Activity of bacterial seed endophytes of landrace durum wheat for control of Fusarium foot rot

Five bacterial endophytic isolates obtained from durum wheat seeds (Iandrace "Timilia reste nere") and identified as belonging to Pantoea (isolates A1, F7, F15 and GI) and Paenibacillus (isolate B) genera on the basis of 16S rDNA gene sequences, were assayed in vitro and in vivo for their ability to inhibit Fusarium culmorum growth and the disease (Fusarium foot rot) it causes in durum wheat. All isolates significantly reduced in vitro growth of F. culmorum in comparison with the control. After 120 hours of incubation, isolates B and GI showed the greatest mycelial growth inhibition, i.e., respectively, 76 and 74%. When durum wheat "Simeto" seeds were treated with bacterial isolates singly or in combinations and then inoculated with F. culmorum, all treatments with endophytes showed increased, but not statistically significant, seed germination. Except for isolate Al, all bacterial isolates stimulated vegetative parameters of durum wheat seedlings. Mixture of isolates F7 + F15 was the most effective in improving shoot height (+94%), root length (+47%) and vigour index (+81%). Mixture of isolates A1 + B reduced Fusarium foot rot incidence (-21%) and severity (-30%), and isolate A1 reduced incidence (-15%) and severity (-16%) of the disease. These results indicate potential of bacterial seed endophytes, identified in this study, for control of Fusarium foot rot and suggest that bacterial seed endophytes may provide a new biocontrol agent for an environmentally sustainable durum wheat disease management programme

Integrated Evaluation Platform for Secured Devices

International audienceIn this paper, we describe the structure of a FPGAsmart card emulator. The aim of such an emulator is to improvethe behaviour of the whole architecture when faults occur. Withinthis card, an embedded Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)protected against DFA is inserted as well as a fault injectionblock. We also present the microprocessor core which controlsthe whole card

Heritability of pain catastrophizing and associations with experimental pain outcomes: a twin study

This study used a twin paradigm to examine genetic and environmental contributions to pain catastrophizing and the observed association between pain Catastrophizing and cold-pressor task (CPT) outcomes. Male and female monozygotic (n = 206) and dizygotic twins (n = 194) torn the University of Washington Twin Registry completed a measure of pain catastrophizing and performed a CPT challenge, As expected, pain catastrophizing emerged as a significant predictor of several CPT outcomeS, including cold-pressor Immersion Tolerance, Pain Tolerance, and Delayed Pain Rating. The heritability estimate for pain catastrophizing was found to be 37% with the remaining 63% of variance attributable to unique environmental influence. Additionally, the Observed associations between pain catastrophizing and CPT outcomes were not found attributable to shared genetics or environmental exposure, which suggests a direct relationship between catastrophizing and experimental pain. outcomes. This Study is the first to examine the heritability of pain catastrophizing and potential processes by which pain catastrophizing is related to experimental pain response

Multiplex Matrix Metalloproteinases Analysis in the Cerebrospinal Fluid Reveals Potential Specific Patterns in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are pleiotropic enzymes involved in extracellular protein degradation and turnover. MMPs are implicated in the pathogenesis of many neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: To search the level of MMPs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients and detect possible disease-specific patterns. Methods: CSF samples from 32 MS patients and, from 15 control subjects with other inflammatory neurological diseases (OIND) were analyzed. The Bio-Plex Pro Human MMP 9-Plex Panel (Bio-Rad) was used for the quantification of MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-10, MMP-12, and MMP-13. Results: CSF MMP-1 and MMP-12 levels were significantly reduced in MS as compared with OIND. In MS patients' CSF: (i) MMP-1 levels were significantly higher in women vs. men; (ii) MMP-10 concentrations were higher in patients with CSF-restricted IgG oligoclonal bands, and (iii) MMP-7 levels were increased in patients with longer disease duration. In the OIND group MMP-7 and MMP-12 levels significantly and directly correlated with age. Conclusions: Our study contributes to investigating the role of MMPs in MS, with regard to CSF immunological features and disease duration. Sex-specific differences were also detected in MMPs CSF levels

T1/T2-weighted ratio in multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal study with clinical associations

Clinically isolated syndrome; Magnetic resonance imaging; Multiple sclerosisSíndrome clínicamente aislado; Imágenes por resonancia magnética; Esclerosis múltipleSíndrome clínicament aïllat; Imatges per ressonància magnètica; Esclerosi múltipleBackground T1w/T2-w ratio has been proposed as a clinically feasible MRI biomarker to assess tissue integrity in multiple sclerosis. However, no data is available in the earliest stages of the disease and longitudinal studies analysing clinical associations are scarce. Objective To describe longitudinal changes in T1-w/T2-w in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and multiple sclerosis, and to investigate their clinical associations. Methods T1-w/T2-w images were generated and the mean value obtained in the corresponding lesion, normal-appearing grey (NAGM) and white matter (NAWM) masks. By co-registering baseline to follow-up MRI, evolved lesions were assessed; and by placing the mask of new lesions to the baseline study, the pre-lesional tissue integrity was measured. Results We included 171 CIS patients and 22 established multiple sclerosis patients. In CIS, evolved lesions showed significant T1-w/T2-w increases compared to baseline (+7.6%, P < 0.001). T1-w/T2-w values in new lesions were lower than in pre-lesional tissue (-28.2%, P < 0.001), and pre-lesional tissue was already lower than baseline NAWM (-7.8%, P < 0.001). In CIS at baseline, higher NAGM T1-w/T2-w was associated with multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and longitudinal decreases in NAGM and NAWM T1-w/T2-w were associated with disease activity. In established multiple sclerosis, T1-w/T2-w was inversely correlated with clinical disability and disease duration. Conclusion A decrease in T1-w/T2-w ratio precedes lesion formation. In CIS, higher T1-w/T2-w was associated with multiple sclerosis diagnosis. In established multiple sclerosis, lower T1-w/T2-w values were associated with clinical disability. The possible differential impact of chronic inflammation, iron deposition and demyelination should be considered to interpret these findings.This project was developed as a part of Mateus Boaventura ECTRIMS Clinical Training Fellowship Programme 2018–2019. This study was partially supported by the Project PI18/00823, from the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS), Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Catastrophizing mediates the relationship between the personal belief in a just world and pain outcomes among chronic pain support group attendees

Health-related research suggests the belief in a just world can act as a personal resource that protects against the adverse effects of pain and illness. However, currently, little is known about how this belief, particularly in relation to one’s own life, might influence pain. Consistent with the suggestions of previous research, the present study undertook a secondary data analysis to investigate pain catastrophizing as a mediator of the relationship between the personal just world belief and chronic pain outcomes in a sample of chronic pain support group attendees. Partially supporting the hypotheses, catastrophizing was negatively correlated with the personal just world belief and mediated the relationship between this belief and pain and disability, but not distress. Suggestions for future research and intervention development are made

The role of sleep problems in central pain processing in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective Among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, the intensity of pain may be out of proportion to the severity of peripheral inflammation. This observation suggests that mechanisms of central nervous system pain amplification, such as diminished conditioned pain modulation (CPM), may play a role in enhancing pain perception among some RA patients. This study was undertaken to examine the level of CPM, pressure–pain threshold, and pressure–pain tolerance among RA patients compared to healthy controls. Methods Fifty‐eight female RA patients and 54 age‐matched female control subjects without chronic pain underwent quantitative sensory testing (QST) to assess CPM levels, pressure–pain thresholds, and pressure–pain tolerance levels. CPM was induced using a cold water bath, and the pain threshold (when patients first felt pain) and pain tolerance (when pain was too much to bear) were assessed with an algometer. Associations between RA and each QST outcome were analyzed using linear regression. Sleep problems, mental health, and inflammation were assessed as mediators of the relationship between RA and QST outcomes. Results The median CPM level was 0.5 kg/cm 2 (interquartile range [IQR] −0.1, 1.6) among RA patients, compared to a median of 1.5 kg/cm 2 (IQR −0.1, 2.5) among controls ( P = 0.04). RA patients, compared to controls, had a lower pain threshold and lower pain tolerance at the wrists (each P ≤ 0.05). In addition, RA patients had greater problems with sleep, pain catastrophizing, depression, and anxiety ( P < 0.0001 versus controls). Results of mediation analyses suggested that low CPM levels might be attributed, in part, to sleep disturbance ( P = 0.04). Conclusion RA patients have impaired CPM when compared to pain‐free control subjects. Sleep problems may mediate the association between RA and attenuated CPM.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95470/1/37733_ftp.pd