Non-foliar photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation influence grain yield in durum wheat regardless of water conditions.

There is a need to generate improved crop varieties adapted to the ongoing changes in the climate. We studied durum wheat canopy and central metabolism of six different photosynthetic organs in two yield-contrasting varieties. The aim was to understand the mechanisms associated with the water stress response and yield performance. Water stress strongly reduced grain yield, plant biomass, and leaf photosynthesis, and down-regulated C/N-metabolism genes and key protein levels, which occurred mainly in leaf blades. By contrast, higher yield was associated with high ear dry weight and lower biomass and ears per area, highlighting the advantage of reduced tillering and the consequent improvement in sink strength, which promoted C/N metabolism at the whole plant level. An improved C metabolism in blades and ear bracts and N assimilation in all photosynthetic organs facilitated C/N remobilization to the grain and promoted yield. Therefore, we propose that further yield gains in Mediterranean conditions could be achieved by considering the source-sink dynamics and the contribution of non-foliar organs, and particularly N assimilation and remobilization during the late growth stages. We highlight the power of linking phenotyping with plant metabolism to identify novel traits at the whole plant level to support breeding programmes.

Analysis of durum wheat photosynthetic organs during grain filling reveals the ear as a water stress-tolerant organ and the peduncle as the largest pool of primary metabolites.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The pool of carbon- and nitrogen-rich metabolites is quantitatively relevant in non-foliar photosynthetic organs during grain filling, which have a better response to water limitation than flag leaves. The response of durum wheat to contrasting water regimes has been extensively studied at leaf and agronomic level in previous studies, but the water stress effects on source-sink dynamics, particularly non-foliar photosynthetic organs, is more limited. Our study aims to investigate the response of different photosynthetic organs to water stress and to quantify the pool of carbon and nitrogen metabolites available for grain filling. Five durum wheat varieties were grown in field trials in the Spanish region of Castile and León under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Water stress led to a significant decrease in yield, biomass, and carbon and nitrogen assimilation, improved water use efficiency, and modified grain quality traits in the five varieties. The pool of carbon (glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, fructose, sucrose, starch, and malate) and nitrogen (glutamate, amino acids, proteins and chlorophylls) metabolites in leaf blades and sheaths, peduncles, awns, glumes and lemmas were also analysed. The results showed that the metabolism of the blades and peduncles was the most susceptible to water stress, while ear metabolism showed higher stability, particularly at mid-grain filling. Interestingly, the total metabolite content per organ highlighted that a large source of nutrients, which may be directly involved in grain filling, are found outside the blades, with the peduncles being quantitatively the most relevant. We conclude that yield improvements in our Mediterranean agro-ecosystem are highly linked to the success of shoots in producing ears and a higher number of grains, while grain filling is highly dependent on the capacity of non-foliar organs to fix CO2 and N. The ear organs show higher stress resilience than other organs, which deserves our attention in future breeding programmes.

Pachymeningeal disease: a systematic review and metanalysis.

BACKGROUND: Pachymeningeal disease (PMD) is a newly recognized pattern of brain metastasis (BrM) failure that specifically occurs following surgery with adjuvant stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and has unique prognostic implications relative to leptomeningeal disease (LMD). Here, we report its prevalence, prognostic implications, and associated risk factors. METHODS: A literature search was performed in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses on PUBMED and Cochrane from January 2000 to June 2023. RESULTS: We identified 12 studies that included a total of 3992 BrM patients, 659 (16.5%) of whom developed meningeal disease (MD) following surgery plus adjuvant SRS, including either PMD or LMD. The mean prevalence of MD across studies was 20.9% (7.9-38.0%), with PMD accounting for 54.6% of this prevalence and LMD comprising the remaining 45.4%. Mean of the median overall survivals following diagnosis of PMD and LMD was 10.6 months and 3.7 months p = 0.007, respectively, a significant difference. Only 2 risk factors for PMD were reported in ≥ 2 studies and also identified as statistically significant per our meta-analysis: infratentorial location and controlled systemic disease status. CONCLUSION: While PMD has a superior prognosis to LMD, it is nevertheless a critical oncologic event associated with significant mortality and remains poorly recognized. PMD is predominantly observed in patients with controlled systemic disease status and infratentorial location. Future treatment strategies should focus on reducing surgical seeding and sterilizing surgical cavities.

Crop phenotyping in a context of global change: What to measure and how to do it.

High-throughput crop phenotyping, particularly under field conditions, is nowadays perceived as a key factor limiting crop genetic advance. Phenotyping not only facilitates conventional breeding, but it is necessary to fully exploit the capabilities of molecular breeding, and it can be exploited to predict breeding targets for the years ahead at the regional level through more advanced simulation models and decision support systems. In terms of phenotyping, it is necessary to determined which selection traits are relevant in each situation, and which phenotyping tools/methods are available to assess such traits. Remote sensing methodologies are currently the most popular approaches, even when lab-based analyses are still relevant in many circumstances. On top of that, data processing and automation, together with machine learning/deep learning are contributing to the wide range of applications for phenotyping. This review addresses spectral and red-green-blue sensing as the most popular remote sensing approaches, alongside stable isotope composition as an example of a lab-based tool, and root phenotyping, which represents one of the frontiers for field phenotyping. Further, we consider the two most promising forms of aerial platforms (unmanned aerial vehicle and satellites) and some of the emerging data-processing techniques. The review includes three Boxes that examine specific case studies.

Assessing durum wheat ear and leaf metabolomes in the field through hyperspectral data.

Hyperspectral techniques are currently used to retrieve information concerning plant biophysical traits, predominantly targeting pigments, water, and nitrogen-protein contents, structural elements, and the leaf area index. Even so, hyperspectral data could be more extensively exploited to overcome the breeding challenges being faced under global climate change by advancing high-throughput field phenotyping. In this study, we explore the potential of field spectroscopy to predict the metabolite profiles in flag leaves and ear bracts in durum wheat. The full-range reflectance spectra (visible (VIS)-near-infrared (NIR)-short wave infrared (SWIR)) of flag leaves, ears and canopies were recorded in a collection of contrasting genotypes grown in four environments under different water regimes. GC-MS metabolite profiles were analyzed in the flag leaves, ear bracts, glumes, and lemmas. The results from regression models exceeded 50% of the explained variation (adj-R2 in the validation sets) for at least 15 metabolites in each plant organ, whereas their errors were considerably low. The best regressions were obtained for malate (82%), glycerate and serine (63%) in leaves; myo-inositol (81%) in lemmas; glycolate (80%) in glumes; sucrose in leaves and glumes (68%); γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in leaves and glumes (61% and 71%, respectively); proline and glucose in lemmas (74% and 71%, respectively) and glumes (72% and 69%, respectively). The selection of wavebands in the models and the performance of the models based on canopy and VIS organ spectra and yield prediction are discussed. We feel that this technique will likely to be of interest due to its broad applicability in ecophysiology research, plant breeding programmes, and the agri-food industry.

Application of Trichoderma asperellum T34 on maize (Zea mays) seeds protects against drought stress.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Coating maize seeds with the microbial plant protection product Trichoderma asperellum strain T34 is an effective form of inoculation that enhances plant performance when faced with drought stress, and it improves nutrient and kernel parameters differently in drought and non-stressed conditions. Drought is currently one of the biggest threats to maize production. Trichoderma spp. is mainly used in agriculture as plant protection product with secondary beneficial effects on plants: improved growth, nutrient uptake and plant immunity. Here, we studied the physiological performance of maize plants under two different water regimes (fully irrigated and drought conditions) and three different seed treatments: application of Trichoderma asperellum strain T34, application of a chemical fungicide (CELEST XL) or the combination of both. Regardless of water regime, T34 treatment improved kernel P and C, kernel number and dry weight. Higher populations of T34 on the rhizosphere (T34 treatment) alleviated water stress better than lower T34 populations (T34+Q treatment). Under drought, T34 treatment improved leaf relative water content, water use efficiency, PSII maximum efficiency and photosynthesis. T34-treated maize seeds maintained sufficient T34 populations to alleviate drought throughout crop development suggesting an optimal dose of 104 and 105 colony forming units g-1 dry weight of rhizosphere under the studied conditions. This work helps to demonstrate the beneficial interaction between T. asperellum strain T34 and maize plants under drought.

Evaluating Maize Genotype Performance under Low Nitrogen Conditions Using RGB UAV Phenotyping Techniques.

Maize is the most cultivated cereal in Africa in terms of land area and production, but low soil nitrogen availability often constrains yields. Developing new maize varieties with high and reliable yields using traditional crop breeding techniques in field conditions can be slow and costly. Remote sensing has become an important tool in the modernization of field-based high-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP), providing faster gains towards the improvement of yield potential and adaptation to abiotic and biotic limiting conditions. We evaluated the performance of a set of remote sensing indices derived from red-green-blue (RGB) images along with field-based multispectral normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD values) as phenotypic traits for assessing maize performance under managed low-nitrogen conditions. HTPP measurements were conducted from the ground and from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). For the ground-level RGB indices, the strongest correlations to yield were observed with hue, greener green area (GGA), and a newly developed RGB HTPP index, NDLab (normalized difference Commission Internationale de I´Edairage (CIE)Lab index), while GGA and crop senescence index (CSI) correlated better with grain yield from the UAV. Regarding ground sensors, SPAD exhibited the closest correlation with grain yield, notably increasing in its correlation when measured in the vegetative stage. Additionally, we evaluated how different HTPP indices contributed to the explanation of yield in combination with agronomic data, such as anthesis silking interval (ASI), anthesis date (AD), and plant height (PH). Multivariate regression models, including RGB indices (R2 > 0.60), outperformed other models using only agronomic parameters or field sensors (R2 > 0.50), reinforcing RGB HTPP's potential to improve yield assessments. Finally, we compared the low-N results to the same panel of 64 maize genotypes grown under optimal conditions, noting that only 11% of the total genotypes appeared in the highest yield producing quartile for both trials. Furthermore, we calculated the grain yield loss index (GYLI) for each genotype, which showed a large range of variability, suggesting that low-N performance is not necessarily exclusive of high productivity in optimal conditions.

Leaf dorsoventrality as a paramount factor determining spectral performance in field-grown wheat under contrasting water regimes.

The effects of leaf dorsoventrality and its interaction with environmentally induced changes in the leaf spectral response are still poorly understood, particularly for isobilateral leaves. We investigated the spectral performance of 24 genotypes of field-grown durum wheat at two locations under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Flag leaf reflectance spectra in the VIS-NIR-SWIR (visible-near-infrared-short-wave infrared) regions were recorded in the adaxial and abaxial leaf sides and at the canopy level, while traits providing information on water status and grain yield were evaluated. Moreover, leaf anatomical parameters were measured in a subset of five genotypes. The spectral traits studied were more affected by the leaf side than by the water regime. Leaf dorsoventral differences suggested higher accessory pigment content in the abaxial leaf side, while water regime differences were related to increased chlorophyll, nitrogen, and water contents in the leaves in the irrigated treatment. These variations were associated with anatomical changes. Additionally, leaf dorsoventral differences were less in the rainfed treatment, suggesting the existence of leaf-side-specific responses at the anatomical and biochemical level. Finally, the accuracy in yield prediction was enhanced when abaxial leaf spectra were employed. We concluded that the importance of dorsoventrality in spectral traits is paramount, even in isobilateral leaves.

Sigmoid vaginoplasty with a modified single Monti tube: a pediatric case series.

PURPOSE: No consensus exists regarding the most effective procedure for neovagina formation. We describe our experience with modified single Monti tube colovaginoplasty in pediatric patients with disorders of sexual differentiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients were retrospectively identified who underwent primary sigmoid vaginoplasty with a modified single Monti tube between 2009 and 2012. Data were collected from patient charts. The procedure is performed by isolating an 8 to 10 cm segment of distal sigmoid colon or proximal rectum, which is detubularized along the anterior mesentery, folded and retubularized longitudinally, leaving the mesentery in a cephalad position. A channel is dissected in the pelvis to accommodate the neovagina. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 12.7 years (range 6 to 17). The primary diagnosis was androgen insensitivity in 3 cases (50%), and Mayer-Rokitansky syndrome, partial androgen insensitivity and persistent cloaca in 1 each (16.7%). Chromosomal analysis revealed 46XY in 4 patients (66.7%). Median followup was 7.9 months (range 3 to 41). One patient who engages in vaginal intercourse reported satisfactory vaginal length without discomfort. In 1 patient an anastomotic stricture developed, which was managed by buccal mucosal grafting. CONCLUSIONS: Modified single Monti tube sigmoid vaginoplasty is a safe, effective technique for neovagina formation in pediatric patients with disorders of sexual differentiation. Compared to other existing methods, our technique allows for the use of shorter bowel segments with decreased tension of the vascular pedicle.

Quinoa panicles contribute to carbon assimilation and are more tolerant to salt stress than leaves.

Contribution of inflorescences to seed filling have attracted great attention given the resilience of this photosynthetic organ to stressful conditions. However, studies have been almost exclusively focused to small grain cereals. In this study, we aimed to explore these responses in quinoa, as a climate resilient seed crop of elevated economic and nutritious potential. We compared the physiological and metabolic performance of panicles and leaves of two quinoa cultivars growing under contrasting salinity levels. Plant growth, photosynthetic and transpiratory gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence were monitored in inflorescences and leaves throughout the experiment. At flowering stage, young and mature leaves and panicles were sampled for key metabolic markers related to carbon, nitrogen and secondary metabolisms. When subjected to salt stress, panicles showed attenuated declines on photosynthesis, water use, pigments, amino acids, and protein levels as compared to leaves. In fact, the assimilation rates, together with a high hexose content evidenced an active photosynthetic role of the panicle under optimal and salt stress conditions. Moreover, we also found significant genotypic variability for physiological and metabolic traits of panicles and leaves, which emphasizes the study of genotype-dependent stress responses at the whole plant level. We conclude that quinoa panicles are less affected by salt stress than leaves, which encourages further research and exploitation of this organ for crop improvement and stress resilience considering the high natural diversity.

Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Severe Asthma-A Retrospective Study of Two Cohorts: Asthma Type T2 Treated with Biologics and Non-Type T2.

Background: The prevalence of cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients with asthma varies amongst studies, with little evidence as to their prevalence in patients treated with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this retrospective, observational study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of CVEs in patients with T2 and non-T2 asthma and to identify risk factors associated with CVEs. Methods: A total of 206 patients with severe asthma were included. Demographic variables, respiratory comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors were collected, along with respiratory function, laboratory parameters and respiratory pharmacotherapy, including treatment with mAbs. Results: A total of 10.7% of the patients had any CVE from the date of asthma diagnosis, with a higher risk in those patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR] = 5.36, 95% CI 1.76-16.31; p = 0.003), arterial hypertension (OR = 2.71, 95% CI 1.13-6.55; p = 0.026) and dyslipidaemia (OR = 9.34, 95% CI 3.57-24.44; p < 0.001). No association between mAb treatment and a CVE or between time of mAb treatment and the event was found. No significant differences were observed between the T2 and non-T2 cohort. After a multivariate analysis, dyslipidaemia was identified as an independent risk factor (OR = 13.33, 95% CI 4.49-39.58; p < 0.001), whereas regular use of inhaled corticosteroids was associated with a reduced risk of a CVE (OR = 0.103, 95% CI 0.021-0.499; p = 0.005). Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between severe asthma and CVEs. Conclusions: This study suggests that patients with severe asthma experience a higher percentage of CVEs compared with the general population.

Use of buccal mucosa in hypospadias repair.

Hypospadias is an embryological disorder that results in an abnormal ventral positioning of the urethral meatus. Among multiple surgical techniques described to correct this anomaly, the use of buccal mucosa grafts has gained popularity among pediatric urologists, pediatric surgeons and plastic surgeons. Buccal mucosa grafts have shown favorable histological changes that result in an excellent scaffold for urethral reconstructive surgery. This review describes the evolution of the use of buccal mucosa grafts in hypospadias repair.

Solitary Extramedullary Plasmacytoma of the Head and Neck: A Report of Three Cases Treated With Curative Radiotherapy and a Review of the Dose-Control Relationship.

Solitary plasmacytoma is an uncommon hematologic malignancy characterized by the monoclonal proliferation of abnormal plasma cells in the bone or extramedullary tissues and the absence of other multiple myeloma-defining clinical characteristics. Mostly, solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP) occurs in the head and neck region, also called solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the head and neck (SEPHN). Although the standard of care for SEPHN is not well established, either a surgical approach or localized external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) can be used as a definitive treatment. Due to the high radiosensitivity of SEPHN, EBRT has been associated with adequate therapeutic effects in the management of SEP, with the advantage of being a noninvasive modality that yields high rates of local control with a reasonable toxicity profile. We present a case series of three patients with SEPHN treated with EBRT at our institution with clinical outcomes.

Tuning Magnetoconductivity in LaMnO3 NPs through Cationic Vacancy Control.

The inclusion of La-Mn vacancies in LaMnO3 nanoparticles leads to a noticeable change in conductivity behavior. The sample retains its overall insulator characteristic, with a typical thermal activation mechanism at high temperatures, but it presents high magnetoconductivity below 200 K. The activation energy decreases linearly with the square of the reduced magnetization and vanishes when the sample is magnetized at saturation. Therefore, it turns out that electron hopping between Mn3+ and Mn4+ largely contributes to the conductivity below the Curie temperature. The influence of the applied magnetic field on conductivity also supports the hypothesis of hopping contribution, and the electric behavior can be explained as being due to an increase in the hopping probability via spin alignment.

TAML activator-based amperometric analytical devices as alternatives to peroxidase biosensors.

The ferric TAML catalysts [Fe{C(6)H(2)-1,2-( NCOCMe(2)NCO)(2)CMe(2)}(OH(2))](-) (1) with counterions Na(+) (a) and PPh(4)(+) (b) function similar to horseradish peroxidase in the mediated electron transfer relays, which constitute a basis for amperometric biosensors. The mediators are mono- and bis-cyclometalated Ru and Os compounds of the type of [M(C∼N)(x)(N∼N)(3-x)](m+) with x = 1 and 2 (N∼N = 2,2'-bipyridine, (-)C∼N = 2-phenylpyridinato). Cyclic voltammograms of the Ru and Os compounds are not affected by 1a though cathodic currents increase drastically in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The reduction potentials of [M(C∼N)(x)(N∼N)(3-x)](m+) complexes vary with both the nature of metal (Ru or Os) and the number of cyclometalated ligands x (1 or 2) and therefore the potential of working electrode can be set in the range of from -0.1 to +0.6 V versus the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE). A prototype of a biosensor for H(2)O(2) is described, in which the 1b catalyst and [Os(C∼N)(2)(N∼N)](+) mediator were coimmobilized on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode using a polymeric coating.

Waning of SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity among Healthy Young Adults over Seven Months.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a longitudinal study to estimate immunity produced in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among university students over seven months. METHODS: All participants were attending a public university and resided in Pitt County, North Carolina. University students enrolled weekly for 10 weeks between 26 August 2020 and 28 October 2020, resulting in 136 young adults completing at least one study visit by 17 November 2020. Enrolled students completed an online survey and nasal swab collection at two-week intervals and monthly blood collection between 26 August 2020 and 31 March 2021. RESULTS: Amongst 695 serum samples tested during follow-up, the prevalence of a positive result for anti-nucleocapsid antibodies (N-IgG) was 9.78%. In 22 students with more than one positive N-IgG serum sample, 68.1% of the group lost persistence of N-IgG below the positive threshold over 140 days. Anti-spike IgG antibodies were significantly higher among 11 vaccinated compared to 10 unvaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy young adults, N-IgG wanes below the detectable threshold within five months. S-IgG titer remained consistently elevated months after infection, and significantly increased after vaccination.

Pelvic plexiform neurofibroma during bowel/bladder dysfunction in an NF1 pediatric patient: A case report.

Individuals with Neurofibromatosis I may develop plexiform neurofibromas throughout the body, however they are rarely seen in the pelvis. We present a 15-year-old patient with NF1 with a large unresectable neurofibroma located between the prostate and bladder discovered incidentally on renal/bladder ultrasound during the evaluation of bowel/bladder dysfunction. Despite the extensive nature of the mass, the patient presented with minimal symptoms and the lesion was thought to be stool or enlarged prostate on subsequent evaluations. Urologists should be aware of NF1 related pelvic masses in the evaluation of bowel bladder dysfunction and specify NF1 on radiologic requisitions.

Current Evidence for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Lung Metastases.

Lung metastases are the second most common malignant neoplasms of the lung. It is estimated that 20-54% of cancer patients have lung metastases at some point during their disease course, and at least 50% of cancer-related deaths occur at this stage. Lung metastases are widely accepted to be oligometastatic when five lesions or less occur separately in up to three organs. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a noninvasive, safe, and effective treatment for metastatic lung disease in carefully selected patients. There is no current consensus on the ideal dose and fractionation for SBRT in lung metastases, and it is the subject of study in ongoing clinical trials, which examines different locations in the lung (central and peripheral). This review discusses current indications, fractionations, challenges, and technical requirements for lung SBRT.

Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm identified on point-of-care ultrasound in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a highly lethal condition which requires rapid identification and treatment to improve the chance of survival. Computed tomography is the diagnostic modality of choice for ruptured AAA though it is time-consuming and often requires movement of the patient out of the emergency department (ED). Point-of-care ultrasound in the ED has excellent sensitivity and specificity for the detection of AAA, though less is known about its use to diagnose AAA rupture. We report a case of ruptured AAA identified on ultrasound performed at the bedside in the ED. CASE PRESENTATION: A 77-year-old woman on warfarin with a known AAA presented to our ED with 2 days of epigastric abdominal pain. Point-of-care ultrasound revealed several findings suggestive of rupture of the AAA, which was confirmed on computed tomography. The patient was subsequently taken for emergent operative repair of the AAA and was later discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics suggestive of AAA rupture may be seen on ultrasound. As ED physicians become more familiar with the use of point-of-care ultrasound in the evaluation of abdominal pain, identification of these characteristics may aid in the rapid diagnosis of AAA rupture.

Leaf versus whole-canopy remote sensing methodologies for crop monitoring under conservation agriculture: a case of study with maize in Zimbabwe.

Enhancing nitrogen fertilization efficiency for improving yield is a major challenge for smallholder farming systems. Rapid and cost-effective methodologies with the capability to assess the effects of fertilization are required to facilitate smallholder farm management. This study compares maize leaf and canopy-based approaches for assessing N fertilization performance under different tillage, residue coverage and top-dressing conditions in Zimbabwe. Among the measurements made on individual leaves, chlorophyll readings were the best indicators for both N content in leaves (R < 0.700) and grain yield (GY) (R < 0.800). Canopy indices reported even higher correlation coefficients when assessing GY, especially those based on the measurements of the vegetation density as the green area indices (R < 0.850). Canopy measurements from both ground and aerial platforms performed very similar, but indices assessed from the UAV performed best in capturing the most relevant information from the whole plot and correlations with GY and leaf N content were slightly higher. Leaf-based measurements demonstrated utility in monitoring N leaf content, though canopy measurements outperformed the leaf readings in assessing GY parameters, while providing the additional value derived from the affordability and easiness of using a pheno-pole system or the high-throughput capacities of the UAVs.