Effective Management of Citrus Melanose Based on Combination of Ecofriendly Chemicals.

Citrus melanose, caused by the ascomycete fungus Diaporthe citri, is one of the most important diseases in China that affects not only the production but also the quality of citrus. In China, mancozeb is recommended to control melanose disease at the dose of 1.34 g/liter. However, it is widely applied in practice at the dose of 2.66 g/liter or even 4 g/liter, because reduced efficacy of the recommended dose was observed in regions severely damaged by melanose. In this study, some ecofriendly chemicals for melanose management were evaluated. First, the sensitivity to fungicides was screened in the laboratory based on the inhibition of mycelial growth and conidial germination of D. citri. Results showed that both quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides kresoxim-methyl and trifloxystrobin inhibited conidial germination of D. citri up to 100% at 0.1 µg/ml. The in vivo control efficacy on detached fruit indicated that treatments with elastic nanocopolymer film at 2 g/liter, mancozeb at 1 g/liter, and kresoxim-methyl at 0.1 g/liter significantly inhibited the infection process compared with the control treatment of mineral oil alone. In field trials, the efficacy of kresoxim-methyl at 0.1 g/liter and elastic nanocopolymer film at 2 g/liter mixed with mancozeb at 1 g/liter was equal to that of mancozeb at 2.66 g/liter. The use of mancozeb could be reduced greatly, and the newly developed fungicide combinations are more environmentally friendly due to the low toxicity of both QoI fungicides and elastic nanocopolymer film. The newly developed method with ecofriendly chemicals should play an important role in the management of citrus melanose in the future.

Genetic analysis of the major gene plus polygene model in soybean resistance to Leguminivora glycinivorella.

In order to investigate the genetic characteristics of soybean Leguminivora glycinivorella resistance and to improve soybean resistance insectivorous breeding efficiency by applying the multi-generation joint analysis method of the major gene plus polygene model, 5 pedigrees and generations (P1, F1, P2, F2, and F2:3) were used as the materials to perform the soybean L. glycinivorella resistance multi-generation joint analysis. The results showed that soybean resistance to L. glycinivorella was controlled and inherited by an additive major gene plus additive, dominant polygene. The major gene had a negative additive effect (d = -0.1633). The combination of the anti-L. glycinivorella genes showed negative heterosis. Because the polygene additive effects were positive, the polygene effects would increase the insect herbivory rate in the F1 generation. This hybrid combination showed an insect herbivory rate polygenic heritability of 21.9556 and 54.3490% in the F2 and F2:3 pedigrees, which presented a high heritability. Therefore, it was appropriate to perform the selective breeding of the insect herbivory rate in the late generation.

Cloning and functional prediction of differentially expressed genes in the leaves of Glycine max parents and hybrids at the seedling stage.

Here, we compare the molecular mechanism of soybean heterosis through the differential expression of basic cloning. Specifically, we cloned 22 differentially expressed cDNA fragments from hybrid combinations of Jilin 38 x EXP (which had obvious yield advantages) and their parents. In addition, we compared the homology of these fragments and predicted their functions. Cloning differentially expressed genes included the identification of the calmodulin binding protein, 18S ribosomal gene, 26S ribosomal gene, soybean satellite DNA, soybean acid phosphatase, soybean chlorophyll a/b-binding protein II (Cab-6) gene, soybean chloroplast PI 437654 gene, soybean PPR protein gene, and other fragments with unknown functions. In conclusion, the cloning and functional prediction of differentially expressed soybean genes in this study is anticipated to provide valuable information for studies on the molecular mechanism of heterosis.

Cloning of flanking sequence in transgenic plants by restriction site-anchored single-primer polymerase chain reaction.

Determining the insertion position of an exogenous gene in the target plant genome is one of the main issues in the transgenic plant field. This study introduced a simple, rapid, and accurate method to clone the flanking sequences of the transgenic bar gene as the anchoring gene in the transgenic maize genome using single-primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This method was based on the distribution of restriction sites in the maize genome and adopted the single-primer PCR method. Cloning the flanking sequences with the restriction site-anchored single-primer PCR simplified the experimental procedures by about 70% and reduced the experimental time by more than 80%. In conclusion, the restriction site-anchored single-primer PCR was a simple, rapid method to obtain the unknown flanking sequences in the transgenic plants.

Long-term outcomes of ischemic stroke patients with concurrent intracranial and extracranial stenoses and ischemic heart disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Coexisting ischemic heart disease (IHD) and concurrent atherosclerosis of intracranial and extracranial vessels is common in Asians. This study aims to investigate the long-term outcomes of ischemic stroke patients with concurrent stenoses and IHD. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study in Hong Kong. Consecutive Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke underwent MRI, magnetic resonance angiography and carotid duplex sonography. RESULTS: A total of 428 patients were included. The mean follow-up period was 65 months (up to 87 months). Ninety-three patients (22%) died of any cause and 104 patients (22%) suffered from nonfatal vascular events. Fifty-four patients (13%) had IHD. Among them, 27 patients (50%) had concurrent stenoses. In patients with concurrent stenoses and IHD, only 3 (11%) were free of death and recurrent vascular events. Eight (30%) had recurrent nonfatal stroke, 7 (26%) had nonfatal myocardial infarct (MI) and 11 (41%) died, 6 (22%) of them due to fatal MI. The overall 5-year cumulative rates of mortality, recurrent vascular events and combined poor outcomes were 21, 23 and 43%, respectively. In patients with concurrent stenoses and IHD, these rates were 40, 50 and 83%, respectively. More deaths (log rank: 6.56; p = 0.01), recurrent vascular events (log rank: 25.24; p < 0.001) and poor outcomes (log rank: 27.50; p < 0.001) were found among patients with concurrent stenoses and IHD. CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic stroke patients with concurrent stenoses and IHD had high risks of death and recurrent vascular events. Future studies on aggressive medical therapy and early cardiac interventions in this high-risk group of stroke patients are warranted.

Use of magnetic resonance angiography to predict long-term outcomes of ischemic stroke patients with concurrent stenoses in Hong Kong.

PURPOSE: To determine the long-term outcome of ischemic stroke patients with concurrent intracranial and extracranial atherosclerosis using magnetic resonance angiography. METHODS: A prospective cohort of patients in Hong Kong with acute ischemic stroke was studied with magnetic resonance angiography of the brain and carotid duplex. All patients were followed up regularly for the development of recurrent stroke, cardiac events, or death. RESULTS: Totally 343 patients with acute ischemic stroke were included, of whom 104 (30%) had concurrent intracranial and extracranial lesions. The follow-up period was up to 76 months (mean 44.5 months). Overall, 55 patients (15.5%) died of any cause and 91 patients (26.5%) suffered a further nonfatal vascular event. The overall 5-year cumulative rates of mortality, restroke and poor outcomes (combined death and further vascular events) were 18, 27 and 37%, respectively. In patients with concurrent lesions, these rates were 31, 41 and 51%, respectively. The corresponding rates were 13, 22 and 31% in patients without concurrent lesions. The risks were highest in the first year after stroke. More deaths (log rank, 16.3; p = 0.0001), restrokes (log rank, 9.71; p = 0.002) and poor outcomes (log rank, 13.87; p = 0.0001) were found among patients with concurrent lesions. The presence of concurrent vascular lesions, advanced age, smoking, hyperlipidemia and previous history of stroke were independent predictors of poor outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term prognosis of ischemic stroke patients with concurrent atherosclerosis of intracranial and extracranial vessels is poor. They are at high risk of further vascular events or death.

Magnetic and catalytic properties of copper ferrite nanopowders prepared by combustion process.

Copper ferrite nano-particles with Fe/Cu ratios varying from 2 to 12 were successfully synthesized by combustion process using copper nitrate, iron nitrate and urea. The resultant powders were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The results revealed that the copper ferrite powders are uniform in the range of 250-300 nm. The copper ferrite with Fe/Cu ratio of 2 possessed a saturation magnetization of 5.47 emu/g, and an intrinsic coercive force of 241.98 Oe, with Fe/Cu ratio of 12 possessed a saturation magnetization of 22.06 emu/g and an intrinsic coercive force of 247.94 Oe. Moreover, these copper ferrite magnetic nano-particles also acted as catalyst for the oxidation of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol to synthesize 2,3,5-trimethylhydrogenquinone and 2,3,5-trimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone for the first time. The conversion of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol in the kinetic behavior of oxidation was investigated in detail. The reaction shows dramatically enhanced by the addition of copper-ferrite nano-particles to the solution.

Cognitive and functional impairments in ischemic stroke patients with concurrent small vessel and large artery disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Concurrent small vessel, intracranial and extracranial large artery disease (SLAD) is common in Asian but its impact on cognitive and functional outcomes is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the clinical, cognitive and functional outcomes in ischemic stroke patients with SLAD. METHODS: Chinese ischemic stroke patients with diffuse white matter lesions (WMLs) were recruited as part of the VITATOPS Trial. They were studied with MRI and MRA of brain. Various neuropsychiatric batteries were used to assess the cognitive functions. RESULTS: Totally 97 patients with acute ischemic stroke and diffuse WMLs were included, of whom 44 (45%) had SLAD. Patients with SLAD had lower Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) when compared with the patients without SLAD. They had more behavioral symptoms and caused more stress in caregivers as assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Multivariate regression analysis showed SLAD contributed significantly to MMSE, NPI Patient (NPI P) and NPI Care Giver (NPI CG). Among 44 patients with SLAD, 30 (68%) had severe cognitive impairment. They were older and less educated. They had more diabetes and poorer performance in neuropsychiatric tests including Mattis Dementia Rating Scale Initiation/Perseveration subset (MDRS I/P) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). They also had poorer functional outcomes as assessed by Barthel Index (BI) and Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). CONCLUSIONS: This was the first MRA-based study to take into consideration the clinical, cognitive and functional outcomes in ischemic stroke patients with SLAD. Patients with SLAD had poorer cognitive and functional outcomes when compared to patients without SLAD.

Gastroenteritis in a Taipei emergency department: aetiology and risk factors.

A matched case-control study was used to determine pathogens and risk factors associated with gastroenteritis in a Taipei Emergency Department. Viruses (40.0%) were the leading cause of gastroenteritis, with noroviruses the most prevalent (33.2%). Bacteria were found in 26.0% of all cases, mostly suspected diarrheagenic E. coli (22.2%), followed by Salmonella spp. (5.4%) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (4.2%). Giardia lamblia was identified in 16.4% of all cases. Statistical significance was noted for seven risk factors: taking antacids before gastroenteritis (OR = 3.91; 95% CI, 2.13, 7.15), other household members with gastroenteritis (OR = 5.18; 95% CI, 2.09, 12.85), attending a banquet (OR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.25, 2.98), eating out (OR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.30, 4.23), drinking bottled water (OR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.07, 2.75), eating honey peaches (OR = 3.26; 95% CI, 1.24, 8.58), and eating raw oysters (OR = 3.24; 95% CI, 1.02, 10.28). Eating out was identified as the highest risk behavior, as measured by population attributable risk fraction (PAR) (50.9%). Respective PAR values for drinking bottled water, attending a banquet and taking antacids before illness were 19.7%, 19.6% and 17.6%. Of these, additional research on bottled water appears to be the highest priority, because this is the first time it has been identified as a risk factor for gastroenteritis.

Genetic polymorphisms of Chinese patients with ischemic stroke and concurrent stenoses of extracranial and intracranial vessels.

The etiology of concurrent stenoses of extracranial and intracranial vessels in patients with ischemic stroke is poorly understood, but hereditary factors are believed to be important. We aimed to determine whether genetic polymorphisms affecting homocysteine and lipid metabolism are associated with concurrent stenoses. The genotypes of 191 Han Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke, of whom 47 (25%) had concurrent stenoses, and 167 healthy control patients in Hong Kong were examined for the following polymorphisms: paraoxonase 1 (PON1) Q192R, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) A222V, glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic-subunit (GCLC)-129C>T, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor (OLR) 3' untranslated region C>T (rs1050283). The genotype distributions of PON1 Q192R and MTHFR A222V, which affect lipid and homocysteine metabolism, differed significantly between patients with stroke and healthy controls. The presence of at least one R allele in PON1 Q192R and a TT allele in OLR rs1050283 were associated with concurrent stenoses. We also identified a possible association between the presence of at least one V allele in MTHFR A222V and concurrent stenoses. This study shows that genetic polymorphisms affecting homocysteine and lipid metabolism are possible risk factors for stroke and concurrent stenoses.

Radiation-induced peripheral nerve neurofibromata in a patient receiving hypofractionated radiation therapy.

Radiation-induced peripheral nerve tumor, in particular a benign entity such as a neurofibroma, is rare, with only a few cases being reported so far. We demonstrate a case of radiation-induced neurofibromata along the left cervical nerve roots in a man with a background of localized targeted hypofractionated radiation therapy as adjuvant treatment for left cervical nodal metastasis complicating nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The toxicity of high-dose radiation in a hypofractionated regime is also stressed.

Genetic complexity of regulatory mutants defective for HLA class II gene expression.

MHC (called HLA in man) class II genes play an essential role in cell-mediated immunity. Absence of HLA class II Ag on B lymphocytes is the basis of some congenital immunodeficiencies (CID). We have studied CID by generating transient heterokaryons from cell lines of such patients, and we report that the mutations fall into four complementation groups. In addition, fusions with the HLA class II deletion mutant 721.180 indicate that the genetic defects for each group in HLA class II expression map outside the HLA class II region. A small HLA-DRA promoter fragment is sufficient to drive expression of a reporter gene in normal B cell lines, but expression from the same construct is clearly reduced in mutant cell lines representative of all four complementation groups. This confirms earlier results that indicate defective transcription of HLA class II genes in the class II- CID mutant cell lines. Analysis of proteins that bind to the DRA promoter in nuclear extracts of the mutants suggests that complexes recognizing distinct elements of the DRA promoter may be quantitatively decreased in different mutants. In addition, we show that nuclear extracts from two groups fail to transcribe a DRA promoter construct in vitro accurately reflecting their DRA- phenotypes. In contrast, nuclear extracts from another mutant, RJ2.2.5, transcribe the DRA construct, albeit at a reduced level. Finally, though cell lines from different groups complement each other in vivo, no complementation was observed by mixing extracts for transcription in vitro.

Epidural tramadol for postoperative pain relief.

Forty-two surgical patients were given epidural tramadol for control of postoperative pain. They were randomly assigned to three groups: group 1 (n = 15), in which 25 mg of tramadol were given; group 2 (n = 13), in which 50 mg of tramadol were given; and group 3 (n = 14), in which 75 mg of tramadol were given. When the patients complained of wound pain, epidural tramadol was given. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation (SpO2), sedation scale, motor blockade, verbal rating scale, subjective grading, and visual analogue pain scale (VAPS) were measured and recorded before the tramadol administration, at 5 and 15 min, and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 h after the tramadol administration. Only 26.6% of the patients in group 1 had significant relief of pain. The rest of them needed at least one incremental dose of 25 mg of tramadol. The baseline VAPS of the patients in group 2 was 8.9 +/- 2.0. It became 5.46 +/- 3.0 (p greater than 0.05) 15 min after tramadol was given, and dropped further to 1.9 +/- 1.8 (p greater than 0.05) 2 h later. The average duration of pain relief was 12.0 +/- 5.9 h. In group 3, the initial VAPS was 8.14 +/- 1.9. It decreased to 4.28 +/- 1.8 (p greater than 0.05) 15 min, and further dropped to 1.7 +/- 0.9 (p greater than 0.05) 2 h following tramadol administration. The average duration of pain relief was 11.3 +/- 4.8 h. The common side effects of tramadol such as dizziness, nausea, and dry mouth, were most frequently found in group 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Construction of transgenic rice populations by inserting the maize transponson Ac/Ds and genetic analysis for several mutants].

An efficient and rapid gene transformation system of rice mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens was used. Calli induced from immature and mature embryos of Zhonghua No. 11, a japonic rice variety, were cultured with the A. tumefaciens strain EHA105 harboring the superbinary plasmid pDsBar1300 or pUBITs separately, and more than 400 independent transgenic lines inserted Ds element or Ac fragment were obtained. Some visible mutants in T0 or T1 generation were found, consisting of disease resistance, albino, dwarf, male sterile, chlorosis, early heading, late heading, stripe, etc. From the phenotype analysis, a few mutants such as dwarf and male sterile seemed to be linked to the Basta resistance and the transposon.