Anastomosis Groups of Rhizoctonia solani and Binucleate Rhizoctonia Associated with Potatoes in Idaho.

A survey of the relative incidence of anastomosis groups (AGs) of Rhizoctonia spp. associated with potato disease was conducted in Idaho, the leading potato producing state in the U.S.A. In total, 169 isolates of Rhizoctonia solani and seven binucleate Rhizoctonia (BNR) isolates were recovered from diseased potato plants. The AG of each isolate was determined through real-time PCR assays for AG 3-PT and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. AG 3-PT was the predominant AG, accounting for 85% of isolates recovered, followed by AG 2-1 (5.7%) and AG 4 HG-II (4.5%). Two different subsets of AG 2-1 isolates were recovered (subset 2 and 3). Three isolates each of AG A and AG K were recovered, as well as one isolate each of AG 5 and AG W. An experiment carried out under greenhouse conditions with representative isolates of the different AGs recovered from Idaho potatoes showed differences in aggressiveness between AGs to potato stems, with AG 3-PT being the most aggressive followed by an isolate of AG 2-1 (subset 3). The three BNR isolates representative of AG A, AG K, and AG W appeared to be less aggressive to potato stems than the R. solani isolates except for the AG 2-1 (subset 2) isolate. This is the first comprehensive study of the relative incidences of Rhizoctonia species associated with Idaho potatoes and the first study to report the presence of BNR AG W outside of China.

Wind Turbine Electromagnetic Energy: Exploring Risk of Harm to Human Health.

The risk of harm to human health associated with radio/electromagnetic energy exposure is debated globally. Physicians and health practitioners may be presented with increasing numbers of patients with multisystem complaints, which may be initially confusing. Some residents living in proximity to wind energy facilities report harm they associate with exposure to radio/electromagnetic energy. Although authorities, physicians, and researchers express concerns regarding exposure to radio/electromagnetic energy in general, research specific to wind turbines is limited. Current regulations may be limited in scope and not include all devices that emit and/or utilize radio/electromagnetic energy. We recommend that government regulators advise the public of potential risks of exposure and establish limits that incorporate all sources of radio/electromagnetic energy, including wind turbines. Until these limits are established, governments should take precautionary and proactive measures to protect public health, with additional attention given to vulnerable population groups such as children and the older adults.

Setting targets leads to greater long-term weight losses and 'unrealistic' targets increase the effect in a large community-based commercial weight management group.

BACKGROUND: Setting personal targets is an important behavioural component in weight management programmes. Normal practice is to encourage 'realistic' weight loss, although the underlying evidence base for this is limited and controversial. The present study investigates the effect of number and size of weight-loss targets on long-term weight loss in a large community sample of adults. METHODS: Weight change, attendance and target weight data for all new UK members, joining from January to March 2012, were extracted from a commercial slimming organisation's electronic database. RESULTS: Of the 35 380 members who had weight data available at 12 months after joining, 69.1% (n = 24 447) had a starting body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg m-2 . Their mean (SD) weight loss was 12.9% (7.8%) and, for both sexes, weight loss at 12 months was greater for those who set targets (P < 0.001). Those that set ≥4 targets achieved the greatest loss (P < 0.001). The odds ratio for weight loss ≥10% at 12 months was 10.3 (95% confidence interval = 9.7-11.1, P < 0.001) where targets had been set compared to none. At the highest quintile of target size, the size of the first target explained 47.2% (P < 0.001) of the variance in weight loss achieved at 12 months. The mean (SD) BMI reduction in those with a target >25% was 7.6 (4.0) kg m-2 . A higher percentage of obese members did not set targets (P < 0.001) compared to those with a BMI <30 kg m-2 . CONCLUSIONS: Much of the variance in weight loss achieved in this population was explained by the number of targets set and the size of the first target. Although obese people were less likely to set targets, doing so increased the likelihood of achieving clinically significant weight loss and, for some 'unrealistic' targets, improved the results.

Granular dynamics during impact.

We study the impact of a projectile onto a bed of 3 mm grains immersed in an index-matched fluid. We vary the amount of prestrain on the sample, strengthening the force chains within the system. We find this affects only the prefactor of the linear depth-dependent term in the stopping force. We propose a simple model to account for the strain dependence of this term, owing to increased pressure in the pile. Interestingly, we find that the presence of the fluid does not affect the impact dynamics, suggesting that dynamic friction is not a factor. Using a laser sheet scanning technique to visualize internal grain motion, we measure the trajectory of each grain throughout an impact. Microscopically, our results indicate that weaker initial force chains result in more irreversible, plastic rearrangements, suggesting static friction between grains does play a substantial role in the energy dissipation.

The World Rugby and International Rugby Players Contact Load Guidelines: From conception to implementation and the future.

Managing training load in rugby union is crucial for optimising performance and injury prevention. Contact training warrants attention because of higher overall injury and head impact risk, yet players must develop physical, technical, and mental skills to withstand the demands of the game. To help coaches manage contact loads in professional rugby, World Rugby and International Rugby Players convened an expert working group. They conducted a global survey with players to develop contact load guidelines. This commentary aims to describe the contact load guidelines and their implementation, and identify areas where future work is needed to support their evolution.

Baseline Findings of PreventE4: A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial Testing High Dose DHA in APOE4 Carriers before the Onset of Dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Lower blood levels of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are correlated with worse cognitive functions, particularly among APOE ε4 carriers. Whether DHA supplementation in APOE ε4 carriers with limited DHA consumption and dementia risk factors can delay or slow down disease progression when started before the onset of clinical dementia is not known. METHODS: PreventE4 is a double-blind, single site, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in cognitively unimpaired individuals with limited omega-3 consumption and dementia risk factors (n=368). Its objectives are to determine (1) whether carrying the APOE ε4 allele is associated with lower delivery of DHA to the brain; and (2) whether high dose DHA supplementation affects brain imaging biomarkers of AD and cognitive function. RESULTS: 365 cognitively unimpaired individuals between 55 and 80 (mean age 66) were randomized to 2 grams of DHA per day or identically appearing placebo for a period of 2 years. Half the participants were asked to complete lumbar punctures at baseline and 6-month visits to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The primary trial outcome measure is the change in CSF DHA to arachidonic acid ratio after 6 months of the intervention (n=181). Secondary trial outcomes include the change in functional and structural connectivity using resting state functional MRI at 24 months (n=365). Exploratory outcomes include the change in Repeatable Battery of the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status at 24 months (n=365). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from PreventE4 will clarify the brain delivery of DHA in individuals carrying the APOE ε4 allele with implications for dementia prevention strategies. Trial was registered as NCT03613844.

Delayed cystic fibrosis presentation in children in the absence of newborn screening.

Newborn cystic fibrosis (CF) screening facilitates early diagnosis and nutritional intervention, which prevents malnourishment and improves growth in childhood. To provide baseline information on the natural history of CF in the Republic of Ireland, where newborn screening has not yet been introduced and CF incidence is high (1:1353 live births), we examined the effect of presentation mode, symptom type and gender on age at diagnosis. Median age at diagnosis was calculated by gender and for presentation mode/symptom type for 601 CF registry children diagnosed 1986-2007. Modes of presentation were each significantly associated with delayed presentation. An adjusted odds ratio of 4.5 (95% CI: 1.8, 11.1) was determined for presentation with family history, 43.1 for gastrointestinal symptoms presentation (95% CI: 18.3, 101.4), 96.9 for both respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms (95% CI: 38.6, 243,4), and 115.4 for respiratory symptoms (95% CI: 45.2, 294.7). Children with respiratory symptoms had the greatest likelihood of delayed diagnosis (median age: 20.4 months), followed by those with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms (9.2 months). Gender was not significantly associated with a delayed presentation when presentation mode was taken into account.

How research can help control tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) has played a central role in the history of biomedical science from Koch onwards. Research in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries yielded extremely valuable diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive tools for the control of TB. Following the development of shortcourse chemotherapy in the 1970s and 1980s, research into TB virtually evaporated. Despite the availability of an array of tools, TB control faltered, and the disease remains a major killer. The failure of the fruits of scientific research to control TB is a result of the shortcomings of the tools themselves as well the inadequate application of the tools in populations burdened by TB. A changing epidemiologic situation, with escalating rates of human immunodeficiency virus-related TB and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB, further threatens global TB control. A robust TB research enterprise will be required to meet the global goals for controlling TB in the twentyfirst century. Basic research is needed to better understand its pathogenesis and immunology, and to identify targets for diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. Research into better biomedical tools to detect, treat and prevent TB is also a major priority, as all of the existing tools have important shortcomings. In addition, research into understanding how to apply both existing and new tools to control TB at the population level is urgently needed. Global funding for TB research, $483 million in 2007, is slowly growing but is far behind need. To meet the ambitious goals of the Global Plan to Stop TB and the Millennium Development Goals, a massive investment in research will be necessary.

The Theory of Planned Behavior and the USDA Summer Food Service Program.

OBJECTIVE: Examine the impact of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) on the intentions to positively change fruit and vegetable consumption in a rural, low-income adolescent population using the Theory of Planned Behavior. DESIGN: Quantitative data collected via a pre-post intervention survey to determine predictors of positive nutrition behaviors and changes in self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption. SETTING: A mid-sized university. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-seven high school students. Participants were primarily female (n = 36) and white (n = 56). INTERVENTION: Participants followed the standards of the SFSP for 5 weeks and were provided with mandatory and optional nutrition education sessions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Intentions to change nutrition behaviors. ANALYSIS: Multiple regression. RESULTS: Paired-sample t test showed a significant increase in knowledge from pretest (mean [M] = 11.18, SD = 1.68) to posttest (M = 12.91, SD = 1.76); t[56] = -8.09, P < 0.001; (t[56] = -8.09, P < 0.001) and in self-reported fruit and vegetable intake from pretest (M = 13.96, SD = 4.23) to posttest (M = 16.80, SD = 5.42); (t[56] = -3.20, P = 0.002). Regression demonstrated that all constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior were significant (F[4, 52] = 14.56, P < 0.001 with an R2 of 0.53) for their effects on behavior intentions with perceived behavioral control being the most salient predictor. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Opportunities for shaping adolescent nutrient intake and eating behaviors during enrollment in the SFSP exist. Reinforcing positive attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control may help to increase nutrition behavioral intentions and nutrition behaviors.

Urine dicarboxylic acids change in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease and reflect loss of energy capacity and hippocampal volume.

Non-invasive biomarkers will enable widespread screening and early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We hypothesized that the considerable loss of brain tissue in AD will result in detection of brain lipid components in urine, and that these will change in concert with CSF and brain biomarkers of AD. We examined urine dicarboxylic acids (DCA) of carbon length 3-10 to reflect products of oxidative damage and energy generation or balance that may account for changes in brain function in AD. Mean C4-C5 DCAs were lower and mean C7-C10 DCAs were higher in the urine from AD compared to cognitively healthy (CH) individuals. Moreover, mean C4-C5 DCAs were lower and mean C7-C9 were higher in urine from CH individuals with abnormal compared to normal CSF amyloid and Tau levels; i.e., the apparent urine changes in AD also appeared to be present in CH individuals that have CSF risk factors of early AD pathology. In examining the relationship between urine DCAs and AD biomarkers, we found short chain DCAs positively correlated with CSF Aß42, while C7-C10 DCAs negatively correlated with CSF Aß42 and positively correlated with CSF Tau levels. Furthermore, we found a negative correlation of C7-C10 DCAs with hippocampal volume (p < 0.01), which was not found in the occipital volume. Urine measures of DCAs have an 82% ability to predict cognitively healthy participants with normal CSF amyloid/Tau. These data suggest that urine measures of increased lipoxidation and dysfunctional energy balance reflect early AD pathology from brain and CSF biomarkers. Measures of urine DCAs may contribute to personalized healthcare by indicating AD pathology and may be utilized to explore population wellness or monitor the efficacy of therapies in clinical trials.

L Amino acids and D-glucose bind stereospecifically to a colloidal clay.

L-Leucine, L-aspartate, and D-glucose bind in a stereospecific manner to a colloidal clay, bentonite. This binding has high-affinity, saturable characteristics. The biologically uncommon enantiomers, D-leucine, D-asparatate, and L-glucose, do not exhibit any selective absorption on bentonite. It is suggested that this difference between stereoisomers could account for the evolution of life forms possessing a great preponderance of L amino acids and D-glucose.

Brain blood flow: alteration by prior exposure to a learned task.

Chicks with the eyelids of one eye sutured were trained to discriminate between grains and pebbles. The learned experience was completely recognizable by the naive eye that had been occluded during training. When both eyes were opened after monocular training, the velocity of blood flow through paired left and right brain regions was identical. However, when chicks were reexposed to the discrimination situation, blood flow through the cerebral hemisphere associated with the naive eye was greater than that through the hemisphere associated with the trained eye.

How research can help control tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) has played a central role in the history of biomedical science from Koch onwards. Research in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries yielded extremely valuable diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive tools for the control of TB. Following the development of short-course chemotherapy in the 1970s and 1980s, research into TB virtually evaporated. Despite the availability of an array of tools, TB control faltered, and the disease remains a major killer. The failure of the fruits of scientific research to control TB is a result of the shortcomings of the tools themselves as well the inadequate application of the tools in populations burdened by TB. A changing epidemiologic situation, with escalating rates of human immunodeficiency virus-related TB and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB, further threatens global TB control. A robust TB research enterprise will be required to meet the global goals for controlling TB in the twenty-first century. Basic research is needed to better understand its pathogenesis and immunology, and to identify targets for diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. Research into better biomedical tools to detect, treat and prevent TB is also a major priority, as all of the existing tools have important shortcomings. In addition, research into understanding how to apply both existing and new tools to control TB at the population level is urgently needed. Global funding for TB research, $483 million in 2007, is slowly growing but is far behind need. To meet the ambitious goals of the Global Plan to Stop TB and the Millennium Development Goals, a massive investment in research will be necessary.

Optical trapping assisted detection rate enhancement of single molecules on a nanopore optofluidic chip.

We use optical trapping to deliver molecular targets to the vicinity of a nanopore for high-throughput single molecule analysis on an optofluidic chip. DNA detection rates increase over 80× to enable detection at attomolar concentrations.

On demand delivery and analysis of single molecules on a programmable nanopore-optofluidic device.

Nanopore-based single nanoparticle detection has recently emerged as a vibrant research field with numerous high-impact applications. Here, we introduce a programmable optofluidic chip for nanopore-based particle analysis: feedback-controlled selective delivery of a desired number of biomolecules and integration of optical detection techniques on nanopore-selected particles. We demonstrate the feedback-controlled introduction of individual biomolecules, including 70S ribosomes, DNAs and proteins into a fluidic channel where the voltage across the nanopore is turned off after a user-defined number of single molecular insertions. Delivery rates of hundreds/min with programmable off-times of the pore are demonstrated using individual 70S ribosomes. We then use real-time analysis of the translocation signal for selective voltage gating of specific particles from a mixture, enabling selection of DNAs from a DNA-ribosome mixture. Furthermore, we report optical detection of nanopore-selected DNA molecules. These capabilities point the way towards a powerful research tool for high-throughput single-molecule analysis on a chip.

A dramatic case of a woman discovered after 7 months of untreated catatonia.

Described is an unusually severe case of catatonia in the context of a major depressive episode. The patient is a 49-year-old Caucasian female who was living with her husband in an urban apartment. In March 2015, she experienced a major depressive episode in the context of financial hardship after being dismissed from her job. She became catatonic and did not leave her apartment for 7 months. For the first 4 months she lay in bed, then after losing bowel and bladder continence, she was transferred by her husband to the bedroom floor where she lay prone for another 3 months before paramedics were notified. She subsequently underwent a 4-month admission to an intensive care unit, surgical ward, and psychiatric ward. This case shows the extreme extent of psychiatric and physical sequelae that can result from prolonged delay of treatment of severe catatonia in the context of depression.

Note: Eliminating stripe artifacts in light-sheet fluorescence imaging.

We report two techniques to mitigate stripe artifacts in light-sheet fluorescence imaging. The first uses an image processing algorithm called the multidirectional stripe remover method to filter stripes from an existing image. The second uses an elliptical holographic diffuser with strong scattering anisotropy to prevent stripe formation during image acquisition. These techniques facilitate accurate interpretation of image data, especially in denser samples. They are also facile and cost-effective.

c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor SP600125 modulates the period of mammalian circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are endogenous cycles with periods close to, but not exactly equal to, 24 h. In mammals, circadian rhythms are generated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus as well as several peripheral cell types, such as fibroblasts. Protein kinases are key regulators of the circadian molecular machinery. We investigated the role of the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), which belong to the mitogen-activated protein kinases family, in the regulation of circadian rhythms. In rat-1 fibroblasts, the p46 kDa, but not the p54 kDa, isoforms of JNK expressed circadian rhythms in phosphorylation. The JNK-inhibitor SP600125 dose-dependently extended the period of Period1-luciferase rhythms in rat-1 fibroblasts from 24.23+/-0.17-31.48+/-0.07 h. This treatment also dose-dependently delayed the onset of the bioluminescence rhythms. The effects of SP600125 on explant cultures from Period1-luciferase transgenic mice and Period2(Luciferase) knockin mice appeared tissue-specific. SP600125 lengthened the period in SCN, pineal gland, and lung explants in Period1-luciferase and Period2(Luciferase) mice. However, in the kidneys circadian rhythms were abolished in Period1-luciferase, while circadian rhythms were not affected by SP600125 treatment in Period2(Luciferase) mice. Valproic acid, already known to affect period length, enhanced JNK phosphorylation and, as predicted, shortened the period of the Period1-bioluminescence rhythms in rat-1 fibroblasts. In conclusion, our results showed that SP600125 treatment, as well as valproic acid, alters JNK phosphorylation levels, and modulates the period length in various tissues. We conclude that JNK phosphorylation levels may help to set the period length of mammalian circadian rhythms.

Effect of cellular determination on oncogenic transformation by chemicals and oncogenes.

Three developmentally determined myogenic cell lines derived from C3H 10T1/2 C18 (10T1/2) mouse embryo cells treated with 5-azacytidine were compared with the parental 10T1/2 line for their susceptibility to oncogenic transformation by 3-methylcholanthrene or the activated human c-Ha-ras oncogene. Neither the 10T1/2 cells nor the myogenic derivatives grew in soft agar or formed tumors in nude mice. In contrast to 10T1/2 cells, the three myogenic derivatives were not susceptible to transformation by 3-methylcholanthrene, so that cellular determination altered the response of 10T1/2 cells to chemical carcinogen. On the other hand, all cell types were transformed to a tumorigenic phenotype following transfection with the activated c-Ha-ras gene. The transfected myogenic cells expressed both the c-Ha-ras gene and the muscle determination gene MyoD1. In contrast to other reports, the presence of as many as six copies of the c-Ha-ras gene per genome did not prevent the formation of striated muscle cells which expressed immunologically detectable muscle-specific myosin. The expression of the c-Ha-ras gene does not therefore necessarily preclude the expression of the determination gene for myogenesis or prevent end-stage myogenic differentiation.