Results are reported of a three-year survey carried out on asparagus turions intended for fresh use and IV-gamma products from 22 fields in the provice of Foggia (Apulia, Southern Italy). The ...investigation consisted in colleting weekly 100 asparagus turions from each field during April-June 2007-2009. All turions were first inspected for external symptoms such as spots with purple or hydropic haloes and bent apices ("pastorale") then, they were analysed mycologically. Visual observations detected symptoms associated with attacks by Stemphylium spp. (8.0 to 25.4% incidence) and Altemaria spp. (3.0 to 8.0% incidence). Turions with curved apices ranged from 0.4 to 2.3%. Isolations in culture showed that Fusarium spp. occurred with a frequency ranging from 5.8 to 42.7%, Altemaria spp. ranged from 3.75 to 38.7%, Stemphylium spp. ranged from from 2.35 to 8.9% and Phialophora spp. from 0.25 to 2.35%. Other fungal species belonging to the genera Cladosporium, Mucor, Aerobasidium, Plectosporium and Botrytis were isolated with variable frequencies. F. proliferatum and F. oxysporum were the most frequent species recovered from turions.
Regulatory CD4 super(+) CD25 super(+)Foxp3 super(+) T cells are involved in the regulation of immune response and inhibit protective antitumor immunity. Celiac disease (CD), a food gluten-sensitive ...enteropathy, is considered a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease and is generally associated with an overall increased risk of cancer in CD patients. We observed a higher percentage of circulating CD4 super(+)CD25 super(+)Foxp3 super(+) T cells and an increased Foxp3 expression in CD4 super(+)CD25 super(+) T cells from untreated than from treated CD patients. In co-culture, CD4 super(+)CD25 super(+) T cells from both treated and untreated CD patients significantly suppressed the proliferation of autologous CD4 super(+)CD25 super(-) T cells similarly to values in healthy subjects. Our study suggests that Treg proportion and Foxp3 expression in circulating CD4 super(+)CD25 super(+) T cells could justify the increased global risk of malignancy in CD population and support the efficacy of lifelong gluten-free diet in the reduction of the cancer risk.
Background: During pregnancy, women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) usually experience a decrease in clinical disease activity and the rate of MS relapse declines over the course of pregnancy. ...Following delivery, the rate of relapse increases before returning to pre-pregnancy levels 3-6 months postpartum. The expansion of the maternal CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell pool seems to contribute to the maternal tolerance to fetus in mice and human and to be necessary for pregnancy success. Objective: To investigate the mechanisms by which pregnancy suppresses clinical disease and to examine the cause for the increase in disease activity during the postpartum period in MS. Methods: We evaluated by cytofluorimetry the mean expression of pSTAT1, pSTAT3 and T-bet in circulating CD4+, CD8+ and monocytes and the number and mean expression of Foxp3 in circulating CD4+CD25+ T cells (T-regs) from 10 pregnant relapsing-remitting MS patients (PMS) during every trimester of gestation (12th, 24th and 36th week) and one month after delivery and from 20 non-pregnant MS patients in remission (NPMS) and 20 non-pregnant healthy women. (NPHC) Results: PMS at the 1st and 2nd trimester of pregnancy showed lower T-bet mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) in CD4+ T cells than NPMS and NPHC. pSTAT1 and T-bet MFI were lower in CD8+ T cells from PMS at the 2nd trimester of pregnancy than in ones from NPMS and NPHC. Foxp3 MFI in CD4+CD25+ T cells and the percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells were higher in PMS at the 2nd trimester of pregnancy than in NPMS and NPHC. Conclusions: In women affected by MS the decrease in clinical disease activity over the course of pregnancy might be due to the expansion of circulating CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and to the lower expression of T-bet in T cells.
Studies on the spread of the olive scab pathogen, Spilocaea oleagina Lops, F. (Universita della Basilicata, Potenza (Italie). Dipartimento di Biologia Difesa e Biotecnologia Agro Forestali); Frisullo, S; Rossi, V
Bulletin OEPP,
09/1993, Volume:
23, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Sopralluoghi eseguiti nel 1973 e nel 1974 sistematicamente e nel 1975 occasionalmente, hanno messo in evidenza la costante e grave presenza di Fusarium nivale (Fr.) Ces. in campi commerciali di ...Grano. Sorprendente è stato il ritrovamento del fungo anche nelle provinde dell'estremo Sud delia Penisola quali Puglia, Basilicata e Sicilia ove è diffusa ed importante la coltivazione del Grano duro (Triticum durum Desf.). Le percentuali di culmi aventi infezioni nella porzione basale, sono stati compresi tra 1 e 20 nel 44%, tra 21 e 60 nell'11% e tra 60 e 96 nel 9% degli 84 campioni osservati. I penteei bruni di Calonectria nivalis Schaffn., presenti sulle guaine fogliari ma non sui culmi, erano generalmente associati alia presenza di nodi imbruniti o di striature di internodi anche alti (fino ai quarto). L'abbondante presenza dello stato perfetto spiega la diffusione del fungo nelle regioni meridionali che forse è stata inizialmente favorita dallo scambio di sementi infette. Un'indagine sullo stato di sanità di cariossidi prodotte nel Nord e nel Sud dell'Italia ha mostrato che le infezioni da F. nivale e da altri Fusarium patogeni ('Graminearum' ad es.), quando presenti, non hanno riguardato sementi prodotte nelle Regioni del Sud. Probabilmente le ascospore di tali specie fungine, pur depositandosi sulle spighe, non hanno possibilita di insediarsi in strati profondi delle cariossidi. Vengono fatte alcune considerazioni di carattere fitopatologico e micotossicologico sulle conseguenze derivanti dall'impiego di seme infetto. Surveys carried out systematically in 1973 and 1974 and occasionally in 1975 revealed the presence of Fusarium nivale (Fr.) Ces. in commercial fields of Wheat. Surprisingly this pathogenic species was found as far South as Apulia, Basilicata, and Sicily which represent the most important Regions for the cultivation of Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). Percentages of stems infected at the base ranged between 1 and 20 in 44%, between 21 and 60 in 11%, and between 61 and 96 in 9% of the 84 samples examined. The brown spherical perithecia of Calonectria nivalis Schaffn. immersed in the leaf sheath were generally associated with the presence of brown nodes or brown stripes up to the fourth internode. The abundance of perithecia explains the spread over the Southern Regions of the fungus which, probably, was initially introduced with infected kernels from other areas. The healthiness of wheat kernels produced in experimental fields located in Northern and in Southern Italy was investigated. Whenever present, infections due to pathogenic species of Fusarium (i.e. 'Graminearum') were detected on kernels produced in fields located in Northern Italy, meaning that in the climatic conditions of Southern Italy ascospores of Calonectria and Gibberella, even if present, fail to infect the kernels. The phytopathological and mycotoxicological consequences related to the use of infected kernels are briefly discussed. Des études effectuées sur les lieux en 1973 et en 1974 systématiquement et en 1975 occasionnellement, ont mis en évidence la constante et grave présence de Fusarium nivale (Fr.) Ces. dans des parcelles commerciales de Blé. Il était étonnant de vérifier la présence du champignon dans les provinces de l'extrême Sud de la Péninsule, à savoir les Pouilles, la Basilicate et la Sicile où la culture du Blé dur (Triticum durum Desf.) est répandue et importante. Les pourcentages des chaumes ayant des infections dans la partie básale, étaient comprises entre 1 et 20 dans 44%, entre 21 et 60 dans 11% et entre 60 et 96 dans 9% des 84 échantillons observés. Les périthèces bruns de Calonectria nivalis Schaffn., présents sur les gaines foliaires mais pas sur les chaumes, étaient généralement associés à la présence de noeuds noircis ou de striures d'entre-noeuds même hauts (jusqu'au quatrième). La présence abondante de l'état parfait explique la diffusion du champignon dans les régions méridionales qui peut-être a été initialement favorisée par l'échange des semences infectées. Une étude sur l'état de santé des grains produits dans le Nord et le Sud d'Italie a montré que les infections causées par F. nivale et par d'autres Fusarium pathogènes ('Graminearum' par ex.), ne concernaient pas les semences produites dans les Régions du Sud. Probablement les ascospores de Calonectria et Gibberella, même si elles se déposent sur les épis, n'ont pas la possibilité de s'installer dans les couches profondes des grains. On fait des considérations de nature phytopathologiques et mycotoxicologiques sur les conséquences entraînées par l'emploi de semences infectées.
