DNA quantification to assess Zymoseptoria tritici on a susceptible cultivar of durum wheat to establish the best timing for fungicide application in an italian environment

Zymoseptoria tritici, a globally distributed pathogen, is responsible of Septoria tritici blotch (STB), one of the most damaging wheat diseases. In Italy the incidence of STB has increased during the past few years. The presence of Z. tritici on flag leaves of susceptible durum wheat plants, cultivar San Carlo, after a single artificial inoculation with two inoculum concentrations at different vegetative stages has been evaluated in the plain of Bologna (North of Italy), in a two year field study (2012–2013). The pathogen presence was also assessed in natural infection conditions after a fungicide application in the second year (2013). The results obtained, by visual examination (Incidence, Disease Severity) and DNA quantification by Real time PCR, demonstrated that BBCH 39 (flag leaf stage) is the most susceptible vegetative stage, independently of inoculum concentration and climatic conditions. A good correlation between Disease Severity and DNA quantity was observed in either sampling methods, entire flag leaves and flag leaf discs. Thereafter the most suitable period to obtain the best crop protection with only one fungicide treatment is the flag leaf stage

Study of fungal colonization of wheat kernels in Syria with a focus on Fusarium species

Wheat is one of the main crops in Mediterranean countries, and its cultivation has an important role in the Syrian economy. In Syria, Fusarium head blight (FHB) has not been reported so far. Mycological analysis of 48 samples of wheat kernels collected from cultivation areas with different climatic conditions were performed in 2009 and 2010. Fungal isolates were identified at the genus level morphologically; Fusarium species were characterized morphologically and by species-specific PCR. The most frequent fungal genera found were Alternaria spp. and Cladosporium spp., with frequencies of 24.7% and 8.1%, respectively, while the frequency of Fusarium spp. was 1.5% of kernels. Most frequent Fusarium species were F. tricinctum (30% of all Fusarium isolates), F. culmorum (18%), F. equiseti (14%) and F. graminearum (13%). The mycotoxin production potential of selected Fusarium isolates was assessed by HPLC-MS analysis of rice cultures; chemotyping by PCR was carried out for comparison. All six F. graminearum strains tested produced small amounts (<3 mg/kg) of nivalenol (NIV). All ten F. culmorum strains tested produced large amounts of trichothecenes (>100 mg/kg); four strains produced NIV and six strains produced deoxynivalenol (DON) and 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (3Ac-DON). PCR chemotyping lead to an oversimplified picture, because all 3Ac-DON chemotype strains produced more DON than 3Ac-DON; furthermore, the strongest NIV producers produced significant amounts of DON. All tested strains of F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. pseudograminearum (two strains) and most F. equiseti strains (five of six strains) produced zearalenone. Grains of durum wheat were more frequently colonized by Fusarium spp. than grains of soft wheat. Incidence of Fusarium spp. in irrigated fields was higher than in rainfed fields. The incidence of Fusarium strains producing mycotoxins raises concerns about the risk of Fusarium head blight to Syria and its consequences for public healt

Reciprocating System for Secondary Root Canal Treatment of Oval Canals: CBCT, X-rays for Remnant Detection and Their Identification with ESEM and EDX

Aim of the study: to evaluate root filling remnants after secondary root canal treatments (SRCTs) of oval-shaped canals with X-rays and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). The SRCTs were performed using reciprocating NiTi instruments. Methods: Single-rooted teeth (N = 64) were randomly treated with Reciproc Blue (RB) and filled with AH Plus/single cone (SC group) or AH Plus/Guttafusion (GF group). After seven days of storage in HBSS (Hanks balanced salt solution), Gates Glidden burs #2/3 and RB #25 and #40 were used for the SRCTs. The time to complete the procedure was measured. X-rays and CBCT were used to calculate, respectively, the area and the volume occupied by the remnants in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds of each canal. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used for qualitative evaluation and morphology composition of the remnants in sectioned roots. A statistical analysis was performed using Sigma Plot (version 13, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). The study was designed according to PRILE guidelines. Results: After the SRCTs, the middle thirds of the root canals showed the presence of remnants in both groups, as demonstrated by X-rays and CBCT. The GF group showed a statistically significant higher volume of remnants than the SC Group only in the middle third. The ESEM supported by the EDX revealed the remnant composition by the detection of trace elements of sealer and gutta-percha in all root canals. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the middle third of root canals is a critical region where remnants were packed and spread in the buccal-lingual sides of canals. ESEM-EDX detected a fine layer of filling remnants in all root thirds, suggesting a larger canal contamination than the X-rays and CBCT examinations revealed

Three-dimensional radiographic evaluation of the malar bone engagement available for ideal zygomatic implant placement

Zygomatic implant rehabilitation is a challenging procedure that requires an accurate prosthetic and implant plan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the malar bone available for three-dimensional zygomatic implant placement on the possible trajectories exhibiting optimal occlusal emergence. After a preliminary analysis on 30 computed tomography (CT) scans of dentate patients to identify the ideal implant emergencies, we used 80 CT scans of edentulous patients to create two sagittal planes representing the possible trajectories of the anterior and posterior zygomatic implants. These planes were rotated clockwise on the ideal emergence points and three different hypothetical implant trajectories per zygoma were drawn for each slice. Then, the engageable malar bone and intra-and extra-sinus paths were measured. It was possible to identify the ideal implant emergences via anatomical landmarks with a high predictability. Significant differences were evident between males and females, between implants featuring anterior and those featuring posterior emergences, and between the different trajectories. The use of internal trajectories provided better bone engagement but required a higher intra-sinus path. A significant association was found between higher intra-sinus paths and lower crestal bone heights

The COPD assessment test and the modified Medical Research Council scale are not equivalent when related to the maximal exercise capacity in COPD patients

Introduction: The management and treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are based on a cutoff point either of ≥ 10 on the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) or of ≥ 2 of the Medical Research Council (mMRC). Up to now, no study has assessed the equivalence between CAT and mMRC, as related to exercise tolerance in COPD. The aim of this study was to investigate as primary outcome the relationship between CAT and mMRC and maximal exercise capacity in COPD patients. We also evaluated as secondary outcome the agreement between CAT (≥ 10) and mMRC (≥ 2) to categorize patients according to their exercise tolerance. Material and methods: 118 consecutive COPD patients (39 females), aged between 47 and 85 years with a wide range of airflow obstruction and lung hyperinflation were studied. Maximal exercise capacity was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise test. Results: CAT and mMRC scores were significantly related to VO2 peak (p<0.01). CAT (≥ 10) and mMRC (≥ 2) have a high likelihood to be associated to a value of VO2 peak less than 15.7 and 15.6 mL/kg/min, respectively. The interrater agreement between CAT (≥ 10) and mMRC (≥ 2) was found to be fair (κ = 0.20) in all patients but slight when they were subdivided in those with VO2 peak < 15 mL/kg/min and in those with VO2 peak ≥ 15 mL/kg/min (κ = 0.10 and κ = 0.20 respectively). Conclusion: This study shows that CAT and mMRC are useful tools to predict exercise tolerance in COPD, but they cannot be considered as supplementary measures

Determination of deoxynivalenol and nivalenol producing chemotypes of Fusarium graminearum isolated from durum wheat in different Italian regions

Durum wheat production in Italy is economically of great importance. Fusarium graminearum is the main fusarium head blight (FHB) causal agent in wheat, reducing both yield and grain quality. F. graminearum produces several mycotoxins and, among trichothecenes, deoxynivalenol (DON) and nivalenol (NIV) are the most studied for their toxicity towards humans and animals. DON-producing isolates can be further distinguished on the basis of the predominant acetyl-DON derivative in 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-ADON) or 15acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON). In order to evaluate possible mycotoxin contamination risks in food, it is very important to know which chemotype is the prevalent in a F. graminearum population. F. graminearum sensu stricto strains were collected from symptomatic durum wheat heads and grains of several naturally infected fields located mostly in Emilia – Romagna, The Marche, Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. A multiplex PCR in the region of genes Tri12, located in the terminal gene cluster of trichothecenes, was used to characterize 187 single-spore isolates of F. graminearum as NIV, 3-ADON and 15-ADON chemotypes. All the three chemotypes were present in the F. graminearum population studied. The most frequent chemotype was 15-ADON (83.4%), followed by 3-ADON (10.7%) and NIV (5.9%). NIV-producing isolates were found only in Emilia-Romagna (3.5%), Umbria (33.3%) and The Marche (5.7%)

Management of infants with brief resolved unexplained events (Brue) and apparent life-threatening events (alte): A rand/ucla appropriateness approach

Unexpected events of breath, tone, and skin color change in infants are a cause of consider-able distress to the caregiver and there is still debate on their appropriate management. The aim of this study is to survey the trend in prevention, decision-making, and management of brief resolved unexplained events (BRUE)/apparent life-threatening events (ALTE) and to develop a shared proto-col among hospitals and primary care pediatricians regarding hospital admission criteria, work-up and post-discharge monitoring of patients with BRUE/ALTE. For the study purpose, a panel of 54 experts was selected to achieve consensus using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method. Twelve scenarios were developed: one addressed to primary prevention of ALTE and BRUE, and 11 focused on hospital management of BRUE and ALTE. For each scenario, participants were asked to rank each option from ‘1’ (extremely inappropriate) to ‘9’ (extremely appropriate). Results derived from panel meeting and discussion showed several points of agreement but also disagreement with different opinion emerged and the need of focused education on some areas. However, by combining previous recommendations with expert opinion, the application of the RAND/UCLA appropriateness permit-ted us to drive pediatricians to reasoned and informed decisions in term of evaluation, treatment and follow-up of infants with BRUE/ALTE, reducing inappropriate exams and hospitalisation and highlighting priorities for educational interventions