Macrophomina phaseolina, the causal agent of charcoal rot, is a primarily soil-borne pathogen. Charcoal rot has become increasingly troublesome in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) in Spain, ...where it was reported for the first time in 2006, and worldwide. After the phase out of methyl bromide, some authors have associated the changes in the fumigation products used and methods of applying them prior to planting strawberries with the establishment of M. phaseolina. Moreover, in developed countries, the majority of useful chemical alternatives are futureless, because of regulatory restrictions. Among the non-chemical alternatives for strawberry fruit production is soil biosolarization, a new technique that combines soil biofumigation and soil solarization. In this study, we compared the efficacy of several biosolarization treatments to control M. phaseolina for three successive seasons in a non-chemical treated field near Moguer, Huelva (southwestern Spain). The influence of these treatments on M. phaseolina soil population, charcoal rot development, and strawberry yield was assessed each year. Soil was biofumigated by amendment of fresh chicken manure at 12,500 kg/ha with or without Trichoderma spp (TUSAL®) at 3.5 kg/ha; fresh chicken manure at 25,000 kg/ha; Brassica spp. pellets (BIOFENCE®) at 2000 kg/ha and 15,000 kg/ha; dried olive pomace at 12,500 kg/ha or sugar beet vinasse at 15,000 kg/ha. Soil was then solarized for 30 days by covering with a clear plastic mulch. A control that received fermented manure remained uncovered. The treatments reduced or stabilized M. phaseolina sclerotia populations in soil compared to the untreated control. Treatments which combined biosolarization with chicken manure at 25,000 kg/ha or sugar beet vinasse at 15,000 kg/ha significantly reduced the incidence of charcoal rot compared to the untreated control. Furthermore, yields obtained by amendment with fresh chicken manure (59,319–89,421 kg/ha) were also similar to the yields previously reported for the standard chemical fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene:chloropicrin. Therefore, biosolarization with fresh chicken manure could be a promising and sustainable option for strawberry crops grown in warm temperate climate areas.
•Evaluation of biosolarization treatments to control charcoal rotin strawberry.•Biosolarization treatments increased marketable yields and decreased plant mortality.•Biosolarization reduced or stabilized M. phaseolina sclerotia in soil.
Since 1999, international guidelines recommend fasting from solid foods up to 6 hours and clear liquids up to 2 hours before surgery. Early recovery after surgery programs recommend restoration of ...oral intake as soon as possible. This study determines adherence to these guidelines up to 20 years after its introduction.
A 2-center observational study with a 10-year interval was performed in the Netherlands. In period 1 (2009), preoperative fasting time was observed as primary outcome. In period 2 (2019), preoperative fasting and postoperative restoration of oral intake were observed. Fasting times were collected using an interview-assisted questionnaire.
During both periods, 311 patients were included from vascular, trauma, orthopedic, urological, oncological, gastrointestinal, and ear-nose-throat and maxillary surgical units.
Duration of preoperative fasting was prolonged in 290 (90.3%) patients for solid foods and in 208 (67.8%) patients for clear liquids. Median duration of preoperative fasting from solid foods and clear liquids was respectively 2.5 and 3 times the recommended 6 and 2 hours, with no improvements from one period to another. Postoperative food intake was resumed within 4 hours in 30.7% of the patients. Median duration of perioperative fasting was 23:46 hours (interquartile range 20:00–30:30 hours) for solid foods and 11:00 hours (interquartile range 7:53–16:00 hours) for clear liquids.
Old habits die hard. Despite 20 years of fasting guidelines, surgical patients are still exposed erroneously to prolonged fasting in 2 hospitals. Patients should be encouraged to eat and drink until 6 and 2 hours, respectively, before surgery and to restart eating after surgery.
Background
Receiving a stoma significantly impacts patients’ quality of life. Coping with this new situation can be difficult, which may result in a variety of physical and psychosocial problems. It ...is essential to provide adequate guidance to help patients cope with their stoma, as this positively influences self-efficacy in return. Higher self-efficacy reduces psychosocial problems increasing patient’s quality of life. This study investigates whether a new mobile application, the Stoma App, improves quality of life. And if personalized guidance, timed support, and peer contact offered as an in-app surplus makes a difference.
Methods
A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted between March 2021 and April 2023. Patients aged > 18 years undergoing ileostomy or colostomy surgery, in possession of a compatible smartphone were included. The intervention group received the full version of the app containing personalized and time guidance, peer support, and generic (non-personalized) stoma-related information. The control group received a restricted version with only generic information. Primary outcome was stoma quality of life. Secondary outcomes included psychological adaption, complications, re-admittance, reoperations, and length of hospital stay.
Results
The intervention version of the app was used by 96 patients and the control version by 112 patients. After correction for confounding, the intervention group reported a significant 3.1-point improvement in stoma-related quality of life one month postoperatively (
p
= 0.038). On secondary outcomes, no significant improvements could be retrieved of the intervention group.
Conclusion
The Stoma App improves the quality of life of stoma patients. Peer support and personalized guidance are of significant importance in building self-efficacy. It is to be recommended to implement Stoma app—freely available software qualifying as a medical device—in standard stoma care pathways for the benefits of both patients and healthcare providers.
Clinical and molecular analysis in Papillon–Lefèvre syndrome Machado, Renato A.; Cuadra‐Zelaya, Florence J. M.; Martelli‐Júnior, Hercílio ...
American journal of medical genetics. Part A,
October 2019, 2019-10-00, 20191001, Letnik:
179, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Papillon–Lefèvre syndrome (PLS; MIM#245000) is a rare recessive autosomal disorder characterized by palmar and plantar hyperkeratosis, and aggressively progressing periodontitis leading to premature ...loss of deciduous and permanent teeth. PLS is caused by loss‐of‐function mutations in the CTSC gene, which encodes cathepsin C. PLS clinical expressivity is highly variable and no consistent genotype–phenotype correlation has been demonstrated yet. Here we report the clinical and genetic features of five PLS patients presenting a severe periodontal breakdown in primary and permanent dentition, hyperkeratosis over palms and soles, and recurrent sinusitis and/or tonsillitis. Mutation analysis revealed two novel homozygous recessive mutations (c.947T>C and c.1010G>C) and one previous described homozygous recessive mutation (c.901G>A), with parents carrying them in heterozygous, in three families (four patients). The fourth family presented with the CTSC c.628C>T mutation in heterozygous, which was inherited maternally. Patient carrying the CTSC c.628C>T mutation featured classical PLS phenotype, but no PLS clinical characteristics were found in his carrier mother. All mutations were found to affect directly (c.901G>A, c.947T>C, and c.1010G>C) or indirectly (c.628C>T, which induces a premature termination) the heavy chain of the cathepsin C, the region responsible for activation of the lysosomal protease. Together, these findings indicate that both homozygous and heterozygous mutations in the cathepsin C heavy chain domain may lead to classical PLS phenotype, suggesting roles for epistasis or gene–environment interactions on determination of PLS phenotypes.
This study compared vaginal temperature, physiologic, and productive parameters in lactating dairy cows supplemented or not with Omnigen-AF (Phibro Animal Health, Teaneck, NJ) during the summer ...months in a tropical environment. Thirty-two lactating, primiparous (n = 16) and multiparous (n = 16) pregnant Holstein × Gir cows were ranked by parity, days in milk, body weight, and body condition score (BCS), and assigned to receive (SUPP; n = 16) or not (CON; n = 16) Omnigen-AF (Phibro Animal Health, Teaneck, NJ) at 56 g/cow daily (as-fed basis). During the experimental period (d −6 to 56), cows were maintained in a single drylot pen with ad libitum access to water and a total mixed ration, and milked twice daily. Cows received Omnigen-AF mixed with 200 g of corn (as-fed basis) after the daily morning milking through self-locking head gates, whereas CON cows concurrently received 56 g of kaolin mixed with 200 g of corn. For feed intake evaluation, cows from both treatments were randomly divided in 4 groups of 8 cows each, and allocated to 8 individual feeding stations for 3 d. Intake was evaluated 4 times per group from d 1 to 56. From d −6 to 0, d 15 to 28, and d 43 to 56, cow vaginal temperature was recorded hourly. Environmental temperature-humidity index (THI) was also recorded hourly from d 15 to 28 and d 43 to 56. Cows were evaluated for body weight and BCS on d −6 and 56, individual milk production was recorded daily from d −6 to 56, and milk samples were collected on d −6, 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 for analyses of somatic cell count and milk components. Blood samples were collected on d −6, −3, 0, 9, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 36, 45, 48, 51, 54, and 56. Results from samples or observations collected from d −6 to 0 were included as an independent covariate in each respective analysis. Environmental THI was 74.2 ± 0.5 and cows were exposed to THI >68 for 633 h within a total of 672 h of evaluation. Cows assigned to CON had greater vaginal temperature on d 28, 43, 45, and from d 48 to 55 (by 0.38 to 0.52%), as well as greater mean somatic cell count (by 97%) and serum haptoglobin concentrations (by 89%) compared with SUPP cows. Cows assigned to SUPP had greater mean dry matter intake (by 7%), BCS on d 56 (by 11%), and mean serum insulin concentrations (by 35%) compared with CON cows. Hence, SUPP ameliorated hyperthermia, improved nutritional status, and modulated systemic and mammary gland immune parameters in lactating dairy cows exposed to heat stress conditions.
Spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an X-linked neuromuscular disease caused by polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. SBMA belongs to the family of polyQ diseases, ...which are fatal neurodegenerative disorders mainly caused by protein-mediated toxic gain-of-function mechanisms and characterized by deposition of misfolded proteins in the form of aggregates. The neurotoxicity of the polyQ proteins can be modified by phosphorylation at specific sites, thereby providing the rationale for the development of disease-specific treatments. We sought to identify signaling pathways that modulate polyQ-AR phosphorylation for therapy development. We report that cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) phosphorylates polyQ-AR specifically at Ser
Phosphorylation of polyQ-AR by CDK2 increased protein stabilization and toxicity and is negatively regulated by the adenylyl cyclase (AC)/protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway. To translate these findings into therapy, we developed an analog of pituitary adenylyl cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), a potent activator of the AC/PKA pathway. Chronic intranasal administration of the PACAP analog to knock-in SBMA mice reduced Ser
phosphorylation, promoted polyQ-AR degradation, and ameliorated disease outcome. These results provide proof of principle that noninvasive therapy based on the use of PACAP analogs is a therapeutic option for SBMA.
Mg-based materials are especially attractive as biodegradable implants, but they degrade so fast in physiological media that some corrosion protection is needed. This paper evaluates the long-term ...biodegradation kinetics of powder metallurgy Mg and AZ31 alloy coated with a phytic acid chemical conversion layer and tested in a saline phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at 37 °C. The morphology and chemical nature of the conversion coating and the corrosion products were analysed by SEM/EDX, XRD and FTIR. Corrosion resistance of the as-received and coated specimens was determined by hydrogen release, mass loss and potentiodynamic polarisation curves. The results indicate that the inherent heterogeneity and porosity of the powder metallurgy magnesium specimens, both as-received and coated with phytic acid, promoted rapid hydrogen release and led to their premature fragmentation and complete dissolution before 250 h of immersion. In contrast, the phytic acid coating on AZ31 improves corrosion resistance in long-term tests up to 336 h without affecting biocompatibility, biodegradability and resorbability for use as a temporary endoprosthetic implant.
•Long-term biodegradation kinetics of AZ31 coated with phytic acid in PBS at 37°C .•Biodegradability of phytic acid for use as a temporary endoprosthetic implant coating.•Accelerated hydrogen release in PBS for powder metallurgy Mg coated with phytic acid.
Background and purpose
The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between motor complications and non‐motor symptom (NMS) burden in a population of patients with Parkinson’s disease ...(PD) and also in a subgroup of patients with early PD.
Methods
Patients with PD from the COPPADIS cohort were included in this cross‐sectional study. NMS burden was defined according to the Non‐Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) total score. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part IV was used to establish motor complication types and their severity. Patients with ≤5 years of symptoms from onset were included as patients with early PD.
Results
Of 690 patients with PD (62.6 ± 8.9 years old, 60.1% males), 33.9% and 18.1% presented motor fluctuations and dyskinesia, respectively. The NMS total score was higher in patients with motor fluctuations (59.2 ± 43.1 vs. 38.3 ± 33.1; P < 0.0001) and dyskinesia (63.5 ± 40.7 vs. 41.4 ± 36.3; P < 0.0001). In a multiple linear regression model and after adjustment for age, sex, disease duration, Hoehn & Yahr stage, UPDRS‐III score and levodopa equivalent daily dose, UPDRS‐IV score was significantly related to a higher NMSS total score (β = 0.27; 95% confidence intervals, 2.81–5.61; P < 0.0001), as it was in a logistic regression model on dichotomous NMSS total score (≤40, mild or moderate vs. >40, severe or very severe) (odds ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence intervals, 1.17–1.47; P < 0.0001). In the subgroup of patients with early PD (n = 396; mean disease duration 2.7 ± 1.5 years), motor fluctuations were frequent (18.1%) and similar results were obtained.
Conclusions
Motor complications were frequent and were associated with a greater NMS burden in patients with PD even during the first 5 years of disease duration.
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