Pollination of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir as influenced by Botrytis fungicides

The effects of fungicides on grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir) pollen germination and tube growth were studied in vitro, and a related field trial examined effects of time of fungicide application during flowering on seed number and fruitset. Fungicides pyrimethanil, cyprodinil + fludioxonil and chlorothalonil incorporated into in vitro germination medium at the recommended mixing rate for field application all prevented pollen germination. When the fungicides were diluted to 10 % of the recommended mixing rate, pollen grain germination was still completely inhibited. Further dilution to 1 %, resulted in some pollen grains germinating but the level was significantly less than the control, and the grains that did germinate had stunted pollen tubes (< 100 μm in length), compared with controls not exposed to fungicide (800 μm in length). In a 0.1 % dilution of the fungicides, germination percent was not significantly different to untreated control, however pollen tube length was still slightly suppressed in media containing pyrimethanil (523 μm) and cyprodinil + fludioxonil (366 μm). In spite of these marked effects on pollen germination and tube growth in vitro, plants sprayed with pyrimethanil at either 5 or 80 % cap fall, resulted in no significant reduction in fruitset. Seed set however was affected, with seed number per berry being significantly reduced on inflorescences that were sprayed at 5 % cap fall.

Erratum

Pollination of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir as influenced by Botrytis fungicidesVitis 44 (3), 111-115 (2005

Pruning effects on Pinot Noir vines in Tasmania (Australia)

Effects of pruning on yield, three basic measures of fruit composition and cane carbohydrate concentration in Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Noir vines were investigated in a cool climate wine area of Tasmania (Australia) from 2002 to 2004. Four pruning treatments comprising of 10, 20, 30 and 40 nodes per vine were imposed on 8-year-old vines. Bunch number, bunch weight, berry number and berry weight were measured. Cane samples were collected in the second year for tissue carbohydrate analysis. Fruit was analysed for pH, skin colour and sugar level. For each of the yield components measured there was a significant year effect but no interaction between year and pruning treatment. In each of the three years pruning to a higher bud number decreased the number of bunches per bud but no other yield component. Pruning treatment significantly affected starch content of the winter canes but not soluble carbohydrate levels. Pruning affected both pH and colour of fruit but not sugar concentration.

Self-assembly of gold supraparticles with crystallographically aligned and strongly coupled nanoparticle building blocks for SERS and photothermal therapy

A new method is introduced for self-assembling citrate-capped gold nanoparticles into supraparticles with crystallographically aligned building blocks. It consists in confining gold nanoparticles inside a cellulos acetate membrane. The constituent nanoparticles are in close contact in the superstructure, and therefore generate hot spots leading to intense SERS signals. They also generate more plasmonic heat than the nanoparticle building blocks. The supraparticles are internalized by cells and show low cytotoxicity, but can kill cancer cells when irradiated with a laser. This, along with the improved plasmonic properties arising from their assembly, makes the gold supraparticles promising materials for applications in bioimaging and nanomedicine

Lack of association of -607 C/A and -137 G/C polymorphisms in interleukin 18 gene with susceptibility to gout disease in Chinese Han male population

To identify association of IL18-607 C/A and -137 G/C polymorphism with susceptibility to gout in Chinese Han male population, We evaluate the genetic contribution of the IL18-607 C/A and -137 G/C polymorphism in 202 gout male patients and 493 gout-free control of Chinese Han population by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction assay. Our results reveal no significant association between the polymorphisms -607C/A and -137G/C in IL18 with gout. Our study might suggest that -607 C/A and -137 G/C polymorphisms in the promoter of IL18 are not associated with susceptibility to gout and thus do not play a major role in the development of gout in the Chinese Han male population

Pathways between childhood victimization and psychosis-like symptoms in the ALSPAC Birth Cohort

Background: Several large population-based studies have demonstrated associations between adverse childhood experiences and later development of psychotic symptoms. However, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms involved in this pathway and the few existing studies have relied on cross-sectional assessments. Methods: Prospective data on 6692 children from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used to address this issue. Mothers reported on children’s exposure to harsh parenting and domestic violence in early childhood, and children self-reported on bullying victimization prior to 8.5 years. Presence of children’s anxiety at 10 years and their depressive symptoms at 9 and 11 years were ascertained from mothers, and children completed assessments of self-esteem and locus of control at 8.5 years. Children were interviewed regarding psychotic symptoms at a mean age of 12.9 years. Multiple mediation analysis was performed to examine direct and indirect effects of each childhood adversity on psychotic symptoms. Results: The association between harsh parenting and psychotic symptoms was fully mediated by anxiety, depressive symptoms, external locus of control, and low self-esteem. Bullying victimization and exposure to domestic violence had their associations with psychotic symptoms partially mediated by anxiety, depression, locus of control, and self-esteem. Similar results were obtained following adjustment for a range of confounders and when analyses were conducted for boys and girls separately. Conclusions: These findings tentatively suggest that specific cognitive and affective difficulties in childhood could be targeted to minimize the likelihood of adolescents exposed to early trauma from developing psychotic symptoms

Enumeration and phenotypical analysis of distinct dendritic cell subsets in psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Dendritic cells (DCs) comprise heterogeneous subsets of professional antigen-presenting cells, linking innate and adaptive immunity. Analysis of DC subsets has been hampered by a lack of specific DC markers and reliable quantitation assays. We characterised the immunophenotype and functional characteristics of psoriatic arthritis (PsA)-derived and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-derived myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) to evaluate their potential role in arthritis. Circulating peripheral blood (PB) pDC numbers were significantly reduced in PsA patients (P = 0.0098) and RA patients (P = 0.0194), and mDCs were significantly reduced in RA patients (P = 0.0086) compared with healthy controls. The number of circulating mDCs in RA PB was significantly inversely correlated to C-reactive protein (P = 0.021). The phenotype of both DC subsets in PsA PB and RA PB was immature as compared with healthy controls. Moreover, CD62L expression was significantly decreased on both mDCs (PsA, P = 0.0122; RA, P = 0.0371) and pDCs (PsA, P = 0.0373; RA, P = 0.0367) in PB. Both mDCs and pDCs were present in PsA synovial fluid (SF) and RA SF, with the mDC:pDC ratio significantly exceeding that in matched PB (PsA SF, P = 0.0453; RA SF, P = 0.0082). pDCs isolated from RA SF and PsA SF displayed an immature phenotype comparable with PB pDCs. RA and PsA SF mDCs, however, displayed a more mature phenotype (increased expression of CD80, CD83 and CD86) compared with PB mDCs. Functional analysis revealed that both SF DC subsets matured following toll-like receptor stimulation. pDCs from PB and SF produced interferon alpha and tumour necrosis factor alpha on TLR9 stimulation, but only SF pDCs produced IL-10. Similarly, mDCs from PB and SF produced similar tumour necrosis factor alpha levels to TLR2 agonism, whereas SF mDCs produced more IL-10 than PB controls. Circulating DC subset numbers are reduced in RA PB and PsA PB with reduced CD62L expression. Maturation is incomplete in the inflamed synovial compartment. Immature DCs in SF may contribute to the perpetuation of inflammation via sampling of the inflamed synovial environment, and in situ presentation of arthritogenic antigen