Management of take-all disease caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici in wheat through Bacillus subtilis strains.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the second largest grain crop worldwide, and one of the three major grain crops produced in China. Take-all disease, caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) infection, is a widespread and devastating soil-borne disease that harms wheat production. At present, the prevention and control of wheat take-all depend largely on the application of chemical pesticides. Chemical pesticides, however, not only lead to increased drug resistance of pathogens but also leave significant residues in the soil, causing serious environmental pollution. In this study, we investigated the application of Bacillus subtilis to achieve take-all disease control in wheat while reducing pesticide application. Antagonistic bacteria were screened by plate test, species identification of strains was performed by Gram staining and sequencing of 16s rDNA, secondary metabolite activity of strains was detected by clear circle method, strain compatibility and effect of compounding on Ggt were detected by plate, and the application prospects of specific strains were analyzed by greenhouse and field experiments. We found that five B. subtilis strains, JY122, JY214, ZY133, NW03, Z-14, had significant antagonistic effects against Ggt, and could secrete antimicrobial proteins including amylase, protease, and cellulase. Furthermore, Z-14 and JY214 cultures have also been shown to change the morphology of Ggt mycelium. These results also showed that Z-14, JY214, and their combination can control take-all disease in wheat at a reduced level of pesticide use. In summary, we screened two Bacillus spp. strains, Z-14 and JY214, that could act as antagonists that contribute to the biological control of wheat take-all disease. These findings provide resources and ideas for controlling crop diseases in an environmentally friendly manner.

English Phrase Learning With Multimodal Input.

Although multimodal input has the potential to lead to more sound learning outcomes, it carries the risk of causing cognitive overload, making it difficult to determine the exact effects of multimodal input on the second language (L2) phrase learning. This study tests the efficacy of multimodal input on L2 phrase learning. It adopts a mixed-method approach by utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data. The experimental design is a 2 × 3 mixed model, with a group [the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG)] as the between-subject factor and time (pretest, midtest, and posttest) as the within-subject factor. A total of 66 participants were divided into two groups. All materials incorporated three aspects of phrase knowledge (form, meaning, and use), but the materials of the CG were unimodal in that they were offered only on paper, and of the EG were multimodal in that they included pictures, audio recordings, and video clips. After the treatment, a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were given to the EG learners to explore their perceptions of using multimodal materials to learn L2 phrases. The results indicate that both groups had significant gains in learning phrases, but students with the multimodal input achieved significantly better results than those with the unimodal input. Moreover, the EG students had a generally positive attitude toward the use of multimodal resources. This study validates the efficacy of multimodal input on the acquisition of English phrases and shows that cognitive overload was avoided by sequencing the information.

Dual Coding or Cognitive Load? Exploring the Effect of Multimodal Input on English as a Foreign Language Learners' Vocabulary Learning.

In the era of eLearning 4.0, many researchers have suggested that multimodal input helps to enhance second language (L2) vocabulary learning. However, previous studies on the effects of multimodal teaching have failed to yield definitive conclusions. Furthermore, only few studies on the multimodal input of vocabulary learning have aimed at junior high school students and have focused on explicit vocabulary instruction in class. To explore the effects of multimodal input on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' vocabulary learning and summarize effective methods, this study adopts a mixed-method approach. Based on dual coding theory and cognitive load theory, the teaching materials in this study were designed using the resources provided by the multimodal corpus iWeb and other websites. A total of 60 junior high school students who learned EFL and had a similar English proficiency level were divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). Target words were selected through questionnaire I. During the experiment, the CG learned from monomodal materials while the EG received multimodal input, and an immediate post-test was delivered to the two groups. Questionnaire II was distributed in the EG, and five students of the EG were randomly selected for an interview. One week later, a delayed post-test was conducted on the EG and CG. The results showed that the EG performed better in the post-test but did worse than the CG in the delayed post-test. The results of the questionnaire and the interview suggest that students held both positive and negative attitudes toward the multimodal input approach in vocabulary learning. The study concludes with some implications for choosing a multimodal input approach in vocabulary learning, along with a number of suggestions on how to optimize its positive influence and minimize its negative effects.

Aluminum Nanoparticles Acting as a Pulmonary Vaccine Adjuvant-Delivery System (VADS) Able to Safely Elicit Robust Systemic and Mucosal Immunity.

ABSTRACT: Vulnerability of respiratory mucosa to invasions of airborne pathogens, such as SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and avian viruses which sometimes cause a life-threatening epidemic and even pandemic, underscores significance of developing a pulmonary vaccine adjuvant-delivery system (VADS). Herein, 30-nm aluminum nanoparticles (ANs), unlike the mostly used adjuvant alum which is unsuitable for delivering pulmonary vaccines due to side effects, proved able to act as a VADS fitting inhalation immunization to elicit wide-spread anti-antigen immunity. In vitro ANs facilitated cellular uptake of their cargos and, after pulmonary vaccination, induced mouse production of high levels of anti-antigen IgG in serum and IgA in saliva, nasal, bronchoalveolar and also vaginal fluids. Besides, IFN-γ and anti-antigen IgG2a enriched in immunized mice which meanwhile showed no obvious lung inflammation indicated balanced Th1/Th2 responses were safely induced. These outcomes suggest ANs may be an efficient pulmonary VADS for defending against pathogens, especially, the ones invading hosts via respiratory system. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: Aluminum nanoparticles can safely induce humoral and cellular immunity at systemic and mucosal level through pulmonary vaccination to contrast the conventional adjuvant alum.

Preparation of curcumin-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex by cosolvency-lyophilization procedure to enhance oral bioavailability of the drug.

The curcumin (CUR)-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD) inclusion complex (CUR-HP-ß-CD) was prepared to erase its therapeutic restrictions of poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability. CUR-HP-ß-CD was prepared by a simple procedure of water-ethanol cosolvent incubation-lyophilization which may be suitable for scale up production, and characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), phase solubility method and dissolution study; the in vitro cytotoxicity was assayed by MTT, whereas the in vivo pharmacokinetics was tested by HPLC in rats receiving formulations via intravenous and oral administration, respectively. CUR was successfully encapsulated in HP-ß-CD with a loading capacity of about 1:7 of CUR to HP-ß-CD mole ratio, which remarkably enhanced drug water solubility and maintained well the antitumour activity of CUR. The CUR-HP-ß-CD and free CUR have a similar pharmacokinetic behaviour in rats after intravenous administration; however, the oral bioavailability of CUR was enhanced to 2.77-fold by the HP-ß-CD. The CUR-HP-ß-CD can be successfully prepared by a simple method, which may be feasible for industrial scaling up, to remarkably increase drug water solubility and oral bioavailability while maintaining its bioactivity and may be a promising therapeutic preparation.

Refractive outcomes of intraoperative wavefront aberrometry versus optical biometry alone for intraocular lens power calculation.

PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of intraoperative wavefront aberrometry versus optical biometry alone for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in eyes undergoing cataract surgery with monofocal IOL implantation. METHODS: Preoperative data were obtained with the IOLMaster. Intraoperative aphakic measurements and IOL power calculations were obtained in some patients with the optiwave refractive analysis (ORA) system. Analysis was performed to determine the accuracy of monofocal IOL power prediction and postoperative manifest refraction at 1 month of the ORA versus IOLMaster. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-five eyes reviewed, 61 had only preoperative IOLMaster measurements and 234 had both IOLMaster and ORA measurements. Of these 234 eyes, 6 were excluded, 107 had the same recommended IOL power by ORA and IOLMaster. Sixty-four percent of these eyes were within ±0.5D. 95 eyes had IOL power implantation based on ORA instead of IOLMaster. Seventy percent of these eyes were within ±0.5D of target refraction. 26 eyes had IOL power chosen based on IOLMaster predictions instead of ORA. Sixty-five percent were within ±0.5D. In the group with IOLMaster without ORA measurements, 80% of eyes were within ±0.5D of target refraction. The absolute error was statistically smaller in those eyes where the ORA and IOLMaster recommended the same IOL power based on preoperative target refraction compared to instances in which IOL selection was based on ORA or IOLMaster alone. Neither prediction errors were statistically different between the ORA and IOLMaster alone. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative wavefront aberrometry with the ORA system provides postoperative refractive results comparable to conventional biometry with the IOLMaster for monofocal IOL selection.

Myectomy of the Extraocular Muscles Without Reattachment as a Surgical Treatment for Horizontal Nystagmus.

PURPOSE: To report the comparative clinical findings for two nystagmus procedures in two consecutive case series: the Sinskey anterior extirpation procedure (SAEP) and a modification, myectomy without reattachment (MWR). METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients underwent the SAEP and 19 underwent MWR. The SAEP is a snare-assisted unmeasured deep myectomy, whereas MWR is a measured myectomy at posterior Tenon's fascia. All patients underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic and orthoptic examination with infrared videonystagmography. Binocular best corrected visual acuity, nystagmus amplitude, alignment, and versions outcomes were measured. RESULTS: The highest percentage of patients experiencing two or more lines of improvement in distance and near acuity was in the SAEP group, who were younger than 10 years and had no ocular comorbidity (100%). Distance and near acuity improved at least one line in 71% and 86% of patients in the SAEP group and 72% and 61% in the MWR group, respectively. In both groups, patients younger than 10 years had the best acuity gains. Average nystagmus amplitude was reduced 76.3% (SAEP) and 68% (MWR). Horizontal versions were more compromised in the SAEP group and one patient experienced intraoperative orbital bleeding. Patients requiring reoperation for strabismus numbered 5 of 20 (20%) in the SAEP and 3 of 19 (16%) in the MWR groups. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to SAEP, the MWR procedure reduces nystagmus amplitudes and improves visual acuity but with less limitation of versions, risk of intraoperative bleeding, and risk of postoperative strabismus. Data suggest that early surgery (for patients younger than 10 years) can have a greater beneficial effect on postoperative visual acuity. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2016;53(3):156-166.].

Association of Pigmentary Glaucoma and Nonsenile Nuclear Cataracts.

PURPOSE: To describe a new association between nonsenile nuclear cataracts and pigmentary glaucoma in patients with controlled intraocular pressure (IOP). DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case series of nonsenile nuclear cataracts seen in patients with pigmentary glaucoma with controlled IOP in a single glaucoma specialist practice. Eight eyes of 7 patients with pigmentary glaucoma and visually significant cataract who underwent cataract removal were reviewed. RESULTS: Patients with pigmentary glaucoma developed rapidly progressing, nonsenile nuclear cataracts, with resulting myopic shifts between 4 and 13 D from baseline in <2 years. The patients had controlled IOP and there were no associations between medication use and cataract development. CONCLUSIONS: A new association between pigmentary glaucoma and nonsenile nuclear cataracts is described. In these patients, the IOP remains controlled and no association is seen between the cataract and medication use. The cataract is rapidly progressive and can cause a myopic shift between 4 and 13 D. Awareness of the purely nuclear cataract and its' clinical presentation can assist the clinician when approaching the patient with pigment dispersion and decreasing vision. To the best of our knowledge, this is a new association and warrants further investigation.

Clinical survey of 3680 iris tumors based on patient age at presentation.

OBJECTIVE: To report the spectrum of iris lesions based on patient age at presentation. DESIGN: Retrospective, nonrandomized, single-center case series. PARTICIPANTS: We included 3680 iris tumors in 3451 patients. METHODS: Chart review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnostic category based on age. RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 48 years and there were 449 (12%) tumors in children (≤20 years), 788 (21%) in young adults (21-40 years), 1308 (36%) in mid adults (41-60 years), and 1135 (31%) in senior adults (>60 years). Of 3680 tumors, the diagnostic category was cystic (n = 768; 21%) or solid (n = 2912; 79%). The cystic tumors originated from iris pigment epithelium (IPE; n = 672; 18%) or iris stroma (n = 96; 3%). The solid tumors included melanocytic (n = 2510; 68%) and nonmelanocytic (n = 402; 11%). The melanocytic tumors comprised nevus (n = 1503; 60%), melanocytoma (n = 68; 3%), melanoma (n = 645; 26%), and melanocytosis (n = 64; 3%). Of 2510 melanocytic tumors, the first and second most common diagnoses by age (children, young adult, mid adult, senior adult) were nevus (53%, 57%, 63%, and 63%, respectively) and melanoma (17%, 27%, 26%, and 27%, respectively). The nonmelanocytic tumors included categories of choristomatous (n = 4; <1%), vascular (n = 57; 2%), fibrous (n = 2; <1%), neural (n = 3; <1%), myogenic (n = 2;, <1%), epithelial (n = 35; 1%), xanthomatous (n = 8; <1%), metastasis (n = 67; 2%), lymphoid (n = 12; <1%), leukemic (n = 2; <1%), secondary (n = 12; <1%), and nonneoplastic simulators (n = 198; 5%). The median age (in years) at diagnosis included cystic (39), melanocytic (52), choristomatous (0.7), vascular (56), fibrous (53), neural (8), myogenic (42), epithelial (63), xanthomatous (1.9), metastasis (60), lymphoid (57), leukemic (25.5), secondary (59), and nonneoplastic simulators (49). Overall, the 3 most common specific diagnoses (children, young adult, mid adult, senior adult) were nevus (25%, 36%, 47%, and 47%, respectively), IPE cyst (28%, 30%, 15%, and 14%, respectively), and melanoma (8%, 16%, 20%, and 19%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In an ocular oncology practice, the spectrum of iris tumors includes cystic (21%) and solid (79%) tumors. The solid tumors were melanocytic (68%) or nonmelanocytic (11%). At all ages, the most common specific diagnoses were nevus (42%), IPE cyst (19%), and melanoma (17%).

Osteoprotegerin inhibits vascular calcification without affecting atherosclerosis in ldlr(-/-) mice.

BACKGROUND: The role of osteoprotegerin in vascular disease is unclear. Recent observational studies show that serum osteoprotegerin levels are associated with the severity and progression of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and vascular calcification in patients. However, genetic and treatment studies in mice suggest that osteoprotegerin may protect against vascular calcification. METHODS AND RESULTS: To test whether osteoprotegerin induces or prevents vascular disease, we treated atherogenic diet-fed ldlr(-/-) mice with recombinant osteoprotegerin (Fc-OPG) or vehicle for 5 months. Vehicle-treated mice developed significant, progressive atherosclerosis with increased plasma osteoprotegerin levels, consistent with observational studies, and approximately 15% of these atherosclerotic lesions developed calcified cartilage-like metaplasia. Treatment with Fc-OPG significantly reduced the calcified lesion area without affecting atherosclerotic lesion size or number, vascular cytokines, or plasma cholesterol levels. Treatment also significantly reduced tissue levels of aortic osteocalcin, a marker of mineralization. CONCLUSIONS: These data support a role for osteoprotegerin in the vasculature as an inhibitor of calcification and a marker, rather than a mediator, of atherosclerosis.

Atherogenic phospholipids attenuate osteogenic signaling by BMP-2 and parathyroid hormone in osteoblasts.

Cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, has been associated with reduced bone mineral density and fracture risk. A major etiologic factor in atherogenesis is believed to be oxidized phospholipids. We previously found that these phospholipids inhibit spontaneous osteogenic differentiation of marrow stromal cells, suggesting that they may account for the clinical link between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. Currently, anabolic agents that promote bone formation are increasingly used as a new treatment for osteoporosis. It is not known, however, whether atherogenic phospholipids alter the effects of bone anabolic agents, such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and parathyroid hormone (PTH). Therefore we investigated the effects of oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (ox-PAPC) on osteogenic signaling induced by BMP-2 and PTH in MC3T3-E1 cells. Results showed that ox-PAPC attenuated BMP-2 induction of osteogenic markers alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Ox-PAPC also inhibited both spontaneous and BMP-induced expression of PTH receptor. Consistently, pretreatment of cells with ox-PAPC inhibited PTH-induced cAMP production and expression of immediate early genes Nurr1 and IL-6. Results from immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses showed that inhibitory effects of ox-PAPC on BMP-2 signaling were associated with inhibition of SMAD 1/5/8 but not p38-MAPK activation. These effects appear to be due to ox-PAPC activation of the ERK pathway, as the ERK inhibitor PD98059 reversed ox-PAPC inhibitory effects on BMP-2-induced alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin expression, and SMAD activation. These results suggest that atherogenic lipids inhibit osteogenic signaling induced by BMP-2 and PTH, raising the possibility that hyperlipidemia and atherogenic phospholipids may interfere with anabolic therapy.

PubFocus: semantic MEDLINE/PubMed citations analytics through integration of controlled biomedical dictionaries and ranking algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Understanding research activity within any given biomedical field is important. Search outputs generated by MEDLINE/PubMed are not well classified and require lengthy manual citation analysis. Automation of citation analytics can be very useful and timesaving for both novices and experts. RESULTS: PubFocus web server automates analysis of MEDLINE/PubMed search queries by enriching them with two widely used human factor-based bibliometric indicators of publication quality: journal impact factor and volume of forward references. In addition to providing basic volumetric statistics, PubFocus also prioritizes citations and evaluates authors' impact on the field of search. PubFocus also analyses presence and occurrence of biomedical key terms within citations by utilizing controlled vocabularies. CONCLUSION: We have developed citations' prioritisation algorithm based on journal impact factor, forward referencing volume, referencing dynamics, and author's contribution level. It can be applied either to the primary set of PubMed search results or to the subsets of these results identified through key terms from controlled biomedical vocabularies and ontologies. NCI (National Cancer Institute) thesaurus and MGD (Mouse Genome Database) mammalian gene orthology have been implemented for key terms analytics. PubFocus provides a scalable platform for the integration of multiple available ontology databases. PubFocus analytics can be adapted for input sources of biomedical citations other than PubMed.

Insulin-like growth factor-I regulates proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of calcifying vascular cells via extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways.

Vascular calcification develops within atherosclerotic lesions and results from a process similar to osteogenesis. One of the paracrine regulators of bone-derived osteoblasts, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), is also present in atherosclerotic lesions. To evaluate its possible role in vascular calcification, we assessed its in vitro effects on proliferation and differentiation in calcifying vascular cells (CVCs), a subpopulation of bovine aortic medial cells. Results showed that IGF-I inhibited spontaneous CVC differentiation and mineralization as evidenced by decreased alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and decreased matrix calcium incorporation, respectively. Furthermore, IGF-I inhibited the AP activity induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide, TNF-alpha, or H2O2. It also induced CVC proliferation based on 3H-thymidine incorporation. Results from Northern analysis and tests using IGF-I analogs suggest that IGF-I effects are mediated through the IGF-I receptor. IGF-I also activated both the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways. Inhibition of either the ERK or PI3K pathway reversed IGF-I effects on CVC proliferation and AP activity, suggesting a common downstream target. Overexpression of ERK activator also mimicked IGF-I inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced AP activity. These results suggest that IGF-I promotes proliferation and inhibits osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization of vascular cells via both ERK and PI3K pathways.

DNA extraction from archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues: heat-induced retrieval in alkaline solution.

Based on the antigen retrieval principle, our previous study has demonstrated that heating archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues at a higher temperature and at higher pH value of the retrieval solution may achieve higher efficiency of extracted DNA, when compared to the traditional enzyme digestion method. Along this line of heat-induced retrieval, this further study is focused on development of a simpler and more effective heat-induced DNA retrieval technique by testing various retrieval solutions. Three major experiments using a high temperature heating method to extract DNA from FFPE human lymphoid and other tissue sections were performed to compare: (1) different concentrations of alkaline solution (NaOH or KOH, pH 11.5-12) versus Britton and Robinson type of buffer solution (BR buffer) of pH 12 that was the only retrieval solution tested in our previous study; (2) several chemical solutions (SDS, Tween 20, and GITC of various concentrations) versus BR buffer or alkaline solution; and (3) alkaline solution mixed with chemicals versus BR buffer or single alkaline solution. Efficiency of DNA extraction was evaluated by measuring yields using spectrophotometry, electrophoretic pattern, semiquantitation of tissue dissolution, PCR amplification, and kinetic thermocycling-PCR methods. Results showed that boiling tissue sections in 0.1 M NaOH or KOH or its complex retrieval solutions produced higher yields and better quality of DNA compared to BR buffer or chemical solutions alone. The conclusion was that boiling FFPE tissue sections in 0.1 M alkaline solution is a simpler and more effective heat-induced retrieval protocol for DNA extraction. Combination with some chemicals (detergents) may further significantly improve efficiency of the heat-induced retrieval technique.