First report of Black Spot on Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla caused by Pseudoplagiostoma eucalypti in Guangxi, China.

Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus urophylla hybrid clone is an economically and ecologically important forest variety and is widely planted in Guangxi, China. Black spot, a newly found disease, occurred nearly 5333.3 hectares in an E. grandis × E. urophylla plantation of Qinlian forest farm (N: 21.866°, E: 108.921°) in Guangxi in October, 2019. Infected plants had lesions of black spots with watery margins on petioles and veins of E. grandis × E. urophylla. The size of spots ranged between 3 to 5 mm in diameter. When lesions expanded to girdle the petioles, wilt and death of leaves was observed, which subsequently affected growth of the trees. To isolate the causal agent, symptomatic plant tissues (leaves and petioles) were collected from two different sites, sampled from five plants each site. In the lab, infected tissues were surface sterilized with 75% ethanol for 10 seconds, then 2% sodium hypochlorite for 120 seconds, and rinsed with sterile distilled water three times. Small segments (5×5 mm) were cut from the margins of the lesions, then placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates. The plates were incubated at 26°C in dark for 7 to 10 days. Fungal isolates YJ1 and YM6 with a similar morphology, which were obtained from 14 of 60 petioles and 19 of 60 veins respectively. These two colonies were initially light orange, then turned to olive brown as time progressed. Conidia were hyaline, smooth, aseptate, ellipsoidal, apex obtuse, and base tapering to flat protruding scar, 16.8 to 26.5µm long, and 6.6 to 10.4 µm wide (n=50). Some conidia had one or two guttules. The morphological characteristics were consistent with the description of Pseudoplagiostoma eucalypti Cheew., M. J. Wingf. & Crous (Cheewangkoon et al. 2010). For molecular identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), ß-tubulin (TUB2) genes were amplified using primers ITS1/ITS4 and T1/Bt2b, respectively (White et al. 1990; O'Donnell et al.1998; Glass and Donaldson 1995). Sequences of the two strains were deposited in GenBank (ITS: MT801070 and MT801071; BT2: MT829072 and MT829073). Phylogenetic tree was constructed with a maximum likelihood method, revealing that YJ1 and YM6 were on the same branch with P. eucalypti. Pathogenicity tests of the two strains were performed on three-month-old E. grandis × E. urophylla seedlings, by inoculating 6 wounded (by stabbing on petioles or veins) leaves of seedlings with mycelial PDA plugs (5 ×5 mm) from the edge of a 10-day old colony of strain YJ1 or YM6. Another 6 leaves were treated in the same manner but with PDA plugs as controls. All treatments were incubated in humidity chambers at 27°C and 80% relative humidity, under ambient light. All experiments were conducted three times. Lesions were observed at the points of inoculation, the petioles or veins turned black on inoculated leaves after 7 days, wilting of the leaves were also observed after 30 days, however the controls remained asymptomatic. Re-isolation was made and the fungus had same morphological measurements as the inoculated fungus, thus completing Koch's postulates. P. eucalypti had been reported as a pathogen of leaf spot on E. robusta in Taiwan island (Wang et al. 2016), leaf and shoot blight on E. pulverulenta in Japan (Inuma et al. 2015). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. eucalypti affecting E. grandis × E. urophylla in mainland China. This report provides basis for the rational prevention and control of this new disease in the cultivation process of E. grandis × E. urophylla.

[Predictive value of the triglyceride-glucose index on atrial fibrillation recurrence after valvular surgery with concurrent Cox-maze â £ ablation].

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of preoperative triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index on atrial fibrillation recurrence after valvular surgery with concurrent Cox-maze Ⅳ ablation. Methods: The data of the patients who underwent valvular surgery with concurrent Cox-maze Ⅳ ablation from June 2017 to May 2022 in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital were retrospectively collected, and the patients were divided into the recurrence group and non-recurrence group. Baseline clinical data and results of laboratory tests were collected and TyG index was calculated. The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis were used to explore the risk factors of atrial fibrillation recurrence after Cox-maze Ⅳ ablation. The value of TyG index in predicting atrial fibrillation recurrence was obtained by plotting receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: A total of 424 patients were in the final analysis, including 300 males and 124 females, with an average age of (58.2±13.4) years. The median follow-up time was 32.7 months (17.3-49.6 months). There were 117 and 307 patients in the recurrence and non-recurrence groups, respectively. Compared with the non-recurrence group, the TyG index in the recurrence group was higher (9.21±0.38 vs 8.34±0.72, P=0.011). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that TyG index (HR=2.021, 95%CI: 1.374-3.245, P<0.001), C-reactive protein level (HR=1.127, 95%CI: 1.007-1.535, P=0.026) and mitral stenosis (HR=1.038, 95%CI: 1.004-1.483, P<0.001) were risk factors for atrial fibrillation recurrence after Cox-maze Ⅳ ablation. In addition, TyG index was a predictor of atrial fibrillation recurrence according to ROC curve analysis [area under the curve (AUC)=0.847, 95%CI: 0.796-0.871, P<0.001]. Conclusion: The TyG index is an effective indicator to predict the recurrence of atrial fibrillation after valvular surgery with concurrent Cox-maze Ⅳ ablation.

[Predictive value of the proportion of hibernating myocardium in total perfusion defect on reverse remodeling in patients with HFrEF underwent coronary artery bypass graft].

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of the proportion of hibernating myocardium (HM) in total perfusion defect (TPD) on reverse left ventricle remodeling (RR) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) by 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) combined with 18F-flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) gated myocardial imaging positron emission computed tomography (PET). Methods: Inpatients diagnosed with HFrEF at the Cardiac Surgery Center, Anzhen Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2016 to January 2022 were prospectively recruited. MPI combined with 18F-FDG gated PET was performed before surgery for viability assessment and the patients received follow-up MPI and 18F-FDG gated PET at different stages (3-12 months) after surgery. Δ indicated changes (post-pre). Left ventricular end-systolic volume (ESV) reduced at least 10% was defined as RR, patients were divided into reverse remodeling (RR+) group and the non-reverse group (RR-). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of RR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the cut-off value for predicting RR. Additionally, we retrospectively enrolled inpatients with HFrEF at the Cardiac Surgery Center, Anzhen Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2021 to January 2022 as the validation group, who underwent MPI and 18F-FDG gated PET before surgery. Echocardiography was performed before CABG and after CABG (3-12 months). In the validation group, the reliability of obtaining the cut-off value for the ROC curve was verified. Results: A total of 28 patients with HFrEF (26 males; age (56.9±8.7) years) were included in the prospective cohort. HM/TPD was significantly higher in the RR+ group than in the RR- group ((51.8%±17.9%) vs. (35.7%±13.9%), P=0.016). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that HM/TPD was an independent predictor of RR (Odds ratio=1.073, 95% Confidence interval: 1.005-1.145, P=0.035). ROC curve analysis revealed that HM/TPD=38.3% yielded the highest sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (all 75%) for predicting RR and the AUC was 0.786 (P=0.011). Meanwhile, a total of 100 patients with HFrEF (90 males; age (59.7±9.6) years) were included in the validation group. In the validation group, HM/TPD=38.3% predicted RR in HFrEF patients after CABG with the highest sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (82%, 60% and 73% respectively). Compared with the HFrEF patients in the HM/TPD<38.3% group (n=36), RR and cardiac function improved more significantly in the HM/TPD≥38.3% group (n=64) (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Preoperative HM/TPD ratio is an independent factor for predicting RR in patients with HFrEF after CABG, and HM/TPD≥38.3% can accurately predict RR and the improvement of cardiac function after CABG.

Selenylation to charge transfer improvement at the counter electrode (CE)/electrolyte interface for nanocrystalline Cu1.8S1-xSex CEs.

Pt counter electrodes (CEs) have been widely used in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) due to their high conductivity and electrocatalytic activity. However, industrialization of DSSCs is limited by shortcomings of Pt CEs such as being expensive, and weak corrosion resistance in electrolytes. Reported in this paper is two simple approaches to Pt-free Cu1.8S1-xSex CEs. Nanocrystalline Cu1.8S1-xSex CEs were fabricated via two processes, that is, a solvothermal process to Cu1.8S1-xSex powder followed by CE fabrication, and a solvothermal process and CE fabrication to Cu1.8S films followed by selenylation to Cu1.8S1-xSex CEs. Photoelectric conversion efficiencies (PCE) of 4.02% and 4.16% were achieved respectively by the as-fabricated Cu1.8S1-xSex CEs. Compared with the cells with Cu1.8S CEs fabricated by the same processes, increases of 19% and 45% were achieved, respectively. The PCE improvement comes from the enhancement of charge transfer at the CE/electrolyte interface induced by the selenylation of the CEs.

[Short-term effect of thoracoscopy-assisted mitral valvuloplasty in patients with mitral valve prolapse].

The data of 56 patients with mitral valve prolapse undergoing thoracoscopy-assisted mitral valvuloplasty in the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from May 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 31 cases were male and 25 cases were female, with a mean age of (45±14) years. There was no death during perioperative period. No patient was converted to median sternotomy. The duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), aortic cross-clamp and operation was (207±58) min, (134±59) min, and (374±90) min, respectively. The intraoperative blood loss was (690±268) ml, and 5 (8.9%) patients required blood transfusion. Postoperative mechanical ventilation duration was (19±9) h, and 24-hour pleural fluid drainage volume was (460±247) ml. The length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay was (25±6) h and (13±4) d, respectively. Therefore, thoracoscopy-assisted mitral valvuloplasty has the advantages of reliable curative effect, less trauma, less complications, fast recovery and satisfactory perioperative outcomes.

[A comparative analysis of quality of life between surgical and interventional treatment in patients with complex coronary heart disease].

Objective: To compare the improvement of quality of life in the patients with left main coronary artery disease and multi-vessel disease between off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within one year after revascularization. Methods: This study was a prospective study. Between January and July 2018, 840 patients with complex coronary heart disease accepted revascularization therapy, 420 of whom underwent OPCABG and 420 for PCI, with a mean age of 61 years and a male rate of 74% (622/840). European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) and Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) were employed to assess the quality of life and health status of patients. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to adjust treatment selection bias. Results: All-cause mortality (3.6% vs 1.3%, P=0.045), major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (11.3% vs 4.1%, P<0.001) and target lesion revascularization (8.3% vs 1.2%, P<0.001) were higher in PCI group than those in OPCABG group. EQ-5D scores in PCI group were significantly higher than those in OPCABG group at 1 month after operation (P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the two groups at 12 months after operation (P=0.210). In SAQ scale, the frequency score of angina pectoris in OPCABG group was higher than that in PCI group in 1 month, 6 months and 12 months after operation (all P<0.05). The physical activity limitation score in PCI group was significantly higher than that in OPCABG group at one month after operation (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between OPCABG group and PCI group in terms of stable state of angina pectoris, satisfaction of treatment and the knowledge of disease. Conclusions: In the short term, the quality of life of patients with left main coronary artery disease and multi-vessel disease treated with OPCABG is better than PCI. However, the improvement of quality of life in the medium and long term still needs to be identified in future follow-up study.

[Impacts of incomplete revascularization following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting on perioperative outcomes in octogenarians].

Objective: To assess the impacts of incomplete revascularization following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) on perioperative outcomes in octogenarians. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 242 octogenarian patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) hospitalized in Beijing Anzhen Hospital from June 2008 to July 2016 was performed. These patients were divided into the complete revascularization group (n=181) and the incomplete revascularization group (n=61) depending on whether they underwent complete revascularization. The impacts of incomplete revascularization following OPCABG on perioperative outcomes were summarized and compared between the two groups. Results: Among the 242 patients over 80 years who received OPCABG, there were 198 males (81.8%). Compared to the complete revascularization group, those in the incomplete revascularization group were older [(83.2±1.5) vs (81.5±1.1) years old, P=0.03], with more carotid stenosis (44.3% vs 25.4%, P=0.01), more involved in the diagonal and circumflex branch of coronary artery (49.2% vs 17.1%, P=0.01; 83.6% vs 70.2%, P=0.03), shorter operative time [(4.1±1.7) h vs (4.7±1.2) h, P=0.03), longer preoperative [(7.1±2.3) d vs (5.2±2.0) d, P=0.01] and total hospitalization time [(16.3±6.8) d vs (12.5±4.2) d, P=0.01], however, the differences of the in-hospital mortality and incidence of other perioperative complications were not statistically significant between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Compared with complete revascularization, incomplete revascularization following OPCABG in CAD patients over 80 years old does not increase the perioperative mortality and the incidence of other complications, and it reduces the operative time. However, it increases the time of preoperative and total hospital stay.

[Perioperative outcomes in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting patients older than 80 years with left ventricular dysfunction or left ventricular normal: a comparative study based on propensity score matching].

Objective: To examine the outcome of off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) in elderly patients with left ventricular dysfunction. Methods: From June 2008 to July 2016, 252 patients aged over 80 years underwent isolated OPCAB at Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, these patients' data were collected. The left ventricular dysfunction group (ejection fraction (EF): 35% to 50%) was comprised of 31 patients aged (82.0±2.1) years (range: 80 to 88 years), including 25 males and 6 females. Through matching one-to-one on propensity scores, 31 patients (EF>50%) were included into the left ventricular normal group. Among them, there were 25 males and 6 females, aged (81.9±1.9) years (range: 80 to 89 years). Postoperative mortality and complications between the matched groups were compared using the t test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, χ(2) test or Fisher exact test. Results: Between the dysfunction group and normal group, the preoperative serum creatinine was 144.6(66.0) µmol/L vs. 94.9(43.2) µmol/L (M(Q(R)), Z=3.177, P=0.033), respectively, while the pre-discharge serum creatinine was 147.0(59.0) µmol/L vs. 92.0(24.0) µmol/L (Z=-2.685, P=0.007), respectively. In dysfunction group, the perioperative intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) utilization rate was higher (25.8%(8/31) vs. 3.2%(1/31), P=0.026), the total hospitalization day was longer (17(15) days vs. 14(8)days, Z=2.054, P=0.012), the preoperative hospitalization day was longer too (7(7) days vs. 5(4) days, Z=-2.457, P=0.014). However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative mortality (9.7%(3/31) vs. 3.2%(1/31), P=0.612) and other prognostic indicators between the two groups. Conclusions: The elderly patients, with light and moderate left ventricular insufficiency, are characterized by the abnormal increase in renal function and the rise of IABP utilization due to hemodynamic disorder in OPCAB perioperative period. Preoperative treatment for cardiac insufficiency may be the cause of prolonged preoperative and total hospital stay. However, there is no significant difference in the postoperative mortality and other complications compared with the patients of normal left ventricular function.

[Comparative study on visual fatigue caused by watching liquid crystal display and projection display].

Objective: To explore the effect of different types of visual display terminals (VDT) on visual fatigue. Methods: A total of 68 subjects were enrolled and divided into flat screen group, metal screen group and glass bead screen group. The subjects watched a video in the same environment for 60 minutes. Before and after watching, they were asked to fill in a visual fatigue rating scale and underwent visual function examinations. The blink rate of subjects was recorded during the experiment. Results: After watching the video, for the metal screen, glass bead screen, and flat screen group respectively: (1)The median (interquartile range, IQR) of visual fatigue rating increased significantly (before: 1.0 (1.2), 1.3 (1.6), 0.5 (0.9); after: 2.1 (1.9), 2.1 (1.7), 1.2 (1.0); Z=-4.72, -4.83, -3.75; all P<0.05). (2) The median (IQR) of blink frequency increased significantly (before: 11.5 (10.6), 15.3 (11.9), 7.0 (13.0) times/minute; after: 15.0 (13.0), 17.0 (16.0), 15.0 (12.0) times/minute; Z=-2.64, -2.74, -4.12; all P<0.05). (3) The mean (±standard deviation) of critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF) decreased significantly [before: (35.76±2.98), (35.84±2.79), (35.44±2.21) Hz; after: (35.09±2.78), (34.94±2.67), (34.57±2.33) Hz; t=-2.64, -2.38, -4.12; all P<0.05). (4)The median (IQR) of near point of convergence (NPC) became significantly larger [before: 3.9 (2.6), 4.0 (2.5), 4.3 (2.7) cm; after 5.4 (3.8), 4.8 (2.7), 6.1 (3.9) cm; Z=-3.39, -2.27, -3.36; all P<0.05]. (5)The median of negative relative accommodation (NRA) reduced significantly [before: 2.00 (0.50), 2.00 (0.56), 2.00 (0.25) cm; after 1.75 (0.50), 1.75 (0.25), 1.75 (0.50) cm; Z=-1.98, -2.09, -2.53; all P<0.05]. Meanwhile, no significant changes were found for the positive relative accommodation (PRA), accommodative amplitude, accommodative response, negative relative vergence in all groups after watching the video. The comparisons between the three groups showed that, after watching the video, the participants in the two kinds of projection screen group (the metal and glass bead screen group) had more subjective visual fatigue than those in the flat screen group respectively (Z=-2.09, -2.21; all P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in subjective visual fatigue between the two projection screen groups (P>0.05). In addition, positive fusional vergence recovery point and break point decreased after watching the video in the metal screen and glass bead screen group, respectively (t=4.15, 2.07; all P<0.05). However, no such change was found in the flat screen group. Conclusions: Short-term and long-distance VDT operations have significant effects on visual fatigue, which may be due to the decreased positive convergence ability. VDT operations over projection screens may result in more visual fatigue than LED flat panel display, while the effect of different projection screen types have insignificant influences on visual fatigue. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55:595-600).

[A pilot study on the noninvasive fluid hemodynamic investigation of coronary plaque].

Objective: To characterize the hemodynamic force towards coronary plaque based on noninvasive coronary computed tomographic angiography and to investigate its relationship with plaque features and stenosis severity by computational fluid dynamics. Methods: Twenty-six patients underwent invasive fractional flow reserve measurement following coronary computed tomography angiography examination from March to September 2016 were retrospectively included. Computational fluid dynamics was applied and wall shear stress (WSS) and axial plaque stress (APS), which extracted the axial component of hemodynamic stress acting on stenotic lesions, were calculated based on the results of noninvasive coronary computed tomographic angiography. Plaque analysis was performed to elucidate plaque features and relative plaque burden. The fluid dynamics distributions in lesions with different stenosis severity were investigated. Results: Thirty-one coronary plaques with satisfactory imaging quality were analyzed, there were 11 (35.5%) dominant low WSS (<1 Pa) lesion and 20 high WSS lesion (64.5%), 8(25.8%) net retrograde APS lesion and 23(74.2%) anterograde lesion. Plaque volume was (78.5±48.6) mm(3) and plaque burden was (69.1±12.1)% in the low WSS group, which was(60.5±57.3) mm(3), and(57.5±14.0)%, respectively in the high WSS group, the plaque burden was significantly higher in the low WSS group than in the high WSS group (P=0.028), while the percentage of calcified plaque, fibrotic plaque and lipid core volume were similar between the two groups (P>0.05). Plaque volume was (79.7±69.1) mm(3) and plaque burden was(68.7±13.7)% in the group with anterograde-dominant APS plaque, which was(61.7±24.9)mm(3), and(68.9±10.4)%, respectively in the net retrograde APS lesion group (P>0.05). Percentage of lipid core area was significantly higher in the anterograde lesion group than in the retrograde lesion group ((25.1±18.1)% vs.(10.8±12.7)%, P=0.049). Both WSS and APS were significant higher in the severe obstructive coronary stenosis group than in non-severe obstructive coronary stenosis group (P<0.05). Although there was no difference in WSS between functional coronary ischemia group and non-functional coronary ischemia group ( (13.3±8.7) Pa vs. (12.5±14.2) Pa, P>0.05), the distribution of APS was different between the functional coronary ischemia group and non-functional coronary ischemia group ((1 698.8±652.6) Pa vs. (981.4±787.5) Pa, P<0.05). Conclusion: WSS and APS can uniquely characterize the stenotic segment and has a strong relationship with lesion geometry. APS may be related to the necrotic core plaque and functional coronary ischemia. Clinical application of these hemodynamic and geometric indices may be helpful to assess the future risk of plaque progress and plaque rupture, which will be helpful on determining respective treatment strategy for patients with coronary artery disease.

Quasi-One-Dimensional Metal-Insulator Transitions in Compound Semiconductor Surfaces.

Existing examples of Peierls-type 1D systems on surfaces involve depositing metallic overlayers on semiconducting substrates, in particular, at step edges. Here we propose a new class of Peierls system on the (101[over ¯]0) surface of metal-anion wurtzite semiconductors. When the anions are bonded to hydrogen or lithium atoms, we obtain rows of threefold coordinated metal atoms that act as one-atom-wide metallic structures. First-principles calculations show that the surface is metallic, and below a certain critical temperature the surface will condense to a semiconducting state. The idea of surface scaffolding is introduced in which the rows are constrained to move along simple up-down and/or sideways displacements, mirroring the paradigm envisioned in Peierls's description. We predict that this type of insulating state should be visible in the partially hydrogenated (101[over ¯]0) surface of many wurtzite compounds.

Assessing Field-Specific Risk of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome Using Satellite Imagery in Iowa.

Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery from 2004 to 2013 were used to assess the field-specific risks of soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme in Iowa. Fields with a high frequency of significant decrease (>10%) of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) observed in late July to middle August on historical imagery were hypothetically considered as high SDS risk. These high-risk fields had higher slopes and shorter distances to flowlines, e.g., creeks and drainages, particularly in the Des Moines lobe. Field data in 2014 showed a significantly higher SDS level in the high-risk fields than fields selected without considering NDVI information. On average, low-risk fields had 10 times lower F. virguliforme soil density, determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, compared with other surveyed fields. Ordinal logistic regression identified positive correlations between SDS and slope, June NDVI, and May maximum temperature, but high June maximum temperature hindered SDS. A modeled SDS risk map showed a clear trend of potential disease occurrences across Iowa. Landsat imagery was analyzed similarly, to discuss the ability to utilize higher spatial resolution data. The results demonstrated the great potential of both MODIS and Landsat imagery for SDS field-specific risk assessment.

Expression of the 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphooc-tonate aldolase (KdsA) gene in mulberry leaves (Morus alba L.) is down-regulated under high salt and drought stress.

The oligosaccharide 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) is a key component of lipopolysaccharide in Gram-negative bacteria, and is also part of the pectic polysaccharide rhamnogalacturonan (RG-II) of the plant cell wall. The enzyme KDO-8-phosphate synthase (KDO8Ps), encoded by the 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphooctonate aldolase (KdsA) gene, catalyzes the first step in the synthesis of Kdo. In this study, the complete coding sequence of the KdsA gene from mulberry leaves was cloned and the primary structure of KDO8Ps was deduced. Alignment of the amino acid sequence of KDO8Ps from mulberry with those of five other plant species revealed a high level of evolutionary conservation. A phylogenetic tree analysis demonstrated a short genetic distance among KDO8Ps proteins of different species. Expression of the KdsA gene was higher in the second leaves than in the eighth leaves of mulberry, and was down-regulated under conditions of high salt or drought stress. Our results suggest that KdsA expression is important for the growth of new plant tissues, and is sensitive to harsh environments.

First Report of Corynespora Leaf Spot of Eucalyptus in China.

Eucalyptus is widely planted in the tropics and subtropics, and it has become an important cash crop in Southern China because of its fast-growing nature. In the Guangxi Province of southern China, Eucalyptus is produced on approximately 2 million ha, and two dominant asexual clones, Guanglin No. 9 (E. grandis × E. urophylla) and DH3229 (E. urophylla × E. grandis), are grown. Diseases are an increasing threat to Eucalyptus production in Guangxi since vast areas are monocultured with this plant. In June 2013, a leaf spot disease was observed in eight out of 14 regions in the province on a total of approximately 0.08 million ha of Eucalyptus. Initially, the lesions appeared as water-soaked dots on leaves, which then became circular or irregular shaped with central gray-brown necrotic lesions and dark red-brown margins. The size of leaf spots ranged between 1 and 3 mm in diameter. The main vein or small veins adjacent to the spots were dark. The lesions expanded rapidly during rainy days, producing reproductive structures. In severe cases, the spots coalesced and formed large irregular necrotic areas followed by defoliation. The causal fungus was isolated from diseased leaves. Briefly, the affected leaves were washed with running tap water, sterilized with 75% ethanol (30 s) and 0.1% mercuric dichloride (3 min), and then rinsed three times with sterilized water. Small segments (0.5 to 0.6 cm2) were cut from the leading edge of the lesions and plated on PDA. The plates were incubated at 25°C for 7 to 10 days. When mycelial growth and spores were observed, a single-spore culture was placed on PDA and grown in the dark at 25°C for 10 days. A pathogenicity test was done by spraying a conidial suspension (5 × 105 conidia ml-1) of isolated fungus onto 30 3-month-old leaves of Guanglin No. 9 seedlings. The plants were covered with plain plastic sheets for 7 days to keep the humidity high. Lesions similar to those observed in the forests were observed on the inoculated leaves 7 to 10 days after incubation. The same fungus was re-isolated. Leaves of control plants (sprayed with sterilized water) were disease free. Conidiophores of the fungus were straight to slightly curved, erect, unbranched, septate, and pale to light brown. Conidia were formed in chains or singly with 4 to 15 pseudosepta, which were oblong oval to cylindrical, subhyaline to pale olivaceous brown, straight to curved, 14.5 to 92.3 µm long, and 3.5 to 7.1 µm wide. The fungus was morphologically identified as Corynespora cassiicola (1). DNA of the isolate was extracted, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (which included ITS 1, 5.8S rDNA gene of rDNA, and ITS 2) was amplified with primers ITS5 and ITS4. 529 base pair (bp) of PCR product was obtained and sequenced. The sequence was compared by BLAST search to the GenBank database and showed 99% similarity to C. cassiicola (Accession No. JX087447). Our sequence was deposited into GenBank (KF669890). The biological characters of the fungus were tested. Its minimum and maximum growth temperatures on PDA were 7 and 37°C with an optimum range of 25 to 30°C. At 25°C in 100% humidity, 90% of conidia germinated after 20 h. The optimum pH for germination was 5 to 8, and the lethal temperature of conidia was 55°C. C. cassiicola has been reported causing leaf blight on Eucalyptus in India and Brazil (2,3) and causing leaf spot on Akebia trifoliate in Guangxi (4). This is the first report of this disease on Eucalyptus in China. References: (1) M. B. Ellis and P. Holliday. CMI Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria, No. 303. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, Surrey, UK, 1971. (2) B. P. Reis, et al. New Dis. Rep. 29:7, 2014. (3) K. I. Wilson and L. R. Devi. Ind. Phytopathol. 19:393, 1966. (4) Y. F. Ye et al. Plant Dis. 97:1659, 2013.

Modeling the Effects of Cloudy Weather on Regional Epidemics of Soybean Rust.

This study simulated daily development of soybean rust (SBR), caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, based on cloud cover conditions. Results from a previous study that determined the relationship between shading and apparent infection rates were applied in this study to simulate SBR progress on a regional scale using a semi-empirical logistic model parameterized according to the observed cloud cover conditions. Depending on local weather data availability, cloudy days were assumed to be either (i) the days with less than 2 h of full sun or (ii) the days with complete cloud cover as measured by three daily observations. Estimated disease progress and final estimates of epidemic intensity were verified by 30 reports of seasonal disease progress in 11 regions of Brazil and South Africa from 2002 to 2007. The model predicted final disease severity and the observed final severity fall into a linear relationship with correlation coefficient r = 0.96 and a slope close to 1. Severe SBR epidemics occurred when 19.5 or more cloudy days were recorded during the period from initial disease detection to the date of final disease assessment near the end of a growing season in Brazil and South Africa. Mild epidemics were observed with less than eight cloudy days in a season.

First Report of Mulberry Root Rot Caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae in China.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) is an important cash crop and medicinal plant that has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years in China. The area of mulberry production in Guangxi Province is 45% of total production in China, with 1.3 million ha planted. In recent years, a mulberry root rot occurred in Heng County covering all the mulberry planting farms. Observations of 200 diseased plants were made. The xylem of infected roots first turned brown, and then became black followed by cortex rot. The xylem and cortex of infected roots were easily separated. The xylem of the stem of symptomatic plants was also brown and the bark was slightly darker than normal. Leaves of diseased plants turned yellow and wilted, but the wilted leaves remained on the affected branches for about 3 weeks. All affected branches and stem dried after a month. The affected area was 12,000 ha with incidences varying from 13 to 52%. About 8% of young mulberry trees died in severely infested orchards. The disease caused more than $3 million in losses within a year in Heng County alone. The causal fungus was isolated from xylem tissues of symptomatic roots of 62 mulberry plants with an isolation rate of 90%. Pathogenicity test was made by inoculating 5-month-old healthy mulberry plants with PDA plugs (5 × 5 mm) grown 5 days with viable mycelia of the fungus. Nine healthy plants were wounded on the roots with a sterile knife, and mycelial plugs of three Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Pat.) Griffon & Maubl isolates were placed on the wounds, covered with sterile moist cotton, and wrapped with Parafilm. Nine control plants were treated with PDA plugs. The test was repeated three times. All treated plants were kept in a greenhouse at ~28°C and 40% RH. After 3 days, the root xylem of inoculated plants turned brown and gradually became dark, similar to symptoms observed in the field. After 8 days, inoculated seedlings gradually wilted, and all the treated plants died after 11 days with leaves undetached. The fungus was re-isolated from all nine diseased plants and no symptoms were observed on the roots of control plants. The causal agent, of which conidia were dark brown, one-septate, thick walled, and ellipsoid with 4 or 6 vertical lines of dashes, 12.50 to 13.75 × 13.75 to 25.63 µm (n = 100), was identified as L. theobromae based on morphological characters described by Punithalingam (3) and sequences of the ITS region of rDNA using primers ITS1 and ITS4 and EF1-α using primers EF728F and EF986R. The ITS sequence (HG917932) was similar to the ITS sequences of AY640255 (CBS164.96) and AY236952 (CMW9074) in GenBank with identities of 98.8 and 99.8%, respectively. The EF1-α sequence HG917934 was similar to that of AY640258 (CBS164.96) and AY236901 (CMW9074) with identities of 99.7 and 99.7%, respectively. L. theobromae is a cosmopolitan fungus causing both field and storage diseases on more than 280 plant species including crops, fruits, and cash fruit trees (1,2,5). Mulberry root rot caused by L. theobromae has been reported in India (4) and ours is the first report in China. This finding clarifies the pathogen of mulberry root rot previously thought as Fusarium sp. in China, which is critical to develop management strategies to control this disease. References: (1) N. M. Celiker and T. J. Michailides. New Dis. Rep. 25:12, 2012. (2) I. H. Fischer et al. Australia Plant Dis. Notes 3:116, 2008. (3) E. Punithalingam. Botryodiplodia theobromae. CMI Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria No. 519. CAB International, Wallingford, UK, 1976. (4) N. V. Radhakrishnan et al. Indian Phytopathol. 48:490, 1995. (5) B. C. Sutton. The Coelomycetes. Commonwealth Mycology Institute, Kew, Surrey, England, 1980.

Double prospectively ECG-triggered high-pitch spiral acquisition for CT coronary angiography: initial experience.

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility of double prospectively electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered high-pitch spiral acquisition mode (double high-pitch mode) for coronary computed tomography angiography (CTCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty-nine consecutive patients [40 women, 109 men; mean age 58.2 ± 9.2 years; sinus rhythm ≤70 beats/min (bpm) after pre-medication, body weight ≤100 kg] were enrolled for CTCA examinations using a dual-source CT system with 2 × 128 × 0.6 mm collimation, 0.28 s rotation time, and a pitch of 3.4. Double high-pitch mode was prospectively triggered first at 60% and later at 30% of the R-R interval within two cardiac cycles. Image quality was evaluated using a four-point scale (1 = excellent, 4 = non-assessable). RESULTS: From 2085 coronary artery segments, 86.4% (1802/2085) were rated as having a score of 1, 12.3% (257/2085) as score of 2, 1.2% (26/2085) as score of 3, and none were rated as "non-assessable". The average image quality score was 1.15 ± 0.26 on a per-segment basis. The effective dose was calculated by multiplying the coefficient factor of 0.028 by the dose-length product (DLP); the mean effective dose was 3.5 ± 0.8 mSv (range 1.7-7.6 mSv). The total dosage of contrast medium was 78.7 ± 2.9 ml. CONCLUSION: Double prospectively ECG-triggered high-pitch spiral acquisition mode provides good image quality with an average effective dose of less than 5 mSv in patients with a heart rate ≤70 bpm.