Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a global cereal disease caused by a complex of Fusarium species. In Europe, the main species responsible for FHB are F. graminearum, F. culmorum and F. poae. However, ...members of the F. tricinctum species complex (FTSC) have become increasingly important. FTSC fusaria can synthesize mycotoxins such as moniliformin (MON), enniatins (ENNs) and several other biologically active secondary metabolites that could compromise food quality. In this study, FTSC isolates primarily from Italian durum wheat and barley, together with individual strains from four non-graminaceous hosts, were collected to assess their genetic diversity and determine their potential to produce mycotoxins in vitro on rice cultures. A multilocus DNA sequence dataset (TEF1, RPB1 and RPB2) was constructed for 117 isolates from Italy and 6 from Iran to evaluate FTSC species diversity and their evolutionary relationships. Phylogenetic analyses revealed wide genetic diversity among Italian FTSC isolates. Among previously described FTSC species, F. avenaceum (FTSC 4) was the most common species in Italy (56/117 = 47.9%) while F. tricinctum (FTSC 3), and F. acuminatum (FTSC 2) accounted for 11.1% (13/117) and the 8.5% (10/117), respectively. The second most detected species was a new and unnamed Fusarium sp. (FTSC 12; 32/117 = 19%) resolved as the sister group of F. tricinctum. Collectively, these four phylospecies accounted for 111/117 = 94.9% of the Italian FTSC collection. However, we identified five other FTSC species at low frequencies, including F. iranicum (FTSC 6) and three newly discovered species (Fusarium spp. FTSC 13, 14, 15). Of the 59 FTSC isolates tested for mycotoxin production on rice cultures, 54 and 55 strains, respectively, were able to produce detectable levels of ENNs and MON. In addition, we confirmed that the ability to produce bioactive secondary metabolites such as chlamydosporol, acuminatopyrone, longiborneol, fungerin and butanolide is widespread across the FTSC.
•Fusarium tricinctum species complex (FTSC) are important cereal pathogens worldwide.•Phylogenetic analyses revealed Italian FTSC isolates are genetically diverse.•Four of the nine FTSC species recovered in Italy represent novel phylospecies.•Fusarium avenaceum (FTSC 4) was the predominant species on Italian cereals.•FTSC isolates produced significant levels of moniliformin and enniatin mycotoxins.
The median lingual foramen (MLF), which contains neurovascular bundles, is located in an area commonly considered safe for surgical procedures. However, published reports of severe complications ...after interventions in the mandibular symphysis area indicate the need for caution when approaching this region surgically. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vertical location of the MLF and the median lingual canal (MLC) by measuring the distances of these landmarks to the root apex of the lower central incisors (LCI) and to the menton cephalometric point (Me) on pre-orthognathic surgery cone beam computed tomography scans (N = 100). The results were analyzed in relation to the patients’ type of deformity, age, sex, and number of foramina (single vs multiple). The median MLF–LCI and MLF–Me distances were 5.9 mm and 15.0 mm, respectively, while the mean MLC–LCI and MLC–Me distances were 9.7 mm and 11.6 mm, respectively. The mean LCI–Me distance was 21.3 mm, while the mean MLC length was 3.4 mm. Apart from the length of the MLC, the distances were all significantly greater in the male patients than in the female patients. The MLC–Me distance and MLC length differed significantly according to the number of foramina. In preoperative planning, the vertical locations of the MLF and respective MLC appear to be relevant for avoiding neurovascular complications.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Endometrial cancer is common and usually occurs after menopause, but the number of women diagnosed during reproductive age is increasing. The standard treatment including ...hysterectomy is effective but causes absolute uterine factor infertility. In order to avoid or postpone surgery, conservative management of endometrial cancer (CMEC) has been proposed for younger women who want to retain their fertility.
OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE
The main objective of this study was to estimate the chances of pregnancy and live birth for women with early-stage endometrial cancer (EEC) who are managed conservatively for fertility preservation.
SEARCH METHODS
The PRISMA recommendations for systematic reviews and meta-analyses were followed. Structured searches were performed in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library, from inception until 13 June 2021. Inclusion was based on the following criteria: group or subgroup of women with Clinical Stage IA, well-differentiated, endometrioid endometrial cancer (from now on, EEC); CMEC for fertility preservation; and reported frequencies of women achieving pregnancy and/or live birth after CMEC. The following exclusion criteria applied: impossibility to isolate/extract outcome data of interest; second-line CMEC for persistent/recurrent disease; CMEC in the presence of synchronous tumours; case reports; non-original or duplicated data; and articles not in English. Qualitative synthesis was performed by means of tabulation and narrative review of the study characteristics. Study quality was assessed with an ad hoc instrument and several moderator and sensitivity analyses were performed.
OUTCOMES
Out of 1275 unique records, 133 were assessed in full-text and 46 studies were included in the review. Data from 861 women with EEC undergoing CMEC were available. Progestin-based treatment was reported in all but three studies (93.5%; 836 women). Complete response to treatment was achieved in 79.7% of women, with 35.3% of them having a disease recurrence during follow-up. Of 286 pregnancies obtained after CMEC; 69.4% led to live birth (9% of them multiple births) and 66.7% were achieved through fertility treatment. Based on random-effects meta-analyses, women treated with progestin-based CMEC have a 26.7% chance of achieving pregnancy (95% CI 21.3–32.3; I2 = 53.7%; 42 studies, 826 women) and a 20.5% chance to achieve a live birth (95% CI 15.7–25.8; I2 = 40.2%; 39 studies, 650 women). Sample size, average age, publication year, study design and quality score were not associated with the outcomes of progestin-based CMEC in moderator analyses with meta-regression. However, mean follow-up length (in months) was positively associated with the chances of pregnancy (regression coefficient B = 0.003; 95% CI 0.001–0.005; P = 0.006) and live birth (B = 0.005; 95% CI 0.003–0.007; P < 0.001). In sensitivity analyses, the highest chances of live birth were estimated in subsets of studies including only women of age 35 or younger (30.7%), the combination of progestins with hysteroscopic resection (30.7%), or at least 3 years of follow-up (42.4%).
WIDER IMPLICATIONS
Progestin-based CMEC is viable for women with well-differentiated, Clinical Stage 1A, endometrioid endometrial cancer who want to preserve their fertility, but there is room for improvement as only one-fifth of them are estimated to achieve live birth according to this meta-analysis. Further investigations on prognosis-driven selection, hysteroscopic resection and long-term surveillance are arguably needed to improve the reproductive outcomes of CMEC.
•A novel quantitative method for free Vi determination in glycoconjugates.•The method works for Vi conjugates with different carrier proteins.•The method is reproducible and allows Vi quantification ...in diluted samples.•An improved quality control method for reliable Vi conjugates characterization.
Glycoconjugate vaccines based on the Vi capsular polysaccharide directed against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi are licensed or in development against typhoid fever, an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Quantification of free polysaccharide in conjugate vaccines is an important quality control for release, to monitor vaccine stability and to ensure appropriate immune response. However, we found that existing separation methods based on size are not appropriate as free Vi non-specifically binds to unconjugated and conjugated protein. We developed a method based on free Vi separation by Capto Adhere resin and quantification by HPAEC-PAD. The method has been tested for conjugates of Vi derived from Citrobacter freundii with different carrier proteins such as CRM197, Tetanus Toxoid and Diphtheria Toxoid.
Objectives: Physical activity (PA) is a key factor in cardiovascular disease prevention. Through the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), the present study investigated the process of change in PA ...in coronary patients (CPs) and hypertensive patients (HPs).
Design: Longitudinal survey study with two follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months on 188 CPs and 169 HPs.
Main outcome measures: Intensity and frequency of PA.
Results: A multi-sample analysis indicated the equivalence of almost all the HAPA social cognitive patterns for both patient populations. A latent growth curve model showed strong interrelations among intercepts and slopes of PA, planning and maintenance self-efficacy, but change in planning was not associated with change in PA. Moreover, increase in PA was associated with the value of planning and maintenance self-efficacy reached at the last follow-up
Conclusions: These findings shed light on mechanisms often neglected by the HAPA literature, suggesting reciprocal relationships between PA and its predictors that could define a plausible virtuous circle within the HAPA volitional phase. Moreover, the HAPA social cognitive patterns are essentially identical for patients who had a coronary event (i.e. CPs) and individuals who are at high risk for a coronary event (i.e. HPs).
Several studies demonstrated that subjective well-being is associated with goal value and perceived progress but their validity is affected by methodological biases. Moreover, a few have analysed the ...influence of short-term goals. We aimed to analyse how the levels of and changes in short-term goals progress and value influence subsequent levels of and changes in subjective well-being. This study adopted a three-wave longitudinal design with one-month intervals. Four hundred nine participants (186 males; age 19–71) reported their subjective well-being and their two most important goals and rated each over time in terms of value and progress. A latent difference score model revealed that levels and increases in goal progress positively influenced subsequent levels of subjective well-being. Goal value increases led to decreases in negative affect. These findings provide insights on the promotion of subjective well-being. Given the importance of goal progress in promoting subjective well-being, we propose the implementation of goal-setting programmes that are aimed at fostering successful goal pursuit.
Highlights ► Complete characterization of meningococcal X CPS by NMR spectroscopy. ► Stability evaluation of meningococcal X CPS by NMR and HPLC methodologies. ► Serogroup A CPS is more susceptible ...to hydrolytic degradation than serogroup X CPS. ► The stability of serogroup X CPS predicts the possibility of a fully-liquid vaccine.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity of the prawn Palaemon argentinus to the pyrethroid cypermethrin (CYP) and the tetramic acid spirotetramat (STM). These treatments were compared ...with prawns collected at a reference site to define their basal physiological state. Initially, physicochemical parameters and several pollutants at the selected site were analyzed. The LC50-96 h was determined in adult prawns. Then, prawns were exposed for 96 h to sublethal concentrations of CYP (0.0005 μg/l) and STM (0.44 mg/l) to evaluate the effects on some biochemical endpoints. A treatment combining both pesticides was also added at 5 % of these values. Controls with and without solvent (acetone) were included. The LC50-96 h values were 0.005 μg/l and 4.43 mg/l for CYP and STM, respectively. Moreover, some biomarkers linked to oxidative and energy metabolism were analyzed in the hepatopancreas and muscle of both essayed prawns and those at the basal state. The STM caused a significant decrease in total protein content (32 %) in contrast to the increase of protein carbonyl content (71 %) (p < 0.05). Also, glutathione S-transferase (52 %) and catalase (61 %) activities in the hepatopancreas of exposed prawns were higher compared to both the control and state basal groups (p < 0.05). In muscle, only a significant decrease in the lactate content (69 %) was caused by STM (p < 0.05). In addition, CYP caused a significant increase in the lactate dehydrogenase activity (110 %) in muscle and triacylglycerol content (73 %) in the hepatopancreas (p < 0.05). The integrated biomarker index (IBRv2) analysis showed that STM caused greater damage than CYP. Besides, the combined treatment showed an antagonistic interaction between both insecticides. The differential response of biomarkers to both CYP and STM exposure with respect to their basal levels shows a high sensitivity of P. argentinus demonstrating its potential role as a bioindicator organism.
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•The toxic effects of cypermethrin and spirotetramat were studied in P. argentinus.•The basal physiological state did not differ in the field and assayed prawns.•Prawns are very sensitive to environmental concentrations of cypermethrin.•Cypermethrin altered lipid homeostasis.•Spirotetramat was more harmful than cypermethrin at equitoxic concentrations.
To evaluate the performance of artificial and biological integrative sampling strategies, dissolved concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) and metals (Cu and Mn) were measured with passive ...sampler devices (PSD) enclosing hydrophobic and chelating phases, and Asiatic clams were transplanted to a polluted area in the Rio de la Plata. Water concentrations based on PSD were compared with spot water samples collected at 0, 15, 32, and 63 days of exposition. PCBs and metals displayed linear accumulation kinetics both in PSDs and bivalves, but with different slopes. PCBs slopes were 2–27 times higher in bivalves (0.3–7.9 vs. 0.1–2.6 ng g
−1
d
−1
in PSDs) reflecting active filtration and uptake from particles, colloids, and dissolved phase, whereas metal slopes were 2.5–11 times lower in bivalves (0.04–0.18 vs. 0.10–2.00 μg g
−1
d
−1
in PSDs) suggesting metal bioregulation. Truly dissolved PCB concentrations from PSD (4.0–6.9 ng.l
−1
) represented average 13±4 % of PCB concentrations from filtered spot water samples reflecting the operational discrimination of the PSD diffusion membrane on competing dissolved and colloidal organic phases. In contrast, PSD dissolved Cu concentrations (2.3–8.2 μg l
−1
) were equivalent to the spot water values (3.2–3.8 μg l
−1
) suggesting that Cu speciation was adequately integrated by passive sampling. On the other hand, PSD-dissolved Mn concentrations (49±38 μg l
−1
) were higher (
p
<0.05) than those from spot water samples (7±11μg l
−1
) possibly due to phase changes of Mn distribution related to variable redox conditions in the water. Results evidenced that the PSDs are efficient accumulators of metals and organic compounds from the truly dissolved fraction.
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