The genus
Botryosphaeria
includes more than 200 epithets, but only the type species,
Botryosphaeria dothidea
and a dozen or more other species have been identified based on DNA sequence data. The ...taxonomic status of the other species remains unconfirmed because they lack either morphological information or DNA sequence data. In this study, types or authentic specimens of 16 “
Botryosphaeria
” species are reassessed to clarify their identity and phylogenetic position.
nu
DNA sequences of four regions, ITS, LSU,
tef1-α
and
tub2
, are analyzed and considered in combination with morphological characteristics. Based on the multigene phylogeny and morphological characters,
Botryosphaeria cruenta
and
Botryosphaeria hamamelidis
are transferred to
Neofusicoccum
. The generic status of
Botryosphaeria aterrima
and
Botryosphaeria mirabile
is confirmed in
Botryosphaeria
.
Botryosphaeria berengeriana
var.
weigeliae
and
B
.
berengeriana
var.
acerina
are treated synonyms of
B. dothidea
.
Botryosphaeria mucosa
is transferred to
Neodeightonia
as
Neodeightonia mucosa
, and
Botryosphaeria ferruginea
to
Nothophoma
as
Nothophoma ferruginea
.
Botryosphaeria foliicola
is reduced to synonymy with
Phyllachorella micheliae
.
Botryosphaeria abuensis
,
Botryosphaeria aesculi
,
Botryosphaeria dasylirii
, and
Botryosphaeria wisteriae
are tentatively kept in
Botryosphaeria sensu stricto
until further phylogenetic analysis is carried out on verified specimens. The ordinal status of
Botryosphaeria apocyni
,
Botryosphaeria gaubae
, and
Botryosphaeria smilacinina
cannot be determined, and tentatively accommodate these species in
Dothideomycetes incertae sedis
. The study demonstrates the significance of a polyphasic approach in characterizing type specimens, including the importance of using of DNA sequence data.
We tested whether the T helper (Th) type 2 (Th2) cell agonist and allergenic ligand IL-33 was associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) development in a pediatric cohort and whether IL-33 ...protein could induce disease symptoms in mice. Biopsies from EoE patients or controls were used to measure IL-33 mRNA and protein expression. Increased expression of IL-33 mRNA was found in the esophageal mucosa in EoE. IL-33 protein was detected in cells negative for CD45, mast cells, and epithelial cell markers near blood vessels. Circulating levels of IL-33 were not increased. The time course for IL-33 gene expression was quantified in an established Aspergillus fumigatus allergen mouse model of EoE. Because IL-33 induction was transient in this model and chronicity of IL-33 expression has been demonstrated in humans, naive mice were treated with recombinant IL-33 for 1 wk and esophageal pathology was evaluated. IL-33 application produced changes consistent with phenotypically early EoE, including transmural eosinophilia, mucosal hyperproliferation, and upregulation of eosinophilic genes and chemokines. Th2 cytokines, including IL-13, along with innate lymphoid cell group 2, Th1/17, and M2 macrophage marker genes, were increased after IL-33 application. IL-33-induced eosinophilia was ablated in IL-13 null mice. In addition, IL-33 induced a profound inhibition of the regulatory T cell gene signature. We conclude that IL-33 gene expression is associated with pediatric EoE development and that application of recombinant protein in mice phenocopies the early clinical phase of the human disease in an IL-13-dependent manner. IL-33 inhibition of esophageal regulatory T cell function may induce loss of antigenic tolerance, thereby providing a mechanistic rationale for EoE development.
The Botryosphaeriaceae is a species‐rich family that includes pathogens of a wide variety of trees, including Eucalyptus species. Symptoms typical of infection by the Botryosphaeriaceae have recently ...been observed in Eucalyptus plantations in South China. The aim of this study was to identify the Botryosphaeriaceae associated with these symptoms. Isolates were collected from branch cankers and senescent twigs of different Eucalyptus spp. All isolates resembling Botryosphaeriaceae were separated into groups based on conidial morphology. Initial identifications were made using PCR‐RFLP fingerprinting, by digesting the ITS region of the rDNA operon with the restriction enzymes CfoI and KspI. Furthermore, to distinguish isolates in the Neofusicoccum parvum/N. ribis complex, a locus (BotF15) previously shown to define these species, was amplified and restricted with CfoI. Selected isolates were then identified using comparisons of DNA sequence data for the ITS rDNA and translation elongation factor 1‐alpha (TEF‐1α) gene regions. Based on anamorph morphology and DNA sequence comparisons, five species were identified: Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae, L. theobromae, Neofusicoccum parvum, N. ribis sensu lato and one undescribed taxon, for which the name Fusicoccum fabicercianum sp. nov. is provided. Isolates of all species gave rise to lesions on the stems of an E. grandis clone in a glasshouse inoculation trial and on the stems of five Eucalyptus genotypes inoculated in the field, where L. pseudotheobromae and L. theobromae were most pathogenic. The five Eucalyptus genotypes differed in their susceptibility to the Botryosphaeriaceae species suggesting that breeding and selection offers opportunity for disease avoidance in the future.
Eight species of the Botryosphaeriaceae (canker and dieback pathogens) were identified on native Syzygium cordatum in South Africa, based on anamorph morphology, ITS rDNA sequence data and PCR-RFLP ...analysis. The species identified were Neofusicoccum parvum, N. ribis, N. luteum, N. australe, N. mangiferae, Botryosphaeria dothidea, Lasiodiplodia gonubiensis and L. theobromae. Their pathogenicity on S. cordatum seedlings and a Eucalyptus grandis x camaldulensis clone was determined in glasshouse inoculation trials. Isolates of all identified species, except one of N. mangiferae, were more pathogenic on the Eucalyptus clone than on S. cordatum. Some of the species that cross-infected these hosts, such as N. ribis, N. parvum and L. theobromae, were amongst the most pathogenic on the Eucalyptus clone, while B. dothidea and L. gonubiensis were the least pathogenic. Results of this study illustrate that species of the Botryosphaeriaceae from native hosts could pose a threat to introduced Eucalyptus spp., and vice versa.
Severe diarrhea from rotavirus remains an important cause of illness in infants. In this trial, investigators in Indonesia assessed the potential benefit of a neonatal rotavirus vaccine.
The Botryosphaeriaceae cause endophytic infections of leaves and bark of various trees, including Eucalyptus, and they apparently persist in this state for extended periods of time. Under conditions ...of stress, these fungi cause many different disease symptoms on Eucalyptus,
of which stem and branch cankers and die-back are the most prominent. Given their cryptic, endophytic nature, the Botryosphaeriaceae are easily overlooked when moving seeds and plants around the world. It is, therefore, not surprising to see a growing number of examples of introductions of
Botryosphaeriaceae into new environments. In the past, three species were commonly reported from Eucalyptus, namely Botryosphaeria dothidea, Neofusicoccum ribis (reported as B. ribis) and Lasiodiplodia theobromae. It is now known that B. dothidea and N.
ribis are generally rare on Eucalyptus, and that Aplosporella yalgorensis, B. mamane, N. parvum, N. eucalyptorum, N. eucalypticola, N. australe, N. macroclavatum, N. andinum, N. mangiferum, Dichomera eucalypti, Dichomera
versiformis, Fusicoccum ramosum, Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum, P. adansoniae, P. ardesiarum, P. kimberleyense, Lasiodiplodia crassispora, L. gonubiensis, L. pseudotheobromae and L. rubropurpurea also infect this host. Interestingly, different species
dominate on Eucalyptus in different regions of the world, irrespective of whether other species occur in that environment or not. As examples, in parts of eastern Australia, N. eucalyptorum and N. eucalypticola dominate, although N. australe is common on Acacia
spp. in this area, while in Western Australia N. australe dominates. In South Africa and Chile N. parvum, N. eucalyptorum and N. eucalypticola are common, despite the presence of N. ribis and N. australe on related hosts such as Syzygium. In
Venezuela, there are five other species not common on Eucalyptus elsewhere, but L. theobromae dominates. In Colombia, B. dothidea and N. ribis, and in Uganda and Ethiopia, L. theobromae and N. parvum, are most common. These fascinating patterns of
distribution are explored, while their pathogenicity and potential influence on Eucalyptus plantations and surrounding native plant communities are considered.
Spatially referenced quantitative research that attempts systematically to assess inner suburban decline in Canadian metropolitan areas is almost completely missing from the literature. This paper ...aims to fill this gap and examine whether inner suburban decline is occurring in Canada. Aggregated census tract level data are used to assess all zones for decline based on relative prosperity changes in median household income, average dwelling values, and average gross rent. The results indicate that inner suburbs in Canadian cities experienced a decline in median household income, average dwelling value, and prosperity factors between 1986 and 2006. While a few possible explanations and policy approaches are offered, more research is necessary to explore the implications of these trends.
There are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The objectives of this study were to explore the tolerability of memantine ...treatment in FTLD and to monitor for possible effects on behavior, cognition, and function. Forty-three individuals who met clinical criteria for FTLD 21 with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), 13 with semantic dementia (SD), and 9 with progressive nonfluent aphasia (PA) received 26 weeks of open-label treatment with memantine at a target dose of 20 mg daily. Concurrent treatment with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors was prohibited. Cognitive and functional outcome measures included the Mini Mental State Examination, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-cog), clinical dementia rating-sum of boxes, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Frontal Behavior Inventory, Executive Interview (EXIT25), Texas Functional Living Scale (TFLS), Geriatric Depression Scale, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-motor scale. Most subjects were able to tolerate the target dose of memantine. A transient improvement was observed on the total NPI score primarily in the FTD group. Variable declines were observed on the ADAS-cog, EXIT25, Frontal Behavior Inventory, NPI, TFLS, and UPDRS scores. The FTD and SD groups declined on most of the cognitive and behavioral outcome measures, but remained stable on the UPDRS, whereas the progressive nonfluent aphasia group remained relatively stable on the ADAS-cog, NPI, and TFLS, but declined on the UPDRS. Memantine was well-tolerated in these subjects. Future placebo-controlled trials of memantine in FTLD are warranted and may have greater power to detect behavioral and cognitive effects if focused on the FTD and SD clinical syndromes.
This study investigates the balance between forces of standardization and differentiation in the evolution of residential density in Canada's four largest metropolitan regions between 1971 and 2006. ...The leading factors of standardized development are the continentwide postwar adaptation of urban form to the automobile and growing housing space consumption. The influence of these factors is manifested in increasing convergence in the density levels of the four metropolitan regions as one moves from older to newer zones. Nonetheless, inherited urban forms, topography, economic and demographic performance, and land-use and transportation policies all have the potential to shape distinct density patterns. Each metropolitan region presents a specific density trajectory: Toronto registers a pattern that can be qualified as stable and recentralized; Montreal emerges as a decentralizing metropolitan region; Vancouver shows clear signs of intensification; and in Ottawa-Hull the trajectory combines decentralization and stability. These different metropolitan trajectories offer lessons for intensification strategies. Findings suggest that continentwide tendencies are shaped by features specific to each metropolitan region, and that successful intensification policies must build on those features.
Background. In spring 2002, WONCA Europe, the European Society of General Practice/Family Medicine and its Network organizations reached consensus on a ‘new’ European definition of general practice. ...Subsequently, the European General Practice Research Workshop (EGPRW) started working on a European General Practice Research Agenda. This topic was addressed during the 2002 EGPRW autumn meeting. Objective. Our aim was to explore the views of European general practice researchers on needs and priorities as well as barriers for general practice research in Europe. Methods. In seven discussion groups, 43 general practice researchers from 18 European countries had to answer the following questions. (i) What major topics should be included in a research agenda for general practice in your country? (ii) What are the barriers to adequate implementation of general practice research in your country? Group answers were listed and subsequently categorized by two authors. Results. Research on ‘clinical issues’ (common diseases, chronic diseases, etc.), including diagnostic strategies, was considered to be the core content of general practice research, with primary care-based morbidity registration essential for surveillance of disease, clinical research and teaching in general practice. There was also consensus on the need for research on education and teaching. ‘Insufficient funding opportunities’ was perceived to be the major barrier to the development of general practice research. Conclusions. These findings could be used as a basis for national checklists of ‘content of’ and ‘conditions for’ general practice research. European general practice research training programmes should be developed further.
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