First report of Colletotrichum siamense causing leaf spot on Manglietia decidua in the world.

Manglietia decidua Q. Y. Zheng is a deciduous broad-leaved plant and native to Jiangxi province, China. It is cultivated for its timber and urban landscaping (Xiong et al., 2014). In September 2019, a new foliar disease was observed on approx. 25% of 121 M. decidua trees in Jiangxi Agricultural University (N28°45'56″, E115°50'21″), Nanchang city, Jiangxi Province, China. The disease site belongs to the subtropical monsoon humid climate, with rainfall (1,600-1,700 mm) and red soil region. Initially, infection appeared on the leaf margins or tips as water-soaked, irregular lesions, then expanded to the center, developed into large black-brown, irregular necrotic lesions. Finally, the lesions fall off the leaves. To identify the pathogen, 15 diseased leaves were collected from 5 trees (3 leaves per tree) randomly. Small pieces (5 × 5 mm) cut from the lesion margins were surfaced sterilized (70% ethanol for 30 s, 3% NaOCl for 1 min, rinsed 3 times with sterile water), and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 25 °C. Among the isolated fungi, Colletotrichum-like colonies were about 91%, and 18 monoconidial isolates were obtained. Isolates HML-1, HML-4, and HML-7 were selected and preserved for further studies. Colonies on PDA were white, cottony, and grayish-white on the reverse side. Setae absent. Acervuli were brown, circular. Conidiophores were clear, septate, non-branching or branching at the base, conidiogenous cells were enteroblastic, phialidic, colorless, cylindrical, ampulliform. Conidia were elliptical, single-celled, straight, hyaline, and measured 13.3-17.9 × 4.3-5.7 µm (14.8 ± 1.2 × 4.8 ± 0.4 µm, n = 100). Appressoria were oval to irregular, dark brown, and ranged from 5.3-9.1 × 4.4-6.3 µm (7.2 ± 0.3 × 5.1 ± 0.2 µm, n=100). Morphological characteristics matched the description of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu lato (Weir et al. 2012). The internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), actin (ACT), chitin synthase (CHS-1), calmodulin (CAL), and beta-tubulin 2 (TUB2) were sequenced (Weir et al., 2012), and deposited in GenBank (ITS: OL757565-OL757567; ACT: OL627398-OL627400; CHS-1: OL757358-OL757360; GAPDH: OL757361-OL757363; CAL: OL757355-OL757357; TUB2: OL757364-OL757366). Six loci were concatenated, and the aligned sequences (2056 bp) were 99.9%, 99.8% homologous to C. siamense ICMP 18574 and ex-type ICMP18578, respectively. In the maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree, the highest log likehihood was -9259.74, and 3 isolates were in the C. siamense clade. Based on the phylogeny and morphology, 3 isolates were identified as C. siamense. The pathogenicity of 3 isolates was tested on 12 M. decidua plants (variety: Yi lin ke) grown in the field. Healthy leaves were wounded slightly with a needle (Φ=0.5 mm) and inoculated with 10 µL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL). Controls were treated with ddH2O (Si et al. 2021). All the treated leaves were covered with plastic bags to keep a high-humidity environment for 2 days. The experiments were repeated twice. Within 9 days, all the inoculated points showed similar symptoms to those observed in the field, whereas controls were asymptomatic. The same isolate was re-isolated from the lesions, whereas no fungus was isolated from control leaves. Manglietia decidua is an ancient and endangered plant, threatened with southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii) (Yi et al. 2021a), root rot (Calonectria ilicicola) (Yi et al. 2021b). This is the first report of the newly emerging disease caused by C. siamense in the world. The potential threat should be evaluated for conservation in the future. This study provided crucial information for epidemiological studies and appropriate control strategies.

[Wearable Automatic External Defibrillators].

Defibrillation is the most effective method of treating ventricular fibrillation(VF), this paper introduces wearable automatic external defibrillators based on embedded system which includes EGG measurements, bioelectrical impedance measurement, discharge defibrillation module, which can automatic identify VF signal, biphasic exponential waveform defibrillation discharge. After verified by animal tests, the device can realize EGG acquisition and automatic identification. After identifying the ventricular fibrillation signal, it can automatic defibrillate to abort ventricular fibrillation and to realize the cardiac electrical cardioversion.

Laboratory-confirmed respiratory viral infection triggers for acute myocardial infarction and stroke: Systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease contributes substantially to global mortality and morbidity. Respiratory tract infections, particularly influenza, may trigger an increase in the short-term risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke. Recent studies have also linked this risk to other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, the pathogen-specific relative contributions, the strength of their associations, and overall public health significance are poorly understood. Assuming causal links, understanding, quantifying, and comparing the effects of different pathogens as triggering factors for acute cardiovascular events is critical to guide future research and prevention. Our aim is to conduct a systematic review to examine the relative effects of laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infections as triggers for acute myocardial infarction and stroke. METHODS: We will conduct a comprehensive search of Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Ovid Embase, Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science, from inception to the end of March 2024. Studies capturing respiratory viral infection(s) using laboratory-confirmatory methods, incidence of AMI or stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic), and those involving human participants in any country, will be assessed for eligibility. We will include the following analytical epidemiological study types: randomised controlled trials, cohort and case-control studies, self-controlled case series, and case-crossover designs. We will not impose restrictions on the date, language, study population, geographical region, or sample size, to minimise the risk of introducing biases. Search results will be screened for eligibility by two independent reviewers, and discrepancies resolved by consensus and/or arbitration by a third reviewer. We will assess the risk of bias among the included studies by adopting the Cochrane Collaboration tools for randomised and non-randomised studies. The overall quality of studies will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. We will examine sources of heterogeneity, and if studies are sufficiently homogeneous, a meta-analysis will be conducted to calculate the pooled effect sizes. Reporting will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. REGISTRATION: International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) registration number: CRD42024494997.

Carbon nanotube-based self-adhesive polymer electrodes for wireless long-term recording of electrocardiogram signals.

In this study, the concept of polymer electrodes integrated with a wireless electrocardiogram (ECG) system was described. Polymer electrodes for long-term ECG measurements were fabricated by loading high content of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in polydimethylsiloxane. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were added to increase the flexibility of the polymer and the conductivity of the electrode. An ECG electrode patch was fabricated by integrating the electrodes with an adhesive polydimethylsiloxane (aPDMS) layer. Holes in the electrode filled with aPDMS can enable robust contact between the electrode and skin, reducing motion artifacts. A wireless ECG measurement system was developed and adapted to the polymer electrodes. The polymer electrodes combined with the measurement system were successfully applied in wireless, long-term recording of ECG signals. An eleven-day continuous test showed that the ECG signal did not degrade over time. The results of attach/detach tests demonstrated that the ECG signal was affected by motion artifacts after six attach/detach cycles. The electrodes produced are flexible and exhibit good ECG performance, and therefore can be used in wearable medical monitoring systems. The approach proposed in this study holds significant promise for commercial application in medical fields.

A novel method of fabricating carbon nanotubes-polydimethylsiloxane composite electrodes for electrocardiography.

Polymer-based flexible electrodes are receiving much attention in medical applications due to their good wearing comfort. The current fabrication methods of such electrodes are not widely applied. In this study, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and conductive additives of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were employed to fabricate composite electrodes for electrocardiography (ECG). A three-step dispersion process consisting of ultrasonication, stirring, and in situ polymerization was developed to yield homogenous CNTs-PDMS mixtures. The CNTs-PDMS mixtures were used to fabricate CNTs-PDMS composite electrodes by replica technology. The influence of ultrasonication time and CNT concentration on polymer electrode performance was evaluated by impedance and ECG measurements. The signal amplitude of the electrodes prepared using an ultrasonication time of 12 h and CNT content of 5 wt% was comparable to that of commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes. The polymer electrodes were easily fabricated by conventional manufacturing techniques, indicating a potential advantage of reduced cost for mass production.