New and Interesting Fungi. 5.

Nine new genera, 17 new species, nine new combinations, seven epitypes, three lectotypes, one neotype, and 14 interesting new host and / or geographical records are introduced in this study. New genera: Neobarrmaelia (based on Neobarrmaelia hyphaenes), Neobryochiton (based on Neobryochiton narthecii), Neocamarographium (based on Neocamarographium carpini), Nothocladosporium (based on Nothocladosporium syzygii), Nothopseudocercospora (based on Nothopseudocercospora dictamni), Paracamarographium (based on Paracamarographium koreanum), Pseudohormonema (based on Pseudohormonema sordidus), Quasiphoma (based on Quasiphoma hyphaenes), Rapidomyces (based on Rapidomyces narthecii). New species: Ascocorticium sorbicola (on leaves of Sorbus aucuparia, Belgium), Dactylaria retrophylli (on leaves of Retrophyllum rospigliosii, Colombia), Dactylellina miltoniae (on twigs of Miltonia clowesii, Colombia), Exophiala eucalyptigena (on dead leaves of Eucalyptus viminalis subsp. viminalis supporting Idolothrips spectrum, Australia), Idriellomyces syzygii (on leaves of Syzygium chordatum, South Africa), Microcera lichenicola (on Parmelia sulcata, Netherlands), Neobarrmaelia hyphaenes (on leaves of Hyphaene sp., South Africa), Neobryochiton narthecii (on dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum, Netherlands), Niesslia pseudoexilis (on dead leaf of Quercus petraea, Serbia), Nothocladosporium syzygii (on leaves of Syzygium chordatum, South Africa), Nothotrimmatostroma corymbiae (on leaves of Corymbia henryi, South Africa), Phaeosphaeria hyphaenes (on leaves of Hyphaene sp., South Africa), Pseudohormonema sordidus (on a from human pacemaker, USA), Quasiphoma hyphaenes (on leaves of Hyphaene sp., South Africa), Rapidomyces narthecii (on dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum, Netherlands), Reticulascus parahennebertii (on dead culm of Juncus inflexus, Netherlands), Scytalidium philadelphianum (from compressed air in a factory, USA). New combinations: Neobarrmaelia serenoae, Nothopseudocercospora dictamni, Dothiora viticola, Floricola sulcata, Neocamarographium carpini, Paracamarographium koreanum, Rhexocercosporidium bellocense, Russula lilacina. Epitypes: Elsinoe corni (on leaves of Cornus florida, USA), Leptopeltis litigiosa (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum, Netherlands), Nothopseudocercospora dictamni (on living leaves of Dictamnus albus, Russia), Ramularia arvensis (on leaves of Potentilla reptans, Netherlands), Rhexocercosporidium bellocense (on leaves of Verbascum sp., Germany), Rhopographus filicinus (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum, Netherlands), Septoria robiniae (on leaves of Robinia pseudoacacia, Belgium). Lectotypes: Leptopeltis litigiosa (on Pteridium aquilinum, France), Rhopographus filicinus (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum, Netherlands), Septoria robiniae (on leaves of Robinia pseudoacacia, Belgium). Neotype: Camarographium stephensii (on dead leaf fronds of Pteridium aquilinum, Netherlands). Citation: Crous PW, Begoude BAD, Boers J, Braun U, Declercq B, Dijksterhuis J, Elliott TF, Garay-Rodriguez GA, Jurjevic Z, Kruse J, Linde CC, Loyd A, Mound L, Osieck ER, Rivera-Vargas LI, Quimbita AM, Rodas CA, Roux J, Schumacher RK, Starink-Willemse M, Thangavel R, Trappe JM, van Iperen AL, Van Steenwinkel C, Wells A, Wingfield MJ, Yilmaz N, Groenewald JZ (2022) New and Interesting Fungi. 5. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 10: 19-90. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2022.10.02.

Enhanced Protein-Energy Provision via the Enteral Route Feeding (PEPuP) protocol in critically ill surgical patients: a multicentre prospective evaluation.

Suboptimal levels of feeding in critically ill patients are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The Enhanced Protein-Energy Provision via the Enteral Route Feeding (PEPuP) protocol was developed to improve nutritional delivery in the critically ill and has been studied in several hospitals. However, the experience with this protocol in surgical patients is limited to date. The objective of this analysis was to describe the experience with this protocol in surgical patients. We analysed observational patient data obtained from the 2013 International Nutrition Survey. We compared nutritional practices and outcomes of patients admitted for surgical and medical reasons to ICUs in sites that implemented the PEPuP protocol. We used surgical ICU patients in non-PEPuP sites as a concurrent control group. In sites that implemented the PEPuP protocol, surgical patients received a smaller proportion of prescribed calories (43% versus 61%, P=0.004) and protein (38% versus 57%, P=0.002) compared to medical patients. When compared to the cohort of surgical patients from control sites, the surgical patients from PEPuP sites received similar amounts of calories and protein. Although surgical PEPuP patients were more likely to receive trophic and volume-based feeds compared to surgical patients in control sites, other aspects of the PEPuP protocol were not adequately implemented. We conclude that nutritional delivery to surgical patients remains inadequate and the PEPuP protocol seems ineffective in improving nutritional intake in this population. Further research to determine methods of optimising PEPuP protocol implementation and adherence in surgery patients is needed.

Effect of polyunsaturated isocaloric fat diets on plasma lipids, apolipoproteins and fatty acids.

The effect of an increased polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration in the diet on the plasma lipoproteins from a normal group of healthy persons and from a group of hypercholesterolemic patients, consuming an isoenergetic and an isocholesterolemic diet, was examined and the changes in the plasma phospholipids were measured. Nine normal and 10 hypercholesterolemic patients were treated with a polyunsaturated diet for 1 month. Controls and hypercholesterolemic patients were screened on their lipid and lipoprotein profiles and their P/S ratio in the diet was calculated and increased with a factor 4. In the control group the P/S ratio was increased from 0.35 to 1.38 and in the hypercholesterolemic group from 0.46 to 1.59. They received the diet for at least 4 weeks before a second analysis of lipids and lipoproteins. The most important results are a decrease of plasma cholesterol, followed by a significant increase of HDL cholesterol. The cholesterol-lowering effect results largely from the plasma LDL decrease, especially in the patient group. Apo A-I is decreased accompanied by a significant increase of the ratio HDL-C/apo A-I. The observed changes are most pronounced in the hypercholesterolemic group. There is no change in apo B but a significant change in the linoleic acid concentration especially in the HDL cholesterol esters. The major phospholipids in plasma are identical in both groups and there is an identical change under the PUFA diet, sphingomyelin is increased and phosphatidylcholine is decreased, which may be related to an increase of the HDL2/HDL3 ratio.

Influence of oral polyunsaturated and saturated phospholipid treatment on the lipid composition and fatty acid profile of chimpanzee lipoproteins.

The influence of treatment with polyunsaturated lecithin (EPL) and with saturated lecithin on the lipoprotein composition and fatty acid profile was investigated in 4 male chimpanzees. The animals were successively given 3 isocaloric diets containing the same amount of fat with a degree of saturation varying from 1 in the control diet to 0.2 in the diet enriched with polyunsaturated lecithin, to 4 in the diet enrich with saturated lecithin. The VLDL, LDL and HDL3 fractions were isolated by ultracentrifugal flotation; changes in their lipid and fatty acid composition were followed and their microviscosity was measured. The treatment with polyunsaturated lecithin increases the cholesterol esters and lysolecithin content in HDL3, presumably via activation of the enzyme LCAT. These modified HDL particles have a more fluid surface and a denser core and are susceptible to act as better cholesterol carriers. A complementary effect of this treatment is a decrease of the plasma triglycerides and VLDL concentration, an increase in the unsaturation ratio of the triglycerides which might take place via activation of triglyceride lipase. The saturated lecithin treatment increases the plasma VLDL and LDL concentrations and the triglyceride levels and increases mostly the saturation ratio of the cholesterol esters. These effects are likely to enhance the progression of atherosclerosis.

August 2003 heat wave in France: risk factors for death of elderly people living at home.

The August 2003 heat wave in France resulted in many thousands of excess deaths particularly of elderly people. Individual and environmental risk factors for death among the community-dwelling elderly were identified. We conducted a case-control survey and defined cases as people aged 65 years and older who lived at home and died from August 8 through August 13 from causes other than accident, suicide, or surgical complications. Controls were matched with cases for age, sex, and residential area. Interviewers used questionnaires to collect data. Satellite pictures provided profiles of the heat island characteristics around the homes. Lack of mobility was a major risk factor along with some pre-existing medical conditions. Housing characteristics associated with death were lack of thermal insulation and sleeping on the top floor, right under the roof. The temperature around the building was a major risk factor. Behaviour such as dressing lightly and use of cooling techniques and devices were protective factors. These findings suggest people with pre-existing medical conditions were likely to be vulnerable during heat waves and need information on how to adjust daily routines to heat waves. In the long term, building insulation and urban planning must be adapted to provide protection from possible heat waves.

Enzymic assay for phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin in serum.

We describe a method for the direct enzymatic determination of phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin in serum. Phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3) and sphingomyelinase (EC 3.1.4.12) are used to hydrolyze phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, respectively, with high specificity; alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1) is used to cleave inorganic phosphorus. The choline group, after oxidation with choline oxidase (EC 1.1.3.17), is detected with 4-aminoantipyrine. Alternatively, phosphorus is assayed with metavanadate. The excellent agreement between results of this modification of a procedure described by Artiss et al. (Microchem. J. 26: 1017, 1980) for amniotic fluid and of the conventional thin-layer chromatographic method makes this an attractive method for determination of both phospholipid subclasses in serum.

Effects of suloctidil on lipid metabolism in experimental animals.

A novel potent vasoactive agent, 1-(4-isopropyl-thiophenyl)-2-n-octylaminopropanol (suloctidil, Sulocton), lowers excess of plasma cholesterol and tends to normalize the plasma hyperbetalipoproteinemia of Rhesus monkeys fed a high-cholesterol, high-fat diet. The drug shows an inhibitory effect on the cholesterol biosynthesis in rat liver homogenates.

Study of the regulation by nutrients of the expression of genes involved in lipogenesis and obesity in humans and animals.

Dietary digestible carbohydrates are able to modulate lipogenesis, by modifying the expression of genes coding for key lipogenic enzymes, like fatty acid synthase. The overall objective of the Nutrigene project (FAIR-CT97-3011) was to study the efficiency of various carbohydrates to modulate the lipogenic capacity and relevant gene expression in rat and human species (control and obese subjects) and to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of lipogenic genes by carbohydrates. Key cellular mediators (namely SREBP-1c and 2, AMP activated protein kinase, cholesterol content) of the regulation of lipogenic gene expression by glucose and/or insulin were identified and constitute new putative targets in the development of plurimetabolic syndrome associated with obesity. In humans, hepatic lipogenesis and triglyceride synthesis, assessed in vivo by the use of stable isotopes, was promoted by a high-carbohydrate diet in non obese subjects, and in non alcoholic steatotic patients, but was not modified in the adipose tissue of obese subjects. Non digestible/fermentable carbohydrates, such as fructans, were shown to decrease hepatic lipogenesis in non obese rats, and to lessen hepatic steatosis and body weight in obese Zucker rats. If confirmed in obese humans, this would allow the development of functional food able to counteract the metabolic disturbances linked to obesity.