Occurrence and distribution of Meloidogyne spp. in fields rotated with sweetpotato and host range of a North Carolina population of Meloidogyne enterolobii.

Root-knot nematodes (RKN, Meloidogyne spp.) are some of the most economically important and common plant parasitic nematodes in North Carolina (NC) cropping systems. Soil samples collected from fields planted with crops rotated with sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] in 39 NC counties in 2015-2018 were processed at the NC Nematode Assay Laboratory. The occurrence of second-stage juvenile (J2) RKN populations was examined based on collection year, month, county, and previous planted crop. The highest number of RKN positive samples originated from Cumberland (53%), Sampson (48%), and Johnston (48%) counties. The highest average RKN population density was detected in Sampson (147 J2/500 cm3 soil) and Nash (135 J2/500 cm3 soil) counties, while Wayne (7 J2/500 cm3 soil) and Greene (11 J2/500 cm3 soil) counties had the lowest average RKN population density. Meloidogyne enterolobii is a new invasive species that is impacting sweetpotato growers of NC. The host status of a NC population of M. enterolobii, the guava-root knot nematode, was determined by examining eggs per gram of fresh root (ER) and the final nematode egg population divided by the initial population egg count (reproductive factor, RF) in greenhouse experiments. This included eighteen vegetable, field, cover crops and weed species. The tomato 'Rutgers' was used as a susceptible control. Cabbage 'Stonehead', pepper 'Red bull', and watermelon 'Charleston gray' and 'Fascination' were hosts and had similar mean ER values to the positive control, ranging from 64 to 18,717. Among field crops, cotton, soybean 'P5018RX', and tobacco were hosts with ER values that ranged from 185 to 706. Members of the Poaceae family such as sweet corn (Zea mays) and sudangrass (Sorghum x drummondii) were non-hosts to M. enterolobii and the mean ER values ranged from 1.85 to 7. The peanut 'Tifguard' and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) also had lower ER values than the vegetable hosts. Growers should consider planting less susceptible or non-hosts such as peanut, sudangrass, sweet corn, and winter wheat in 2-3 year crop rotations to lower populations of this invasive nematode.

Remission in pediatric Graves' disease treated with antithyroid drug and the risk factors associated with relapse.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the characteristics and frequency of remission in pediatric patients with Graves' disease (GD) treated with antithyroid drug (ATD) and to identify factors that may be associated with relapse. METHODS: Medical records of patients younger than 19 years who presented to the Department of Pediatrics of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Hong Kong with newly diagnosed GD from 1st January 2007 to 31st December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Remission was defined as euthyroidism for 12 months or more after discontinuation of ATD treatment and no relapses during the follow-up period. Patients who successfully achieved remission were compared to those who suffered relapse. Factors that may predict occurrence of relapse after ATD treatments were studied, and their odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients was included in this study. Eighty-one patients completed one course of ATD. Eighteen patients (17.8%) successfully achieved remission, and 58 patients (57.4%) experienced relapse after discontinuation of ATD. The remission group received a significantly longer course of ATD therapy than the relapse group (median, 28 months; interquartile range [IQR], 18-48 months in remission group vs. median, 21 months; IQR, 17-26; p=0.024). The OR for relapse was 0.971 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.946-0.997) in univariate analysis and remained significant after adjustments in the multivariate regression model (OR, 0.961; 95% CI, 0.933-0.989; p=0.008). CONCLUSION: The remission rate in pediatric patients with GD treated with ATD was low. A longer ATD course was associated with a greater chance of remission in this population.

Features of partial remission in children with type 1 diabetes using the insulin dose-adjusted A1c definition and risk factors associated with nonremission.

PURPOSE: We sought to evaluate features of partial remission (PR) in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using the insulin-dose adjusted A1c (IDAA1c) definition and to identify risk factors associated with nonremission. METHODS: Medical records of patients with newly diagnosed T1DM between January 1, 2008, and June 30, 2018, were retrospectively reviewed. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) readings and insulin total daily doses (TDDs) of each patient at each follow-up visit were obtained with IDAA1c values calculated. PR was defined as an IDAA1c score of 9 points or less within 6 months of diagnosis. The trends of HbA1c and TDD within 2 years after diagnosis were compared between remitters and nonremitters. Factors that may predict the occurrence of PR were studied, with their relative risks of nonremission calculated. RESULTS: PR occurred in 26 patients (45.6%), including 8 girls and 18 boys, with a median duration of 8 months. The frequency of remission in male patients was significantly higher (P=0.002) and the relative risk of female sex with nonremission was 2.20 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-3.91), which remained significant when adjusted by multivariate regression modeling. The initial HbA1c level at diagnosis was also significantly higher in the nonremission group (P=0.029), with a relative risk of 1.12 (95% CI, 1.01-1.25). Both HbA1c (P=0.012) and TDD (P=0.006) were significantly lower within 2 years after diagnosis among remitters than in nonremitters. TDD was significantly lower in male patients (P=0.029) during the same period, while there was no significant difference in HbA1c level between male and female patients (P=0.163). CONCLUSION: Both the initial HbA1c level at diagnosis and sex were factors associated with the occurrence of PR. Female sex was an independent risk factor of nonremission, likely resulting from a higher insulin requirement in female T1DM patients.

Shape-based diffeomorphic registration on hippocampal surfaces using Beltrami holomorphic flow.

We develop a new algorithm to automatically register hippocampal (HP) surfaces with complete geometric matching, avoiding the need to manually label landmark features. A good registration depends on a reasonable choice of shape energy that measures the dissimilarity between surfaces. In our work, we first propose a complete shape index using the Beltrami coefficient and curvatures, which measures subtle local differences. The proposed shape energy is zero if and only if two shapes are identical up to a rigid motion. We then seek the best surface registration by minimizing the shape energy. We propose a simple representation of surface diffeomorphisms using Beltrami coefficients, which simplifies the optimization process. We then iteratively minimize the shape energy using the proposed Beltrami Holomorphic flow (BHF) method. Experimental results on 212 HP of normal and diseased (Alzheimer's disease) subjects show our proposed algorithm is effective in registering HP surfaces with complete geometric matching. The proposed shape energy can also capture local shape differences between HP for disease analysis.