Effect of different coating-forming agents on the efficacy of the biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 for control of Botrytis cinerea on grapes

[EN] Multiple formulations of known biocontrol agent (BCA) Candida sake, containing different coatingforming polymers and surfactants were tested at different polymer:BCA ratios, in order to improve control of Botrytis cinerea on grapes. The BCA cell viability on the grape surface was analyzed and reduction in disease incidence and severity was determined. Coating-forming solids improved the survival and effi- cacy of C. sake as a BCA against B. cinerea, depending on the polymer type and ratio. The incorporation of surfactants did not improve survival or disease control, although they promoted a better cell dispersion on the grape surface. Cell growth of the antagonist during incubation led to the formation of aggregates, even when surfactants were present. Sodium caseinate and starch were the most suitable polymers to formulate C. sake preparations to obtain coating-forming systems with this BCA and to increase its survival and efficacy at the minimum economic cost of the ingredients. 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reservedThe authors are grateful to the Spanish Government for the financial support from the national project RTA2012-00067-C02 (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria, Spain and FEDER founds) and to the Conselleria d'Educacio of the Generalitat Valenciana, (Spain) for A. Marin's PhD grant.Marín-Gozalbo, A.; Cháfer Nácher, MT.; Atarés Huerta, LM.; Chiralt, A.; Torres, R.; Usall, J.; Teixidó, N. (2016). Effect of different coating-forming agents on the efficacy of the biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 for control of Botrytis cinerea on grapes. Biological Control. 96:108-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2016.02.012S1081199

Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.

Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes

Life-threatening infections in children in Europe (the EUCLIDS Project): a prospective cohort study

Background: Sepsis and severe focal infections represent a substantial disease burden in children admitted to hospital. We aimed to understand the burden of disease and outcomes in children with life-threatening bacterial infections in Europe. Methods: The European Union Childhood Life-threatening Infectious Disease Study (EUCLIDS) was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study done in six countries in Europe. Patients aged 1 month to 18 years with sepsis (or suspected sepsis) or severe focal infections, admitted to 98 participating hospitals in the UK, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, and the Netherlands were prospectively recruited between July 1, 2012, and Dec 31, 2015. To assess disease burden and outcomes, we collected demographic and clinical data using a secured web-based platform and obtained microbiological data using locally available clinical diagnostic procedures. Findings: 2844 patients were recruited and included in the analysis. 1512 (53·2%) of 2841 patients were male and median age was 39·1 months (IQR 12·4–93·9). 1229 (43·2%) patients had sepsis and 1615 (56·8%) had severe focal infections. Patients diagnosed with sepsis had a median age of 27·6 months (IQR 9·0–80·2), whereas those diagnosed with severe focal infections had a median age of 46·5 months (15·8–100·4; p<0·0001). Of 2844 patients in the entire cohort, the main clinical syndromes were pneumonia (511 [18·0%] patients), CNS infection (469 [16·5%]), and skin and soft tissue infection (247 [8·7%]). The causal microorganism was identified in 1359 (47·8%) children, with the most prevalent ones being Neisseria meningitidis (in 259 [9·1%] patients), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (in 222 [7·8%]), Streptococcus pneumoniae (in 219 [7·7%]), and group A streptococcus (in 162 [5·7%]). 1070 (37·6%) patients required admission to a paediatric intensive care unit. Of 2469 patients with outcome data, 57 (2·2%) deaths occurred: seven were in patients with severe focal infections and 50 in those with sepsis. Interpretation: Mortality in children admitted to hospital for sepsis or severe focal infections is low in Europe. The disease burden is mainly in children younger than 5 years and is largely due to vaccine-preventable meningococcal and pneumococcal infections. Despite the availability and application of clinical procedures for microbiological diagnosis, the causative organism remained unidentified in approximately 50% of patients

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection ar

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics

Favorable long term effects of intensified immunosuppression combined with therapeutic plasma exchange in patients with early-onset progressive systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) related mortality and morbidity remains high. Immunosuppressive therapy is considered most effective when immune activity and inflammation but not fibrosis still dominates the disease process. This study evaluated long-term intensified immunosuppression combined with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in early-onset progressive SSc-related interstitial lung disease (ILD). METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 161 SSc patients, with a median follow-up time of 8.9 years. The standardized mortality rate (SMR) and overall survival was calculated in patients with and without cardiopulmonary involvement. We used a standardized, pragmatic, non-randomized approach to treat 24 consecutive early progressive SSc-ILD patients with intensified immunosuppressive therapy, including plasma exchange. Outcome measurements were event-free survival (EFS), pulmonary function and safety profile. The outcome was compared with the analyzed data from the other SSc-ILD patients, who did not fulfill the inclusion criteria, and instead were treated with estimated optimal care (EOc). RESULTS: The age-adjusted SMR of all 161 SSc patients was 3.0 (CI95%; 0.32-5.68). EFS at 10 years was 49.9% in the intensified treatment group and 43.3% in the EOc group (p = 0.106). Improvement of the percentage of predicted forced vital capacity (%pFVC) and percentage of predicted diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (%pDLco) in the intensified treatment group was +10.1% respectively +3.6%, compared to a decrease of respectively 10.8% and 7% in the EOc (p < 0.001 resp. p = 0.019). Safety analysis showed 1 death (female patient, over 75 years of age), due to pneumosepsis, in the intensified treatment group. CONCLUSION: Intensified and long-lasting immunosuppression combined with TPE is safe in early severe systemic sclerosis and is associated with improved EFS and pulmonary function as compared to the outcome in the variable but EOc group. Our findings warrant larger studies for confirmation

Breathomics to diagnose systemic sclerosis using thermal desorption and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Systemic sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disease associated with rapidly evolving interstitial lung disease, responsible for the disease severity and mortality. Specific biomarkers enabling the early diagnosis and prognosis associated with the disease progression are highly needed. Volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath are widely available and non-invasive and have the potential to reflect metabolic processes occurring within the body. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to investigate the potential of exhaled breath to diagnose systemic sclerosis. The exhaled breath of 32 patients and 30 healthy subjects was analyzed. The high resolving power of this approach enabled the detection of 356 compounds in the breath of systemic sclerosis patients, which was characterized by an increase of mainly terpenoids and hydrocarbons. In addition, the use of 4 complementary statistical approaches (two-tailed equal variance ttest, fold change, partial least squares discriminant analysis, and random forest) resulted in the identification of 16 compounds that can be used to discriminate systemic sclerosis patients from healthy subjects. Receiver operating curves were generated that provided an accuracy of 90%, a sensitivity of 92%, and a specificity of 89%. The chemical identification of eight compounds predictive of systemic sclerosis was validated using commercially available standards. The analytical variations together with the volatile composition of room air were carefully monitored during the timeframe of the study to ensure the robustness of the technique. This study represents the first reported evaluation of exhaled breath analysis for systemic sclerosis diagnosis and provides surrogate markers for such disease

Evidence and consensus-based recommendations for non-pharmacological treatment of fatigue, hand function loss, Raynaud's phenomenon, and digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: Systemic sclerosis is a complex connective tissue disease affecting mental and physical health. Fatigue, hand function loss, and Raynaud's phenomenon are the most prevalent disease-specific symptoms of systemic sclerosis. This study aimed to develop consensus and evidence-based recommendations for non-pharmacological treatment of these symptoms. METHODS: A multidisciplinary task force was installed comprising 20 Dutch experts. After agreeing on the method for formulating the recommendations, clinically relevant questions about patient education and treatments were inventoried. During a face-to-face task force meeting, draft recommendations were generated through a systematically structured discussion, following the nominal group technique. To support the recommendations, an extensive literature search was conducted in MEDLINE and six other databases until September 2020, and 20 key systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and published recommendations were selected. Moreover, 13 Dutch medical specialists were consulted on non-pharmacological advice regarding Raynaud's phenomenon and digital ulcers. For each recommendation the level of evidence and the level of agreement was determined. RESULTS: Forty-one evidence and consensus-based recommendations were developed, and 34, concerning treatments and patient education of fatigue (12), hand function loss (8), and Raynaud's phenomenon/digital ulcers-related problems (14), were approved by the task force. CONCLUSIONS: These 34 recommendations provide guidance on non-pharmacological treatment of three of the most frequently described symptoms in patients with systemic sclerosis. The proposed recommendations can guide referrals to health professionals, inform the content of non-pharmacological interventions, and can be used in the development of national and international postgraduate educational offerings

Reduction of incidence and severity of Septoria lycopersici leaf spot of tomato with bacteria and yeasts Redução da incidência e severidade da mancha foliar do tomateiro causada por Septoria lycopersici com bacteria e leveduras

Septoria leaf spot, caused by Septoria lycopersici, is an important disease of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) which is mainly controlled by fungicide sprays. One of the alternatives to reduce fungicide applications is the use of leaf antagonists such as yeast and bacterium. This study was conducted from 1994 through 1995 in Auburn, AL, USA. The pathogen and one antagonist were isolated from field plants. In greenhouse, six yeast and one bacterial isolates were tested, in a set of seven experiments. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with four to eight treatments and six replications. The antagonists (1-3 × 10(8) colony forming units ml-1) were inoculated 48h before the inoculation of the pathogen (1-2 × 10(5) conidia ml-1), under conditions of intermittent misting. The yeast isolate Y236 (Cryptococcus laurentii) and the bacterial isolate BTL (Pseudomonas putida) significantly (P <= 0.05) reduced the incidence or the severity of the disease in most experiments.<br>A mancha foliar causada pelo fungo Septoria lycopersici é uma doença no tomateiro (Lycopersicon esculentum), controlada basicamente pela aplicação de fungicidas. Uma das alternativas ao controle químico dessa enfermidade é a utilização de bactérias e leveduras antagonistas. Este estudo foi conduzido de 1994 a 1995 em Auburn, Alabama, EUA. O patógeno e um dos antagonistas foram isolados do filoplano de plantas de tomateiro infectadas pela doença em questão. Sete antagonistas (um isolado de bacteria e seis de leveduras) foram testados em uma série de sete experimentos conduzidos em casa de vegetação. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em um delineamento completamente casualizado com quatro a oito tratamentos e seis repetições. Em todos os experimentos, os antagonistas (1-3 × 10(8) unidades formadoras de colonia ml-1) foram inoculados 48h antes da inoculação com o patógeno (1-2 × 10(5) conidios ml-1), sob condições de nebulosidade intermitente. Entre os antagonistas testados, destacaram-se o isolado de levedura Y236 (Cryptococcus laurentii) e o isolado bacteriano BTL (Pseudomonas putida). Ambos os isolados reduziram significativamente (P <= 0.05) a incidência e a severidade da doença na maioria dos experimentos