calculated by partitioning phenotypic variation into genetic and environmental components, ranged from 0.31 to 0.78. Narrow-sense heritabilities of apothecia development, based on parent-offspring regression, ranged from 0.58 to 0.78. These results indicate that populations ofM. vaccinii-corymbosi differ in phenology and that a significant portion of the phenological variation within populations is genetic. Thus, it is plausible to propose that the phenology of apothecium development is a component of fungal fitness and that host phenology can influence the timing of pathogen development

Phenology of Apothecium Production in Populations of Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi from Early- and Late-Maturing Blueberry Cultivars

Pseudosclerotia were evaluated for differences in timing of apothecium development in four controlled experiments conducted over a 2-year period. In a separate experiment, conidia from 10 randomly selected isolates from both of the fungal populations were used to inoculate open flowers. Germination of pseudosclerotia produced from these artificial inoculations also was evaluated. The timing and rate of shoot elongation for cvs. Weymouth and Jersey were assessed in one greenhouse and two field experiments. Average development times for the fungal population from cv. Weymouth were 8 to 15 days earlier or 33 to 42% less than those for the population from cv. Jersey. The fungal population from Weymouth also exhibited less variation in development times for each developmental stage measured. Similarly, germination of pseudosclerotia produced in artificial inoculations differed between populations. On average, pseudosclerotia derived from the Weymouth population produced apothecia 16 days earlier. During spring 1995 and 1996, vegetative and truss buds on cv. Weymouth developed 4 to 16 days earlier than those on cv. Jersey. These results demonstrate that M. vaccinii-corymbosi exhibits variation in timing of pseudosclerotia germination and apothecium development within and between populations. We hypothesize that differences observed in the timing of apothecium development are related to the fitness of the populations on their original host cultivars and were selected by host phenolog

Screening of POST herbicides for controlling Carolina redroot (Lachnanthes caroliana) in New Jersey cranberry beds

Abstract. New Jersey produced 27 million kg of cranberries in 2015 at a farm value of $22 million (USDA 2017). Cranberry beds in New Jersey are concentrated in the Pine Barrens coastal plain where soil conditions (sandy texture, pH 4.0 to 5.0, good drainage) are optimal for cranberry production. The perennial nature of cranberry production predisposes the crop to a diversity of weed species ranging from herbaceous weeds to woody perennial species. Among perennial weed species, Carolina redroot has been an increasing source of concern for New Jersey cranberry growers regarding the lack of sufficient control from their current management strategies. Carolina redroot is a perennial herbaceous monocotyledonous species member of the Haemodoraceae family whose common name is derived from the orange to red coloration of its roots and rhizome. Information regarding herbicidal control of Carolina redroot is extremely limited and mostly restricted to blueberry production (Myers et al. 2013). In order to address the issues of successfully managing Carolina redroot under extremely specific environmental and cropping conditions, a study was initiated in 2017 for evaluating the efficiency of ten postemergence herbicides to control Carolina redroot. Diquat at 560 g ai ha-1 provided over 90% control up to 21 days after treatment (DAT) but declined after 42 DAT with the emergence of new shoots. Control with mesotrione at 280 or 560 g ai ha-1 increased from less than 15% 14 DAT to 97% 63 DAT. Control increased from 14 to 63 DAT with flumioxazin at 210 g ai ha-1 (73%) and 2,4-D at 1,280 g ae ha-1 (60 %) whereas glyphosate at 1,260 g ae ha-1 did not achieve more than 48% control 63 DAT. Other herbicides tested (pronamide at 2,240 g ai ha-1, clopyralid at 70 or 140 g ai ha-1, quinclorac at 1,280 g ae ha-1, carfentrazone at 35 g ai ha-1, and fomesafen at 420 g ai ha-1) provided less than 30% control from 21 DAT onwards. Control of Carolina redroot rhizomes/roots was greatest in plants treated with mesotrione (\u3e 95%), glyphosate (90%), diquat (89%), 2,4-D (84%), and flumioxazin (78%). Non treated Carolina redroot shoot and root/rhizome fresh weight were 5.8 and 7.7 g, respectively. Greatest shoot and root/rhizome biomass reductions were noted with diquat, mesotrione at 280 or 560 g ai ha-1, glyphosate, 2,4-D, and flumioxazin (0.7 and 0.7 g, 0.4 and 1.8 g, 0.3 and 1.2 g, 0.8 and 1.1 g, 1.1 and 1.3 g, 1.5 and 1.5 g, respectively). Clopyralid at 70 or 140 g ai ha-1 and fomesafen also reduced root/rhizome fresh weight (4.8, 5.7, and 3.1 g, respectively) but did not decrease shoot biomass. No secondary shoots growing from the rhizome were noted for plants treated with glyphosate, mesotrione, 2,4-D and flumioxazin

Clinical review: Patency of the circuit in continuous renal replacement therapy

Premature circuit clotting is a major problem in daily practice of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), increasing blood loss, workload, and costs. Early clotting is related to bioincompatibility, critical illness, vascular access, CRRT circuit, and modality. This review discusses non-anticoagulant and anticoagulant measures to prevent circuit failure. These measures include optimization of the catheter (inner diameter, pattern of flow, and position), the settings of CRRT (partial predilution and individualized control of filtration fraction), and the training of nurses. In addition, anticoagulation is generally required. Systemic anticoagulation interferes with plasmatic coagulation, platelet activation, or both and should be kept at a low dose to mitigate bleeding complications. Regional anticoagulation with citrate emerges as the most promising method