Digital phenotyping of coconut and morphological traits associated with eriophyid mite infestation

Observations were recorded on traits associated with mite infestation related at two stages of button on six different coconut cultivars over three years. Highly significant correlation was found between mite damage score with color or weight of tepal. Step-wise multiple regression of the data analysis showed color of inner tepal as major trait associated with infestation by eriophyid mite. Other traits are ratio of tepal weight to tepal area, per cent of buttons with pink discoloration or with resin, tepals of regular aestivation and gap between fruit and tepal. Digital phenotype data of 83 image files were used to calculate color signature and correlated the same to mite damage score over three years. Red spectral values were found to vary from 14 to 251, green values to 12 to 237 and blue to vary from 5 to 183. Spectral values red max, green max, 3* Red + Green max had high significant negative correlation (>-0.4) with mite damage. Color and firmness of fruits and tepals of three coconut varieties were further analyzed where, fruits and tepals of COD variety showed high red/green (a* value of Hunterlab) >12. Firmness of 3 month old tepal and fruit of Benualim (BGRT) tall variety was (penetrometer reading >38) higher than other varieties

Clinical characteristics of aseptic meningitis induced by intravenous immunoglobulin in patients with Kawasaki disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aseptic meningitis is a serious adverse reaction to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. We studied the clinical characteristics of patients with acute Kawasaki disease (KD) who developed IVIG-induced aseptic meningitis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with KD who developed aseptic meningitis after IVIG treatment was performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the 10-year period from 2000 through 2009, among a total of 384 patients with Kawasaki disease, 4 (3 females and 1 male; age range, 19-120 months) developed aseptic meningitis after IVIG. All 4 developed aseptic meningitis within 48 hours (range, 25-40 hours) of initiation of IVIG. The analyses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed elevated white blood cell counts (22-1,248/μL) in all 4 patients; a predominance of polynuclear cells (65%-89%) was noted in 3. The CSF protein level was elevated in only 1 patient (59 mg/dL), and the glucose levels were normal in all 4 patients. Two patients were treated with intravenous methylprednisolone; the other 2 children were observed carefully without any special therapy. All patients recovered without neurological complications.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In our patients with Kawasaki disease, aseptic meningitis induced by IVIG occurred within 48 hours after initiation of IVIG, resolved within a few days, and resulted in no neurological complications, even in patients who did not receive medical treatment.</p

Rare non-Wilms' tumors in children

We report our institutional experience of the management of 2 cases of rare non-Wilms' tumors; a rhabdoid tumor in a 17-month old boy and a clear cell sarcoma in a 5-year old girl. The two patients were treated with ifosfamide/carboplatin/etoposide (ICE) alternating with vincristine/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (VDC) and cyclophosphamide/etoposide (CE) alternating with vincristine/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (VDC) and radiotherapy, respectively. Both patients showed full response with no significant adverse events. At 2-year follow up, they are disease and relapse free. Although contemporary treatment regimens are very promising, multicenter collaborative studies are needed in order to define a standard treatment for non-Wilms' tumors

Consensus Paper—ICIS Expert Meeting Basel 2009 treatment milestones in immune thrombocytopenia

The rarity of severe complications of this disease in children makes randomized clinical trials in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) unfeasible. Therefore, the current management recommendations for ITP are largely dependent on clinical expertise and observations. As part of its discussions during the Intercontinental Cooperative ITP Study Group Expert Meeting in Basel, the Management working group recommended that the decision to treat an ITP patient be individualized and based mainly on bleeding symptoms and not on the actual platelet count number and should be supported by bleeding scores using a validated assessment tool. The group stressed the need to develop a uniform validated bleeding score system and to explore new measures to evaluate bleeding risk in thrombocytopenic patients—the role of rituximab as a splenectomy-sparing agent in resistant disease was also discussed. Given the apparently high recurrence rate to rituximab therapy in children and the drug's possible toxicity, the group felt that until more data are available, a conservative approach may be considered, reserving rituximab for patients who failed splenectomy. More studies of the effectiveness and side effects of drugs to treat refractory patients, such as TPO mimetics, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and cytotoxic agents are required, as are long-term data on post-splenectomy complications. In the patient with either acute or chronic ITP, using a more personalized approach to treatment based on bleeding symptoms rather than platelet count should result in less toxicity and empower both physicians and families to focus on quality-of-life

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Not AvailableBroadening genetic base through backcross breeding is an effective approach to generate diverse genetic stocks for important economic traits coupled with red rot resistance. Three hundred backcross hybrids developed by backcrossing elite F1 clones derived by utilizing improved clones (S.officinarum, S. robustum and S. barberi) with improved S. officinarum or improved S. robustum or Co canes showed variability for the traits studied. Heritability estimates varied over the different nobilising generations and study indicated that selection of parents for sucrose % during the nobilisation process will be effective. BC1 and BC2 hybrids developed from improved S. robustum x improved S. officinarum showed an improvement of 16.71% and 34.09%: 22.36% and 40.58% for sucrose % at 360 days in comparison with improved S. officinarum and S. robustum parents, respectively. Crosses with PIR 96-285 and PIR 001188 as one of backcross parents generated high quality recombinants. The introgression of new genes provided backcross progenies with redrot resistance. The prebred clones expressed wide variability for various traits like internode colour, cane thickness, leaf colour, canopy, hairiness, cane yield and quality characters. Among the pre bred materials, 26 clones recorded single cane weight > 1.25 kg, 45 clones with brix % above 20% and 41 clones with juice sucrose above 18.5% and most of them were derived from the crosses involving improved S.officinarum x improved S. robustum parents back crossed to improved S. officinarum or Co canes. Elite trait specific BC1 hybrids viz., 13-69, 13-251, 13-103, 13-208, 13-253, 14-57 and 14-60 and BC2 hybrids viz.,14-42, 14-66, 14-161 combining good quality and yield traits coupled with red rot resistance: 13-57, 13-114, 13-147 and 13-251, 14-76, 14-69, 14-163 and 14-174 with thickness and resistance to red rot can be utilized in sugarcane varietal improvement programmes.Not Availabl

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Not AvailablePrincipal Component Analysis (PCA) was used in evaluating genetic divergence among the sugarcane interspecific hybrids generated based on 16 traits. The variation among the F1 hybrids of improved S.officinarum x improved S. robustum was attributed by cane height. Cane height was the only trait which contributed maximum towards variability followed by NMC. In backcross generation, it was observed that diversity among the genotypes with high positive factor loads was from cane height; NMC and cane diameter, SCW, brix%, sucrose% and CCS% also had positive loads for PC1 in relation to cane height. SCW, brix%, sucrose% CCS% were positively associated with cane height and NMC but cane diameter was negatively contributed to the variation. Cane height followed by NMC (which has positive factor loads in PC1) contributed maximum towards variation among hybrids. In BC1 and BC2 hybrids, PC1 is beneficial in selecting high yielding clones in terms of cane height and PC2 is important in selecting high quality clones in terms of brix% and sucrose %. Through the present study, a representative sample of 200 clones from various introgressed groups were identified based on the evaluation of yield and quality traits from the prebred gene pool (680 clones). The frequency distribution analysis for different traits indicated that the genetic variability available in the gene pool has been observed in the representative sample also. This group due to its reduced size, will aid in proper extensive exploitation of available genetic variability for biotic and abiotic stresses to identify clones with desirable characteristics for utilization in crop improvement programmes to combat with future challenges and in genomic studies.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableObservations were recorded on traits associated with mite infestation related at two stages of button on six different coconut cultivars over three years. Highly significant correlation was found between mite damage score with color or weight of tepal. Step-wise multiple regression of the data analysis showed color of inner tepal as major trait associated with infestation by eriophyid mite. Other traits are ratio of tepal weight to tepal area, per cent of buttons with pink discoloration or with resin, tepals of regular aestivation and gap between fruit and tepal. Digital phenotype data of 83 image files were used to calculate color signature and correlated the same to mite damage score over three years. Red spectral values were found to vary from 14 to 251, green values to 12 to 237 and blue to vary from 5 to 183. Spectral values red max, green max, 3* Red + Green max had high significant negative correlation (>-0.4) with mite damage. Color and firmness of fruits and tepals of three coconut varieties were further analyzed where, fruits and tepals of COD variety showed high red/green (a* value of Hunterlab) >12. Firmness of 3 month old tepal and fruit of Benualim (BGRT) tall variety was (penetrometer reading >38) higher than other varieties.Not Availabl