Fungicide resistance management in Australian grain crops

Fungicide resistance is a serious and increasing problem in cropping systems worldwide. Fungicides are an important component of integrated disease management strategies for the protection of crops from the impacts of fungal diseases. However, as their use has increased, the effectiveness of some fungicides has been reduced by the development of fungicide resistant pathogen populations. Without intervention, more fungicides are likely to become ineffective

Cellular, mitochondrial and molecular alterations associate with early left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in a porcine model of diabetic metabolic derangement

The prevalence of diabetic metabolic derangement (DMetD) has increased dramatically over the last decades. Although there is increasing evidence that DMetD is associated with cardiac dysfunction, the early DMetD-induced myocardial alterations remain incompletely understood. Here, we studied early DMetD-related cardiac changes in a clinically relevant large animal model. DMetD was established in adult male Göttingen miniswine by streptozotocin injections and a high-fat, high-sugar diet, while control animals remained on normal pig chow. Five months later left ventricular (LV) function was assessed by echocardiography and hemodynamic measurements, followed by comprehensive biochemical, molecular and histological analyses. Robust DMetD developed, evidenced by hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. DMetD resulted in altered LV nitroso-redox balance

Dutch Oncology COVID-19 consortium:Outcome of COVID-19 in patients with cancer in a nationwide cohort study

Aim of the study: Patients with cancer might have an increased risk for severe outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To identify risk factors associated with a worse outcome of COVID-19, a nationwide registry was developed for patients with cancer and COVID-19. Methods: This observational cohort study has been designed as a quality of care registry and is executed by the Dutch Oncology COVID-19 Consortium (DOCC), a nationwide collaboration of oncology physicians in the Netherlands. A questionnaire has been developed to collect pseudonymised patient data on patients' characteristics, cancer diagnosis and treatment. All patients with COVID-19 and a cancer diagnosis or treatment in the past 5 years are eligible. Results: Between March 27th and May 4th, 442 patients were registered. For this first analysis, 351 patients were included of whom 114 patients died. In multivariable analyses, age ≥65 years (p < 0.001), male gender (p = 0.035), prior or other malignancy (p = 0.045) and active diagnosis of haematological malignancy (p = 0.046) or lung cancer (p = 0.003) were independent risk factors for a fatal outcome of COVID-19. In a subgroup analysis of patients with active malignancy, the risk for a fatal outcome was mainly determined by tumour type (haematological malignancy or lung cancer) and age (≥65 years). Conclusion: The findings in this registry indicate that patients with a haematological malignancy or lung cancer have an increased risk of a worse outcome of COVID-19. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these vulnerable patients should avoid exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, whereas treatment adjustments and prioritising vaccination, when available, should also be considered

Deletions, repeat-induced point mutations and amino acid substitutions drive evolution of linked effectors in a fungal plant pathogen

Pathogen effectors, molecules that include small secreted proteins such as avirulence proteins, facilitate infection or induce defence responses by plants. We report the first large scale study of evolutionary processes affecting linked effector-like genes in a fungal plant pathogen. Mutations affecting seven genes and four single copy non-coding regions located in a 520 kb repetitive element-rich region of Leptosphaeria maculans, a pathogen of Brassica napus (canola) are described. Two genes are avirulence genes, AvrLm1 and AvrLm6, which are complementary to B. napus resistance genes, Rlm1 and Rlm6. Analyses of 295 Australian isolates showed that deletions, Repeat-Induced Point (RIP) mutations and/or non-RIP derived amino acid substitutions account for rapid evolution of four small secreted proteins. RIP was confined to three genes and two other single copy regions and appeared to have ‘leaked’ from flanking repetitive sequences. The RIP alleles were monophyletic and present only in isolates collected after 2004, the year when canola cultivars with resistance conferred by Rlm1 suffered severe yield losses. This co-incided with a large increase in the frequency of isolates with virulence alleles of AvrLm1 and AvrLm6, even though the canola cultivars lacked Rlm6. Evolution of these two effectors thus appears to be influenced both by the genomic environment (flanking repetitive elements) and by selection pressure from extensive sowing of crop varieties with resistance genes complementary to the avirulence effector gene

Fungicide resistance management in Australian grain crops

Fungicide resistance is a serious and increasing problem in cropping systems worldwide. Fungicides are an important component of integrated disease management strategies for the protection of crops from the impacts of fungal diseases. However, as their use has increased, the effectiveness of some fungicides has been reduced by the development of fungicide resistant pathogen populations. Without intervention, more fungicides are likely to become ineffective