Screening a variable germplasm collection of Cucumis melo L. for seedling resistance to Macrophomina phaseolina

[EN] We evaluate the seedling resistance to charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in ninety-seven Cucumis melo accessions, from different geographical origins and five F1 generations, derived from crosses of five accessions selected for their resistance. Artificial inoculations with the toothpick method, previously reported to be useful for predicting shoot resistance, were performed, and plants were scored using a scale of disease severity. The average disease severity was calculated for each accession and was used to cluster the accession in five reaction classes. The screening revealed that sources of natural resistance to this fungus are limited. However, seedlings of seven accessions of different botanic groups displayed a resistant response to the stem inoculation, one cantaloup from Israel, one conomon accession from Korea, two wild agrestis and one acidulus from Africa, and two dudaim accessions from Middle East. The response of the F1 progenies varied from susceptibility to high resistance, the latter in progenies from the two agrestis wild types. These results suggest differences in the genetic basis of the resistance in the different selected sources. The resistant accessions are suggested to be screened under field conditions to confirm the level of resistance at adult plant stage and under stressful conditions.This work has been partially funded by the Project No 294/13 of the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior CAPES (Brazil). M. M. Q. Ambrosio and A. C. A. Dantas thank CAPES for their research fellowships. B.Pico thanks the Programa Hispano-Brasileno de Cooperacion Universitaria HBP2012-008 and PHBP14/00021 and to the MINECO project AGL2014-53398-C2-2-R.Ambrosio, MM.; Dantas, AC.; Martinez Perez, EM.; Medeiros, AC.; Sousa Nunes, GHD.; Picó Sirvent, MB. (2015). Screening a variable germplasm collection of Cucumis melo L. for seedling resistance to Macrophomina phaseolina. Euphytica. 206(2):287-300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-015-1452-xS2873002062Aegerter BJ, Gordon TR, Davis RM (2000) Occurrence and pathogenicity of fungi associated with melon root rot and vine decline in California. Plant Dis 84:224–230Almeida AMR, Abdelnoor RV, Arias CAA, Carvalho VP, Jacoud Filho DS, Marin SRR, Benato LC, Pinto MC, Carvalho CGP (2003) Genotypic diversity among Brazilian isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina revealed by RAPD. Fitopatol Bras 28:279–285Almeida AMRA, Seixas CDSS, Farias JRBF, Oliveira MCN, Franchini JC, Debiasi H, Costa JM, Gaudêncio CA (2014) Macrophomina phaseolina em soja. Embrapa Soja, Londrina, p 30pAmbrósio MMQ, Bueno CJ, Padovani CR, Souza NL (2009) Sobrevivência de fungos fitopatogênicos habitantes do solo, em microcosmo, simulando solarização com prévia incorporação de materiais orgânicos. Summa Phytopathol 35(1):20–25Andrade DEGT, Michereff SJ, Biondi CM, Nascimento CWA, Sales R Jr (2005) Frequência de fungos associados ao colapso do meloeiro e relação com características físicas, químicas e microbiológicas dos solos. Summa Phytopathol 31(4):327–333Bedendo IP (2011) Podridões de raiz e de colo. In: Amorin L, Rezende JAM, Bergamin Filho A (eds) Manual de Fitopatologia: Princípios e conceitos. Agronômica Ceres, São Paulo, pp 443–448Bramel-Cox PJ, Stein IS, Rodgers DM, Claflin LE (1988) Inheritance of resistance to Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. and Fusarium moniliforme Sheldom in Sorghum. Crop Sci 28(1):37–40Bruton BD, Miller E (1997) Occurrence of vine decline diseases of melons in Honduras. Plant Dis 81(6):696Bruton BD, Jeger MD, Reuveni R (1987) Macrophomina phaseolina infection and vine decline in cantaloupe in relation to planting date, soil environment, and maturation. Plant Dis 71(3):259–263Burger Y, Katzir N, Tzuri G, Portnoy V, Saar U, Shriber S, Perl-Treves R, Cohen R (2003) Variation in the response of melon genotypes to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis race 1 determined by inoculation tests and molecular markers. Plant Pathol 52:204–211Chamorro M, Miranda L, Domínguez P, Medina JJ, Soria C, Romero F, López Aranda JM, De los Santos B (2015) Evaluation of biosolarization for the control of charcoal rot disease (Macrophomina phaseolina) in strawberry. Crop Prot 67:279–286Cohen R (1993) A leaf disk assay for detection of resistance of melons to Sphaerotheca fuliginea race 1. Plant Dis 77(5):513–517Cohen R, Katzir N, Schreiber S, Greenberg R (1996) Occurrence of Shaerotheca fuliginea Race 3 on Cucurbits in Israel. Plant Dis 80:334Cohen R, Omari N, Porat A, Edelstein M (2012) Management of Macrophomina wilt in melons using grafting or fungicide soil application: pathological, horticultural and economical aspects. Crop Prot 35:58–63Cohen R, Tyutyunik J, Fallik E, Oka Y, Tadmor Y, Edelstein M (2014) Phytopathological evaluation of exotic watermelon germplasm as a basic for rootstock breeding. Sci Hortic 165:203–210Dantas AMM, Ambrósio MMQ, Nascimento SRC, Senhor RF, Cézar MA, Lima JSS (2013) Incorporation of plant materials in the control of root pathogens in mushmelon. Revista Agro@ambiente on-line 7(3):338–344Davis RM, Turini TA, Aegerter BJ, Stapleton JJ (2009) Cucurbits charcoal rot, pathogen: Macrophomina phaseolina. UC IPM online. http://www.totoagriculture.org/PDFs/PlantDiseasesPests/1026.pdf . Accessed 25 Feb 2015Dias RCS, Picó B, Espinos A, Nuez F (2004) Resistance to melón vine decline derived from Cucumis melo ssp. agrestis: genetic analysis of root structure and root response. Plant Breed 123:66–72Diourte M, Starr JL, Jegger MJ, Stack JP, Rosenow DT (1995) Charcoal rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) resistance and the effect of water stress on disease development in Sorghum. Plant Pathol 44:196–202Esteras C, Pascual B, Nuez F, Picó MB (2009) Use of ecotilling to identify natural allelic variants of melon candidate genes involved in fuit ripening. 8th Plant Genomics European Meeting (Plant GEM 8) Istambul, 213Esteras C, Formisano G, Roig C, Díaz A, Blanca J, Garcia-Mas J, Gómez-Guillamón ML, López-Sesé AI, Lázaro A, Monforte AJ, Picó B (2013) SNP genotyping in melons: genetic variation, population structure, and linkage disequilibrium. Theor Appl Genet 126(5):1285–1303. doi: 10.1007/s00122-013-2053-5Fang X, Phillips D, Li H, Sivasithamparama K, Barbettia MJ (2011) Comparisons of virulence of pathogens associated with crown and root diseases of strawberry in Western Australia with special reference to the effect of temperature. Sci Hortic 131(22):39–48Food and Agriculture Organization (2014) Faostat. http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/default.aspx#ancor . Accessed 11 Nov 2011García-Jiménez J, Martínez-Ferrer G, Armengol J, Velazquez MT, Orts M, Juárez M, Ortega A, Jordá MC, Alfaro A (1993) Agentes asociados al colapso del melón en distintas zonas españolas. Bol San Veg Plagas 19:401–423Grezes-Besset B, Lucante N, Kelechian V, Dargent R, Muller H (1996) Evaluation of castor bean resistance to sclerotial wilt disease caused by Macrophomina phaseolina. Plant Dis 80(8):842–846Hutcheson SW (1998) Current concepts of active defense in plants. Annu Rev Phytopathol 36:59–90Iglesias A, Picó B, Nuez F (2000) A temporal genetic analysis of disease resistance genes resistance to melon vine decline derived from Cucumis melo var. agrestis. Plant Breed 119:329–334Islam MS, Haque MS, Islam MM, Emdad EM, Halim A, Hossen QMM, Hossain MZ, Ahmed B, Rahim S, Rahman MS, Alam MM, Hou S, Wan X, Saito JÁ, Alam M (2012) Tools to kill: genome of one of the most destructive plant pathogenic fungi Macrophomina phaseolina. BMC Genomic 13(493):1–16Jacob CJ, Krarup C, Díaz A, Latorre BA (2013) A severe outbreak of charcoal rot in cantaloupe melon caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in Chile. Plant Dis 97(1):141Kaur S, Dhillon GS, Brar SK, Vallad GE, Chand R, Chauhan VB (2012) Emerging phytopathogen Macrophomina phaseolina: biology, economic importance and current diagnostic trends. Crit Rev Microbiol 38(1):136–151Keeling A (1982) Seedling test for resistance to soybean stem canker caused by diaporthe phaseolorum var. caulivora. Phytopathology 72(7):807–809Khan SN (2007) Macrophomina phaseolina as causal agent for charcoal rot of sunflower. Mycopath 5(2):111–118Khan SH, Shuaib M (2007) Identification of sources of resistance in Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) against Charcoal Rot Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. Afr Crop Sci 8:2101–2102Krikun J, Orion D, Nachmias A, Reuveni R (1982) The role of soilborne pathogens under conditions of intensive agricultura. Phytoparasitica 10(4):247–258Mahmoudi SB, Ghashghaie S (2013) Reaction of sugar beet S1 lines and cultivars to different isolates of Macrophomina phaseolina and Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2IIIB. Euphytica 190:39–445. doi: 10.1007/s10681-012-0832-8Mertely J, Seijo T, Peres N (2005) First report of Macrophomina phaseolina causing a crown rot of strawberry in Florida. Plant Dis 89(4):434Mughogho LK, Pande S (1984) Charcoal Rot of Sorghum. In: Mughogho LK, Rosenberg G (eds) Sorghum root and stalk rots, a critical review: proceedings of the consultative group discussion on research needs and strategies for control of sorghum root and stalk rot diseases. Icrisat, Bellagio, pp 11–24Nischwitz C, Olsen M, Rasmussen S (2004) Effect of irrigation type on inoculum density of Macrophomina phaseolina in melon fields in Arizona. J Phytopathol 152(3):133–137Noling JW, Becker JO (1994) The challenge of research and extension to define and implement alternatives to methyl bromide. J Nematol 26(4S):573–586Pitrat M (2008) Melon. In: Prohens J, Nuez F (eds) Handbook of plant breeding. Springer, New York, pp 283–315Purkayastha S, Kaur B, Dilbaghi N, Chaudhury A (2006) Characterization of Macrophomina phaseolina, the charcoal rot pathogen of cluster bean, using conventional techniques and PCR-based molecular markers. Plant Pathol 55:106–116. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3059.2005.01317.xRadwan O, Rouhana LV, Hartman GL, Korban SS (2014) Genetic mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions for charcoal rot in soybean. Plant Mol Biol Report 32(3):617–629Ravf BA, Ahmad I (1998) Studies on correlation of seed infection to field incidence of Alternaria alternate and Macrophomina phaseolina in Sunflower. 13th Iranian Plant Protection Congress-Karaj, p 113Roustaee A, Reyhan MK, Jafari M (2011) Study of interaction between salinity and charcoal rot diseases of melon (Macrophomina phaseolina) in Semnan and Garmsar. Desert 16(2):175–218Salari M, Panjehkeh N, Nasirpoor Z, Abkhoo J (2012) Reaction of melón (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars to soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi in Iran. Afr J Biotecnol 11(87):15324–15329Sales R Jr, Oliveira OF, Medeiros EV, Guimarães IM, Correia KC, Michereff SJ (2012) Ervas daninhas como hospedeiras alternativas de patógenos causadores do colapso do meloeiro. Rev Ciênc Agron 43(1):195–198Sas Institute (2000) Sas/Stat user´s guide: statistics, version 8.01, v. 2, 4. SAS Institute, Inc, CaryScandiani MM, Ruberti DS, Giorda LM, Pioli RN, Luque AG, Bottai H, Ivancovich JJ, Aoki T, O´Donnell K (2011) Comparison of inoculation methods for characterizing relative aggressiveness of two soybean sudden-death syndrome pathogens, Fusarium virguliforme and F. tucumaniae. Trop Plant Pathol 36(3):133–140Scott AJ, Knott MA (1974) Cluster analysis method for grouping means in the analysis of variance. Biometrics 30(3):507–512Sebastian P, Schaefer H, Telford IRH, Renner SS (2010) Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and melon (C. melo) have numerous wild relatives in Asia and Australia, and the sister species of melon is from Australia. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107:14269–14273Sharmishtha P, Bhavneet K, Neeraj D, Ashok C (2006) Evaluation of cluster bean genotypes for resistance to charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina using different host inoculation methods pages. J Crop Improv 15(1):67–79Shekhar M, Sharma RC, Singh L, Dutta R (2006) Morphological and pathogenic variability of Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi.) Goid Incitant of charcoal rot of maize in India. Indian Phytopath 59(3):294–298Stapleton JJ (2000) Soil solarization in various agricultural production systems. Crop Prot 19:837–841Twizeyimana M, Hill CB, Pawlowski M, Paul C, Hartman GL (2012) A cut-stem inoculation technique to evaluate soybean for resistance to Macrophomina phaseolina. Plant Dis 96(8):1210–1215Watson A, Napier T (2009) Disease of cucurbit vegetables. Primefact 832:1–6Wolukau JN, Zhou XH, Li Y, Zhang Y, Chen J (2007) Resistance to gummy stem blight in melon (Cucumis melo L.) germplasm and inheritance of resistance from plant introductions 157076, 420145, and 323498. HortScience 42(2):215–221Wrather JA, Anderson TR, Arsyad DM, Tan Y, Ploper LD, Porta-Puglia A, Ram HH, Yorinori JT (2001) Soybean disease loss estimates for the top ten soybean-producing countries in 1998. Can J Plant Pathol 23:115–12

Biodegradable FeMnSi sputter-coated macroporous polypropylene membranes for the sustained release of drugs

Pure Fe and FeMnSi thin films were sputtered on macroporous polypropylene (PP) membranes with the aim to obtain biocompatible, biodegradable and, eventually, magnetically-steerable platforms. Room-temperature ferromagnetic response was observed in both Fe- and FeMnSi-coated membranes. Good cell viability was observed in both cases by means of cytotoxicity studies, though the FeMnSi-coated membranes showed higher biodegradability than the Fe-coated ones. Various strategies to functionalize the porous platforms with transferrin-Alexa Fluor 488 (Tf-AF488) molecules were tested to determine an optimal balance between the functionalization yield and the cargo release. The distribution of Tf-AF488 within the FeMnSi-coated PP membranes, as well as its release and uptake by cells, was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy. A homogeneous distribution of the drug within the membrane skeleton and its sustained release was achieved after three consecutive impregnations followed by the addition of a layer made of gelatin and maltodextrin, which prevented exceedingly fast release. The here-prepared organic-inorganic macroporous membranes could find applications as fixed or magnetically-steerable drug delivery platforms

Brazilian melon landraces resistant to Podosphaera xanthii are unique germplasm resources

"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [FULL CITE], which has been published in final form at [Link to final article using the DOI]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving."[EN] Podosphaera xanthii is the most important causal agent of powdery mildew in melon, a crop ranked within the most economically important species worldwide. The best strategy to face this fungus disease, which causes important production losses, is the development of genetically resistant cultivars. Genetic breeding programmes require sources of resistance, and a few ones have been reported in melon, mostly in Momordica and Acidulus horticultural groups. However, the existence of many races that reduces the durability of the resistance makes necessary to find new resistant genotypes with different genetic backgrounds. In this work, Brazilian germplasm, together with a set of Indian landraces, and the COMAV¿s (Institute for the Conservation and Breeding of Agricultural Biodiversity) melon core collection, representing the whole variability of the species, were assessed for resistance against some common races in Spain and Brazil and genotyped with a 123-SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) genotyping platform to study the molecular relationships of the resistant accessions. In the first experiment, carried out in Valencia (Spain) in 2013, seventy-nine melon accessions were evaluated using artificial inoculation. Five accessions selected as resistant were also evaluated against races 1, 3, and 5 in Mossoró (Brazil, 2015) and against race 3.5 in Valencia (2016) under greenhouse conditions, and under four field conditions in Brazil. The accessions, AL-1, BA-3, CE-3, and RN-2, within the Brazilian collection, presented resistance against all the races of P. xanthii assayed in all conditions tested. AL-1, CE-3 and RN-2 were molecularly more similar to wild agrestis and Acidulus melons from Asia and Africa, while BA-3 grouped with Momordica types. Molecular analysis also confirmed that these new Brazilian sources of resistance differ from those previously reported, constituting interesting materials to encourage genetic breeding programmes, especially in Brazil and Spain.This work was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq ( Processes: 485739/2013-5; 312315/2013-9) and CAPES-DPGU (294/2013) and by the projects funded by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad AGL2014-53398-C2-1-R and AGL2014-53398-C2-2-R (jointly funded by FEDER). We also thank Sakata Seed Sudamerica Ltda for the inoculum source for the different P. xanthii races employed.Nunes, EWLP.; Esteras Gómez, C.; Ricarte, AO.; Martínez-Pérez, EM.; Gómez-Guillamon, ML.; Nunes, GHS.; Picó Sirvent, MB. (2017). Brazilian melon landraces resistant to Podosphaera xanthii are unique germplasm resources. Annals of Applied Biology. 171(2):214-228. https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12370S214228171

Permeable reactive barriers for the remediation of groundwater in a mining area: results for a pilot-scale project

The Sierra Minera of Cartagena-La Union is located in the Region of Murcia, Southeast of Spain. This zone presents high levels of heavy metals due to natural, geogenic reasons. In addition, the prolonged mining activity, and subsequent abandonment of farms, has had consequences on the environment, including severe affectation of the groundwater in the area. To remediate this situation, the Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) technology was assayed, which required in addition to the hydro-geological study of the zone, a careful optimization study for the design and construction of PRBs. For such a purpose a pilot-scale project was developed, and this communication reports some of the most relevant findings obtained after a four-years monitorization period. The selected reactive material for the PRBs was limestone filler. The filler is a waste material produced in many factories in the zone. These residues have good adsorption properties, high alkalinity, low cost and high availability, which make them suitable for use in remediation. The PRB was constituted by a 50% limestone filler and 50% sand, a proportion optimized by means of independent batch experiments. A layer of gravel was placed at the top, and on it a layer of natural soil. The barrier was designed in the form of a continuous trench, because the level of the contaminated groundwater was not very deep. In this way, the barrier could be prepared with standard excavation equipment. Parallel to the barrier, 6 wells where arranged downstream for sample collection. The pH and conductivity of the samples was measured directly in situ, and the content of Zn, Cd, Cu, Fe, and Pb were analyzed in the laboratory. All the samples collected after the PRB was constructed had basic pH values between 7.5 and 8. The conductivity was between 5 and 11 mS / cm except for the well 4, which had a value of 3.70 mS / cm. The concentration values of trace elements were below the detection limit (atomic absorption measurement) in most of cases, or showed values below normal levels of the area. Our results prove that limestone filler is suitable as the active component of PRBs barriers for sites polluted by trace elements. Following this relatively simple technology, there is no risk for human health or ecosystem, and a big cost-saving can be obtained in projects focused to the remediation of areas affected by mining activities

Boceprevir plus pegylated interferon/ribavirin to re-treat hepatitis C virus genotype 1 in HIV-HCV co-infected patients: final results of the Spanish BOC HIV-HCV Study

Introduction Boceprevir (BOC) was one of the first oral inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease to be developed. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of BOC + pegylated interferon-α2a/ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) in the retreatment of HIV-HCV co-infected patients with HCV genotype 1. Methods This was a phase III prospective trial. HIV-HCV (genotype 1) co-infected patients from 16 hospitals in Spain were included. These patients received 4 weeks of PEG-IFN/RBV (lead-in), followed by response-guided therapy with PEG-IFN/RBV plus BOC (a fixed 44 weeks was indicated in the case of cirrhosis). The primary endpoint was the sustained virological response (SVR) rate at 24 weeks post-treatment. Efficacy and safety were evaluated in all patients who received at least one dose of the study drug. Results From June 2013 to April 2014, 102 patients were enrolled, 98 of whom received at least one treatment dose. Seventy-three percent were male, 34% were cirrhotic, 23% had IL28b CC, 65% had genotype 1a, and 41% were previous null responders. The overall SVR rate was 67%. Previous null-responders and cirrhotic patients had lower SVR rates (57% and 51%, respectively). Seventy-six patients (78%) completed the therapy scheme; the most common reasons for discontinuation were lack of response at week 12 (12 patients) and adverse events (six patients). Conclusions Response-guided therapy with BOC in combination with PEG-IFN/RBV led to an overall SVR rate of 67%, but an SVR rate of only 51% in patients with cirrhosis. The therapy was generally well tolerated. Although the current standards of care do not include BOC + PEG-IFN/RBV, the authors believe that this combination can be beneficial in situations where new HCV direct antiviral agent interferon-free therapies are not available yet

Feasibility and outcomes after dose reduction of immunochemotherapy in young adults with Burkitt lymphoma and leukemia: results of the BURKIMAB14 trial

High dose -intensive or infusional intermediate -dose immunochemotherapy is highly effective treatment for Burkitt lymphoma irrespective of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, toxicities of these regimens are relevant, especially in older adults and elderly patients. The prospective multicenter BURKIMAB14 trial included four to six blocks of immunochemotherapy according to stage (localized: 1 and 2 non -bulky; advanced: 2 bulky, 3, 4) and age, with dose reduction in patients >55 years old. Dose -intensity of chemotherapy was reduced in patients 55 years old had a significantly higher treatment -related mortality despite dose reduction of chemotherapy. With a median follow-up of 3.61 years the 4 -year OS probability was 73% (range, 63-81%). Age (55 years) and stage (localized vs. advanced) had prognostic significance. No significant differences in OS were observed in HIV -positive versus HIV -negative patients. The results of BURKIMAB14 are similar to those of other dose -intensive immunochemotherapy trials. Age >55 years and advanced stage, but not HIV infection, were associated with poor survival. Dose reduction of chemotherapy in young adults in CMR is safe and does not impact outcomes (clinicaltrials gov. Identifier: NCT05049473)

recommendations by the Conect4Children expert advice group

Funding Information: Competing interests: A.V.R. has received Speaker fees/Consultant for Abbvie, Novartis, UCB, SOBI, Eli Lilly and Roche. N.M. reports grants outside the submitted work in the last five years from the Medical Research Council, National Institute of Health Research, March of Dimes, British Heart Foundation, HCA international, Health Data Research UK, Shire Pharmaceuticals, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, Prolacta Life Sciences, and Westminster Children’s Research Fund; N.M. is a member of the Nestle Scientific Advisory Board and accepts no personal remuneration for this role. N.M. reports travel and accommodation reimbursements from Chiesi, Nestle and Shire. N.M. is a member of C4C, International Neonatal Collaboration (INC), UK National Research Ethics Advisory Service and MHRA advisory groups and/or working parties. S.W. has received compensation as a member of the scientific advisory board of AM Pharma, Novartis and Khondrion and receives research funding from IMI2 for the Conect4children project. B.A. has worked for GlaxoSmithKline between October 2006 and September 2009 and holds company shares. Between October 2009 and May 2015, she has worked for Novartis. M.S. has recieved research grant and honoraria for meetings and Advisory Boards from Alexion, Sanofi/Genzyme, Takeda, CHIESI, Ultragenix, Orchard, Orphazyme. P.I. is a permanent employee of Bayer AG, Germany. M.V. has received compensation for Advisory boards or Steering committes from Roche, Novartis, Achillion, Apellis, Retrophin/Travere, Alexion pharmaceuticals. C.M. has been a consultant to or has received honoraria from Janssen, Angelini, Servier, Nuvelution, Otsuka, Lundbeck, Pfizer, Neuraxpharm and Esteve outside the submitted work. She declares conflicts of interest unrelated to the present work. M.C. had advisory roles for AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eisai, Lilly, and Roche in the last 2 years (outside the topic of the submitted work, for oncology drugs). M.J. has received research grants from Shire and has been engaged as a speaker or consultant by Shire, Ginsana, PCM Scientific Evolan, and New Nordic, all unrelated to the present work. P.S. has received speaker fees and participated at advisory boards for Biomarin, Zogenyx, GW Pharmaceuticals, and has received research funding by ENECTA BV, GW Pharmaceuticals, Kolfarma srl., Eisai. E.R. has received speaker fees and participated at advisory boards for Eisai and has received research funding by GW Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Italian Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Italian Medicine Agency (AIFA). This work was developed within the framework of the DINOGMI Department of Excellence of MIUR 2018-2022 (legge 232 del 2016). M.A.R. is a member of the c4c Ethics Expert Group and received compensation for ethical consulting activities from Bayer AG Wallace Crandall is employee of Eli Lilly and Co. P.C. is an employee of UCB, and owns stock in the company. She was previously an employee of GSK and owns stock in the company. N.R. has received honoraria for consultancies or speaker bureaus from the following pharmaceutical companies in the past 3 years: Ablynx, Amgen, Astrazeneca-Medimmune, Aurinia, Bayer, Bristol Myers and Squibb, Cambridge Healthcare Research (CHR), Celgene, Domain therapeutic, Eli-Lilly, EMD Serono, Glaxo Smith and Kline, Idorsia, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sobi, UCB. The IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini (IGG), where NR works as full-time public employee has received contributions from the following industries in the last 3 years: Bristol Myers and Squibb, Eli-Lilly, F Hoffmann-La Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, Sobi. This funding has been reinvested for the research activities of the hospital in a fully independent manner, without any commitment with third parties. M.L. receives/has received consultation fees from CSL Behring, Novartis, Roche and Octopharma, travel grants from Merck Serono, and been awarded educational grants to organise meetings by Novartis, Biogen Idec, Merck Serono and Bayer. All other authors have no disclosures. Funding Information: Conect4children has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 777389. The Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA. The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author(s) and should not be interpreted as made on behalf of, or reflecting the position of, the regulatory agency/agencies or organisations with which the author(s) is/are employed/affiliated . Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on multiple aspects of healthcare, but has also triggered new ways of working, stimulated novel approaches in clinical research and reinforced the value of previous innovations. Conect4children (c4c, www.conect4children.org) is a large collaborative European network to facilitate the development of new medicines for paediatric populations, and is made up of 35 academic and 10 industry partners from 20 European countries, more than 50 third parties, and around 500 affiliated partners. Methods: We summarise aspects of clinical research in paediatrics stimulated and reinforced by COVID-19 that the Conect4children group recommends regulators, sponsors, and investigators retain for the future, to enhance the efficiency, reduce the cost and burden of medicines and non-interventional studies, and deliver research-equity. Findings: We summarise aspects of clinical research in paediatrics stimulated and reinforced by COVID-19 that the Conect4children group recommends regulators, sponsors, and investigators retain for the future, to enhance the efficiency, reduce the cost and burden of medicines and non-interventional studies, and deliver research-equityWe provide examples of research innovation, and follow this with recommendations to improve the efficiency of future trials, drawing on industry perspectives, regulatory considerations, infrastructure requirements and parent–patient–public involvement. We end with a comment on progress made towards greater international harmonisation of paediatric research and how lessons learned from COVID-19 studies might assist in further improvements in this important area.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

Espècie porcina: manual lesional de suport per al dictamen de carns fresques

Escorxador; Porcí; Carn; Control oficialMatadero; Porcino; Carne; Control oficialSlaughterhouse; Swine; Meat; Official controlLa inspecció post mortem que efectua el col·lectiu de veterinaris oficials d’escorxador és una part important dels controls oficials relatius a la carn fresca i, com a tal, és un dels elements que condiciona que es dictamini com a apta o no per al consum humà i que s’hagin de notificar les malalties de declaració obligatòria. Els escorxadors són entorns òptims per observar i registrar les particularitats de la variada patologia animal que s’hi presenta. Aquesta informació, si és compartida, pot esdevenir una eina molt útil i interessant per al col·lectiu de professionals. En conseqüència, es va crear una comunitat de pràctica (CoP) per a l’espècie porcina. L’autoria d’aquest manual és de veterinaris oficials d’escorxador de la Generalitat de Catalunya. El contingut s’ha volgut transmetre per mitjà de fitxes que contenen informació científica, tècnica i legal per a cada una de les malalties i lesions que s’hi descriuen. Alhora, les fitxes s’il·lustren amb imatges obtingudes als diferents escorxadors de Catalunya. Així, doncs, sabem que els manuals es presenten encara incomplets i, per això, es preveu poder completar-los en futures edicions.La inspección post mortem que efectúa el colectivo de veterinarios oficiales de matadero es una parte importante de los controles oficiales relativos a la carne fresca y, como tal, es uno de los elementos que condiciona que se dictamine como apta o no para el consumo humano y que deban notificarse las enfermedades de declaración obligatoria. Los mataderos son entornos óptimos para observar y registrar las particularidades de la variada patología animal que se presenta. Esta información, si es compartida, puede convertirse en una herramienta muy útil e interesante para el colectivo de profesionales. En consecuencia, se creó una comunidad de práctica (CoP) para la especie porcina. La autoría de este manual es de veterinarios oficiales de matadero de la Generalitat de Catalunya. El contenido se ha querido transmitir por medio de fichas que contienen información científica, técnica y legal para cada una de las enfermedades y lesiones que se describen. Asimismo, las fichas se ilustran con imágenes obtenidas en los diferentes mataderos de Cataluña. Así pues, sabemos que los manuales se presentan todavía incompletos y, por eso, se prevé poder completarlos en futuras ediciones.The post-mortem inspection carried out by the group of official slaughterhouse veterinarians is an important part of the official controls related to fresh meat and, as such, is one of the elements that determines whether or not it is deemed fit for human consumption and Notifiable diseases must be notified. Slaughterhouses are optimal environments to observe and record the particularities of the varied animal pathology that occurs. This information, if shared, can become a very useful and interesting tool for the group of professionals. Accordingly, a community of practice (CoP) for swine was created. The authorship of this manual is official slaughterhouse veterinarians of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The content has been conveyed through sheets containing scientific, technical and legal information for each of the diseases and injuries described. Likewise, the sheets are illustrated with images obtained in the different slaughterhouses in Catalonia. Thus, we know that the manuals are still incomplete and, therefore, it is expected to be able to complete them in future editions

HTLV-1 infection in solid organ transplant donors and recipients in Spain

HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease, despite infecting 10-15 million people worldwide and severe illnesses develop in 10% of carriers lifelong. Acknowledging a greater risk for developing HTLV-1 associated illnesses due to immunosuppression, screening is being widely considered in the transplantation setting. Herein, we report the experience with universal HTLV testing of donors and recipients of solid organ transplants in a survey conducted in Spain. All hospitals belonging to the Spanish HTLV network were invited to participate in the study. Briefly, HTLV antibody screening was performed retrospectively in all specimens collected from solid organ donors and recipients attended since the year 2008. A total of 5751 individuals were tested for HTLV antibodies at 8 sites. Donors represented 2312 (42.2%), of whom 17 (0.3%) were living kidney donors. The remaining 3439 (59.8%) were recipients. Spaniards represented nearly 80%. Overall, 9 individuals (0.16%) were initially reactive for HTLV antibodies. Six were donors and 3 were recipients. Using confirmatory tests, HTLV-1 could be confirmed in only two donors, one Spaniard and another from Colombia. Both kidneys of the Spaniard were inadvertently transplanted. Subacute myelopathy developed within 1 year in one recipient. The second recipient seroconverted for HTLV-1 but the kidney had to be removed soon due to rejection. Immunosuppression was stopped and 3 years later the patient remains in dialysis but otherwise asymptomatic. The rate of HTLV-1 is low but not negligible in donors/recipients of solid organ transplants in Spain. Universal HTLV screening should be recommended in all donor and recipients of solid organ transplantation in Spain. Evidence is overwhelming for very high virus transmission and increased risk along with the rapid development of subacute myelopathy