First Report of Rust Caused by Pucciniastrum boehmeriae on Mamaki (Pipturus albidus) in Hawaii.

Pipturus albidus (Hook. & Arn.) A. Gray or mamaki is a flowering plant species in the Urticaceae (nettles) endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Mamaki is a forest and agricultural commodity, as well as a traditional medicinal and fiber crop. In August 2013, leaf rust was observed in Kuristown, Hawaii, on 15 mamaki plants. Infected leaves had vein-delimited chlorotic spots on the adaxial surface and yellow to orange uredinia on the abaxial surface. Uredinia were scattered, minute, pulverulent, subepidermal, and dome-shaped with a central pore, consistent with Pucciniastrum. Urediniospores were 16 to 23 × 10 to 14 µm, echinulate, ellipsoid to pyriform, walls hyaline, 0.5 µm thick, contents pale yellow to bright yellow. No teliospores were observed. A voucher specimen was deposited in the U.S. National Fungus Collections (BPI 892695). The only species of Pucciniastrum previously known on Pipturus, Pucciniastrum pipturi Syd. [syn. Uredo pipturi (Syd.) Hirats. f.], has larger urediniospores, 26.5 to 40.0 × 19.5 to 27.5 µm, and is currently reported from Japan and the Philippines (3). The pathogen was identified as Pucciniastrum boehmeriae (Dietel) Syd. & P. Syd., which infects Boehmeria Jacq., also in the Urticaceae, and has urediniospores that are 18 to 27 × 13 to 18 µm and similar in shape (2). DNA was extracted from uredinial lesions and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region and the 5' end of large subunit (28S) rDNA were amplified and sequenced following the protocol of Aime (1). The resulting fragment (GenBank Accession No. KF711854) was 100% identical to authenticated and vouchered P. boehmeriae ITS2/28S rDNA sequences (AB221449 to AB221451 and AB221391 to AB221393) (4). Sequences from P. pipturi are not available for comparison, but host family, molecular, and morphological data support the identification of the rust as P. boehmeriae, which is found throughout eastern Asia. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. boehmeriae on mamaki and the first report in Hawaii on any host. Plant health professionals and regulatory officials can utilize this information to establish survey methods and implement appropriate management practices for this rust disease. References: (1) M. C. Aime. Mycoscience 47:112, 2006. (2) N. Hiratsuka. Revision of Taxonomy of the Pucciniastreae. Kasai Publishing and Printing, Tokyo, 1958. (3) M. Kakishima and T. Kobayashi. Mycoscience 35:125, 1994. (4) Y.-M. Liang et al. Mycoscience 47:137, 2006.

Tracing salmon-derived nutrients and contaminants in freshwater food webs across a pronounced spawner density gradient.

Many have demonstrated that anadromous Pacific salmon are significant vectors of nutrients from the ocean to freshwaters. Recently. however, it has been recognized that salmon spawners also input significant quantities of contaminants. The objectives of this paper are to delineate the extent to which salmon-derived nutrients are integrated into the freshwater food web using delta(15)N and delta(13)C and to assess the influence of the salmon pathway in the accumulation of contaminants in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). We found that the delta(15)N and delta(13)C of food web components were related positively and significantly to sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) spawner density. Contaminant concentrations in rainbow trout also positively and significantly were related to sockeye salmon spawner density. These data suggest that the anadromous salmon nutrient and contaminant pathways are related and significantly impact the contaminant burden of resident fish.

[The use of head CT scan in adult trauma victims: an algorithm]. / Le scanner cérébral chez les adultes victimes de traumatismes crâniens mineurs: un arbre décisionnel.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to identify, through recursive partitioning, clinically relevant criteria which predict the need for acute neurosurgical intervention in a group of patients with mild head injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort of all adult patients, from April 2000 to March 2001, who sustained a blunt trauma and underwent head CT scan, was reviewed. The following inclusion criteria for mild head injury were used: initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ranging from 13 to 15; no loss of consciousness lasting more than one hour; no obvious skull fracture; a cranial CT scan performed. We collected demographic and trauma related data, interventions and outcome. Univariate and multivariate analyses were undertaken. In parallel, recursive partitioning was carried out using all variables to elaborate a decision algorithm. RESULTS: There were 405 patients in the sample. CT identified lesions in 12% of patients. Twelve patients (3%) required acute neurosurgical intervention. The recursive partitioning analysis identified three significant sequential nodes: deterioration of the GCS; an initial GCS of 13 vs 14 or 15; and the presence of associated injuries or comorbid conditions. CONCLUSIONS: A simple three step rule predicts the need for acute neurosurgical intervention based on clinical findings: a deteriorating GCS; an initial GCS of 13; and the presence of associated injuries or comorbid conditions.

Conveying campus sexual misconduct policy information to college and university students: Results from a 7-campus study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of different methods (ie, in-class policy reading; in-class policy reading and discussion; no reading or discussion) to deliver campus sexual misconduct policy information to students on 7 campuses. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,195 participants at 7 colleges and universities participated in the study from August to October 2014. Participants were randomly assigned at the class level and completed pretest and posttest surveys assessing knowledge of campus policy and resources and confidence to seek help for sexual assault. RESULTS: Students exposed to a larger dosage of material (in-class policy reading plus discussion) showed greater positive changes in attitudes and knowledge than students who did not receive information or were only read the policy. However, on some indices, students who were only read the policy showed positive outcomes compared with students receiving no intervention. CONCLUSION: Colleges and universities must use engaging methods to disseminate campus sexual misconduct policies to students.

Heteroatom analogues of bemoradan: chemistry and cardiotonic activity of 1,4-benzothiazinylpyridazinones.

A series of close analogues of the potent, long-acting cardiotonic bemoradan (2a) was synthesized and examined in both in vitro and in vivo test systems. Changing the oxygen heteroatom at the 1-position of the benzoxazine ring of bemoradan to sulfur gave 4a, a more potent enzyme inhibitor and in vivo cardiotonic compound by the iv route. Intraduodenal administration of bemoradan, however, showed a superior response compared to its sulfur analogue, possibly due to oxidation of sulfur followed by a facile Pummerer rearrangement. Model studies were performed to examine the effect of the oxidation state of sulfur. Lack of a heteroatom at the 1-position, 3a (Y-590), afforded a compound with activity and potency very similar to those of bemoradan while the 1-selena compound gave a much less potent analogue 5. Analogues having a methyl group on the 4-nitrogen (2b, 3b, and 4b) were less potent than the desmethyl compounds, but all of these compounds have potent PDE III inhibiting activity and the ability to increase cardiac force in an anesthetized dog preparation when given iv.

Substituted salicylanilides as inhibitors of two-component regulatory systems in bacteria.

A new class of inhibitors of the two-component regulatory systems (TCS) of bacteria was discovered based on the salicylanilide screening hits, closantel (1) and tetrachlorosalicylanilide (9). A systematic SAR study versus a model TCS, KinA/Spo0F, demonstrated the importance of electron-attracting substituents in the salicyloyl ring and hydrophobic groups in the anilide moiety for optimal activity. In addition, derivatives 8 and 16, containing the 2, 3-dihydroxybenzanilide structural motif, were potent inhibitors of the autophosphorylation of the KinA kinase, with IC50s of 2.8 and 6. 3 µM, respectively. Compound 8 also inhibited the TCS mediating vancomycin resistance (VanS/VanR) in a genetically engineered Enterococcus faecalis cell line at concentrations subinhibitory for growth. Closantel (1), tetrachlorosalicylanilide (9), and several related derivatives (2, 7, 10, 11, 20) had antibacterial activity against the drug-resistant organisms, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF).

Results of an unrelated transplant search strategy using partially HLA-mismatched cord blood as an immediate alternative to HLA-matched bone marrow.

Cord blood (CB) is an alternative to other sources of stem cells for transplantation. However, the impact of including CB in the initial strategy of unrelated graft search in a cohort of patients has been the object of limited analysis. Here, we report the results of such a strategy in 91 consecutive children. Absence of mismatch was required for adult donors, and up to two mismatches were allowed for CB grafts, with a nucleated cell dose over 2.5 x 10(7) cells/kg. A graft was found for 84 of the 85 children who remained available for a 3-month search. In all, 64 patients were transplanted, 36 with CB and 28 with bone marrow (BM). Primary graft failure, acute grade II-IV and extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease occurred in five, five and zero CB, and in three, one and two BM patients, respectively. The 3-year survival was 59% in CB and 57% in BM patients. Accepting CB as a source of stem cells offers a graft to almost every child in need of an unrelated transplantation, with a probability of survival similar to that of unrelated BM transplantation.

The use of two fluorescent dyes to identify sperm in a competitive binding assay to oocytes.

The relationship of most sperm laboratory assays to male fertility is inconsistent. Assays that measure traits required to fertilize oocytes are expected to have the most predictive value. A new assay that measures the competitive ability of two sperm samples to bind to oocytes was developed. Two populations of sperm were labeled using a pair of lipophilic dyes. A concentration of 75 microM of the two dyes, DiQ (4-[4-(dihexadecylamino)styryl]-N-methylquinolinium iodide; an orange-red dye) and DiOC16 (3,3'-dihexadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate; a yellow-green dye), intensely stained 66 and 73% of sperm, respectively, without affecting sperm motility or oocyte-binding ability. Because sperm could be stained with fluorescent dyes, sperm from two semen samples were mixed together in a droplet, and oocytes were added to allow sperm to bind oocytes competitively. Oocyte-bound sperm from each sample were counted. Binding was specific; nonspecific sperm binding was estimated by sperm bound to two-cell mouse embryos and averaged one to three sperm per embryo. Staining with DiQ or DiOC16 did not affect oocyte-binding ability since more than 80% of the sperm bound were stained with either dye. Furthermore, if different ratios of DiQ- or DiOC16-stained sperm from the same ejaculate were prepared in droplets and oocytes were added, the percentage of sperm bound to the oocytes reflected the percentage of sperm in the droplet; there was no differential effect of either dye. This assay used fixed oocytes because sperm bound equally to fixed and fresh bovine oocytes. This competitive oocyte-binding assay allows one to make a series of pairwise comparisons between a group of males or to include an internal control sample in sperm-oocyte binding assays. This assay may allow more accurate prediction of the oocyte-binding ability of sperm.

Anterior chamber fluid contamination after uncomplicated phacoemulsification.

This study determined the rate of anterior chamber aerobic bacterial contamination in 103 eyes that had uncomplicated posterior chamber phacoemulsification. Anterior chamber fluid was aspirated on completion of surgery. Cultures of sterile balanced salt solution served as a control. Of 103 anterior chamber cultures, 4 (3.9%) showed contamination; however, 3 of 103 control cultures (2.9%) also grew micro-organisms. These findings suggest a very low rate of aerobic bacterial contamination after uncomplicated phacoemulsification and underscore the importance of control cultures when determining contamination rates.

The relationship of porcine sperm zona-binding ability to fertility.

Several laboratory assays have been designed to assess the fertility potential of a semen sample before insemination, but none have been consistent and accurate predictors of fertility. To determine whether zona-binding ability may be a useful fertility predictor, we validated and used an in vitro competitive assay to measure the ability of porcine sperm to bind to the zona pellucida. The zona-binding ability of sperm from 11 boars that exhibited a broad range in average litter size and farrowing rate was determined. Sperm from each boar were compared directly with sperm from eight other boars in a systematic, pairwise fashion. Sperm from two semen samples were labeled with fluorophores at concentrations that did not affect motility or zona-binding ability. An equal number of labeled sperm from each boar was coincubated with homologous oocytes. Least squares means from analysis of variance were used to rank boars based on zona-binding ability. The competitive assay was effective in establishing a ranking of the boars (R2 = 0.62). Furthermore, there was a correlation between zona-binding ability and fertility when estimated by average litter size (r = 0.64, P < 0.05) but not when estimated by farrowing rate (r = -0.28). The explanation for this difference was that litter size and farrowing rate were poorly correlated (r = 0.14). In conclusion, a competitive zona-binding assay distinguished boars that sired either small or large litters. Competitive zona-binding ability may be useful for identifying boars with reduced fertility that produce smaller litters following insemination.

Trilateral retinoblastoma: bilateral retinoblastoma with pinealoblastoma.

Bilateral retinoblastoma was diagnosed in a 12-month-old boy. The left eye was enucleated; the choroid and the optic nerve were not invaded by the tumour. The right eye had three lesions: one was photocoagulated, and the other two were irradiated. Two years later, symptoms and signs of intracranial hypertension prompted computerized tomography, which demonstrated a mass in the pineal region and secondary hydrocephalus. The right eye showed papilledema but no evidence of tumour activity in the three retinal scars. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy had only a transient effect, and the child died at 42 months of age. At autopsy the pineal region and the third ventricle were found to be replaced by a pinealoblastoma with retinomatous differentiation. Only 11 other cases of pinealoblastoma associated with bilateral (heritable) retinoblastoma have been reported. The embryologic relationship between the pineal gland and the retina has given rise to the concept of trilateral retinoblastoma, a concept important in the investigation and follow-up of patients with bilateral retinoblastoma.

Multicentre comparative clinical evaluation of daily care solutions for rigid gas-permeable contact lenses.

Results of a multicentre, controlled, comparative study of two daily care regimens for rigid gas-permeable contact lenses are described. Whereas both regimens were generally effective and safe for the 69 patients wearing the Boston Lens, the Barnes-Hind regimen showed clinically and statistically significant advantages over the Boston Lens regimen: the proportions of patients in the Barnes-Hind group with corneal staining or palpebral conjunctival injection were reduced during the study and were lower on several occasions than the proportions of the Boston group.

Serotonin syndrome induced by fluvoxamine and mirtazapine.

OBJECTIVE: To document a case of serotonin syndrome associated with the combined use of fluvoxamine and mirtazapine, and to discuss the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions that were the likely causes of this potentially serious adverse drug reaction (ADR). CASE SUMMARY: A 26-year-old white woman with a 12-year history of anorexia nervosa was being treated with fluvoxamine. After mirtazapine was added to her therapy, she developed tremors,restlessness, twitching, flushing, diaphoresis, and nausea,symptoms that are consistent with serotonin syndrome. DISCUSSION: The possible causes of this ADR are discussed, including the effects of fluvoxamine and mirtazapine alone, the possible pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions of these two drugs, and the patients underlying anorexia nervosa. CONCLUSIONS: An increasing number of drugs that affect serotonin are available and are indicated for various disorders. Since there is a significant likelihood of these agents being prescribed concomitantly, clinicians must be aware of possible interactions that could lead to serotonin syndrome.

Use of a hapten-carrier system in experimental immune arthritis in the rabbit.

Animals immunized systemically with dinitrophenylated-bovine serum albumin (DNP-BSA) in complete Freund's adjuvant, show delayed hypersensitivity skin responses to DNP-BSA and to BSA, but not to other DNP-conjugates. These animals show high levels of antibodies to BSA and to DNP to radioimmunoassay. When injected with the carrier (BSA), the right knee joint develops a chronic arthritis. The left knee, when injected with the DNP hapten conjugated to another carrier (human serum albumin), shows an acute arthus response of the same magnitude as the right knee, but fails to develop a chronic synovitis. It appears that in this model, chronicity is not mediated primarily by a humoral mechanism to the initiator.

Modulating and scanning the mode-lock frequency of an 800-MHz femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser.

An 800-MHz self-mode-locked femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser has been developed whose mode-lock frequency can be robustly scanned and modulated. The laser is based on the three-element design of Ramaswamy-Paye and Fujimoto [Opt. Lett. 19, 1756 (1994)]. By translation and modulation of the position of the prismatic output coupler, the mode-lock frequency can be reliably scanned more than 1% and modulated at 80 Hz with a deviation of 2.5 kHz without interrupting the mode lock, changing the pulse length, or inducing significant amplitude modulation. An application in tunable high-resolution terahertz spectroscopy is also demonstrated.