Absence of known feline MYH7 and MYBPC3 variants in a diverse cohort of cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of heart disease in the domestic cat with a genetic predisposition in a few breeds. In the Maine Coon and Ragdoll breeds, two variants associated with the HCM phenotype have been identified in the cardiac myosin binding protein C gene (MYBPC3; p.Ala31Pro and p.Arg820Trp respectively), and a single variant has been identified in the myosin heavy chain gene (MYH7; p.Glu1883Lys) in one domestic cat with HCM. It is not known if these variants influence the development of HCM in other cohorts of the feline population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of the known MYBPC3 and MYH7 variants in a population of cats with HCM. DNA was isolated from samples collected from non-Ragdoll and non-Maine Coon domestic cats diagnosed with HCM through the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and genotyped for the three variants. One-hundred and three DNA samples from cats with HCM were evaluated from domestic shorthair, domestic longhair and purebred cats. All samples were wt for the MYBPC3 and MYH7 variants. Although this study was limited by its inclusion of cats from one tertiary hospital, the lack of these MYBPC3 and MYH7 variants in this feline HCM population indicates that the clinical utility of genetic testing for these variants may be isolated to the two cat breeds in which these variants have been identified. Further studies to identify the causative variants for the feline HCM population are warranted.

Inequalities in HIV testing uptake and needs among men who have sex with men living in Ireland: findings from an internet survey.

OBJECTIVES: HIV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM) in Ireland. The aim of this study was to improve understanding of HIV testing among MSM living in Ireland to inform prevention and testing initiatives. METHODS: We used data from the MSM Internet Survey Ireland 2015 (MISI 2015), a cross-sectional survey of MSM living in Ireland. We identified factors associated with never having tested for HIV using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. We identified preferred sites for future tests and examined the relationships between unmet HIV testing needs and socio-demographic groups. RESULTS: More than one-third (n = 1006; 36%) of MSM had never tested for HIV. Multivariable logistic regression showed that untested men were more likely to be aged 18-24 years, live outside Dublin, have a lower level of education, be born in Ireland, identify as bisexual, be out to fewer people, and not have had sex with a man in the previous 12 months. The same groups of men also had the least knowledge about HIV and were least confident in accessing an HIV test. Men who had never tested for HIV were more likely to prefer testing by their general practitioner (GP) or using home sampling HIV kits and less likely to prefer testing in a sexual health clinic. CONCLUSIONS: HIV prevention and testing programmes for MSM should be targeted towards younger men, those living outside Dublin and those with lower levels of education. We recommend increased promotion and availability of free HIV testing services in a range of clinical and nonclinical settings (including self-sampling and home testing).

Integration of a recent infection testing algorithm into HIV surveillance in Ireland: improving HIV knowledge to target prevention.

Recent infection testing algorithms (RITA) for HIV combine serological assays with epidemiological data to determine likely recent infections, indicators of ongoing transmission. In 2016, we integrated RITA into national HIV surveillance in Ireland to better inform HIV prevention interventions. We determined the avidity index (AI) of new HIV diagnoses and linked the results with data captured in the national infectious disease reporting system. RITA classified a diagnosis as recent based on an AI < 1.5, unless epidemiological criteria (CD4 count <200 cells/mm3; viral load <400 copies/ml; the presence of AIDS-defining illness; prior antiretroviral therapy use) indicated a potential false-recent result. Of 508 diagnoses in 2016, we linked 448 (88.1%) to an avidity test result. RITA classified 12.5% of diagnoses as recent, with the highest proportion (26.3%) amongst people who inject drugs. On multivariable logistic regression recent infection was more likely with a concurrent sexually transmitted infection (aOR 2.59; 95% CI 1.04-6.45). Data were incomplete for at least one RITA criterion in 48% of cases. The study demonstrated the feasibility of integrating RITA into routine surveillance and showed some ongoing HIV transmission. To improve the interpretation of RITA, further efforts are required to improve completeness of the required epidemiological data.

Wilt, Crown, and Root Rot of Common Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) Caused by a Novel Fusarium sp.

A new crown and root rot disease of landscape plantings of the malvaceous ornamental common rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) was first detected in Washington State in 2012. The main objectives of this study were to complete Koch's postulates, document the disease symptoms photographically, and identify the causal agent using multilocus molecular phylogenetics. Results of the pathogenicity experiments demonstrated that the Fusarium sp. could induce vascular wilt and root and crown rot symptoms on H. moscheutos 'Luna Rose'. Maximum-likelihood and maximum-parsimony phylogenetic analyses of portions of translation elongation factor 1-α and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II largest and second-largest subunit indicated that the Hibiscus pathogen represents a novel, undescribed Fusarium sp. nested within the Fusarium buharicum species complex.

Maternal prenatal depression is associated with decreased placental expression of the imprinted gene PEG3.

BACKGROUND: Maternal prenatal stress during pregnancy is associated with fetal growth restriction and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, which may be mediated by impaired placental function. Imprinted genes control fetal growth, placental development, adult behaviour (including maternal behaviour) and placental lactogen production. This study examined whether maternal prenatal depression was associated with aberrant placental expression of the imprinted genes paternally expressed gene 3 (PEG3), paternally expressed gene 10 (PEG10), pleckstrin homology-like domain family a member 2 (PHLDA2) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1C (CDKN1C), and resulting impaired placental human placental lactogen (hPL) expression. METHOD: A diagnosis of depression during pregnancy was recorded from Manchester cohort participants' medical notes (n = 75). Queen Charlotte's (n = 40) and My Baby and Me study (MBAM) (n = 81) cohort participants completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale self-rating psychometric questionnaire. Villous trophoblast tissue samples were analysed for gene expression. RESULTS: In a pilot study, diagnosed depression during pregnancy was associated with a significant reduction in placental PEG3 expression (41%, p = 0.02). In two further independent cohorts, the Queen Charlotte's and MBAM cohorts, placental PEG3 expression was also inversely associated with maternal depression scores, an association that was significant in male but not female placentas. Finally, hPL expression was significantly decreased in women with clinically diagnosed depression (44%, p < 0.05) and in those with high depression scores (31% and 21%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first evidence that maternal prenatal depression is associated with changes in the placental expression of PEG3, co-incident with decreased expression of hPL. This aberrant placental gene expression could provide a possible mechanistic explanation for the co-occurrence of maternal depression, fetal growth restriction, impaired maternal behaviour and poorer offspring outcomes.

Orientation and stability of a bi-functional aromatic organic molecular adsorbate on silicon.

In this work we combine scanning tunneling microscopy, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory to resolve a long-standing confusion regarding the adsorption behaviour of benzonitrile on Si(001) at room temperature. We find that a trough-bridging structure is sufficient to explain adsorption at low coverages. At higher coverages when steric hindrance prevents the phenyl ring lying flat on the surface, the 2+2 cycloaddition structure dominates.

Analysis of Genetic Diversity of Fusarium tupiense, the Main Causal Agent of Mango Malformation Disease in Southern Spain.

Mango malformation disease (MMD) has become an important global disease affecting this crop. The aim of this study was to identify the main causal agents of MMD in the Axarquía region of southern Spain and determine their genetic diversity. Fusarium mangiferae was previously described in the Axarquía region but it represented only one-third of the fusaria recovered from malformed trees. In the present work, fusaria associated with MMD were analyzed by arbitrary primed polymerase chain reaction (ap-PCR), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), vegetative compatibility grouping (VCG), a PCR screen for mating type idiomorph, and phylogenetic analyses of multilocus DNA sequence data to identify and characterize the genetic diversity of the MMD pathogens. These analyses confirmed that 92 of the isolates were F. tupiense, which was previously only known from Brazil and Senegal. In addition, two isolates of a putatively novel MMD pathogen were discovered, nested within the African clade of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. The F. tupiense isolates all belonged to VCG I, which was first described in Brazil, and the 11 isolates tested showed pathogenicity on mango seedlings. Including the prior discovery of F. mangiferae, three exotic MMD pathogenic species have been found in southern Spain, which suggests multiple independent introductions of MMD pathogens in the Axarquía region.

Analysis of the stability of InGaN/GaN multiquantum wells against ion beam intermixing.

Ion-induced damage and intermixing was evaluated in InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) using 35 keV N(+) implantation at room temperature. In situ ion channeling measurements show that damage builds up with a similar trend for In and Ga atoms, with a high threshold for amorphization. The extended defects induced during the implantation, basal and prismatic stacking faults, are uniformly distributed across the quantum well structure. Despite the extremely high fluences used (up to 4 × 10(16) cm(-2)), the InGaN MQWs exhibit a high stability against ion beam mixing.

Characterization of Fusarium Strains Recovered From Wheat With Symptoms of Head Blight in Kentucky.

Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) members cause Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and small grains in the United States. The U.S. population is diverse and includes several genetically distinct local emergent subpopulations, some more aggressive and toxigenic than the majority population. Kentucky is a transition zone between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern wheat production areas. Sixty-eight Fusarium strains were isolated from symptomatic wheat heads from central and western Kentucky and southern Indiana in 2007. A multilocus genotyping assay and a variety of additional molecular markers, including some novel markers developed using the F. graminearum genome sequence, were used to characterize the pathogen population. Five of the isolates were identified as members of two non-FGSC species, F. acuminatum and F. cf. reticulatum, but they did not cause symptoms in greenhouse tests. All the FGSC isolates belonged to the 15-ADON chemotype of F. graminearum. Comparative genetic analysis using variable nuclear tandem repeat (VNTR) markers indicated that the population in Kentucky and Indiana belonged to the dominant North American population, with some diversification likely due to local evolution. Telomere and RFLP fingerprinting markers based on repetitive sequences revealed a high degree of genetic diversity within the population, with unique genotypes found at each location, and multiple genotypes isolated from the same head.

"Rolling" phenomenon in twin screw granulation with controlled-release excipients.

The developed knowledge regarding use of twin screw granulators for continuous wet granulation has been primarily limited to immediate release formulations in the literature. The present study highlights an issue previously unreported for wet granulation with twin screw extruders when using formulations containing controlled-release (CR) excipients. Long (3-10 mm), twisted noodle-like granules can be produced in the presence of these excipients that are difficult to control and are anticipated to create complications in downstream unit operations to the granulator. Working with two different CR excipients, METHOCEL™ K4M and Kollidon® SR, each blended at different ratios with a mixture of 80% α-lactose monohydrate/20% microcrystalline cellulose, these unique particles were found to be produced in the conveying elements of the extruder, arising from a rolling action at the top of the screw flights. The CR excipients adhesively strengthen the wetted mass, forming this undesired granule shape such that they persisted to the exit of the machine; the shape appeared most strongly affected by screw speed, producing particles of higher aspect ratio as speed was increased. Adjusting the concentration of these CR excipients in the formulation, the flow rate or the type of compression element used in the screws proved ineffective in controlling the problem. Rather, a re-design of the extruder screws was required to prevent generation of these extended-form granules.

Better quality of mother-child interaction at 4 years of age decreases emotional overeating in IUGR girls.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: While most "fetal programming" area focused on metabolic disease, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is also associated with a preference for less healthy food. Post-natal factors such as strained maternal-child interactions are equally related to obesogenic eating behaviors. We investigated if IUGR and the quality of the mother/child relationship affect emotional overeating in children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were 196 children from a prospective birth cohort (the MAVAN project). As part of the protocol at 4 years of age, mothers completed the Children Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and mother-child interactions were scored during a structured task. A GLM adjusted for BMI examined the interaction between the "Atmosphere" score (ATM) task, sex and IUGR on the emotional over-eating domain of the CEBQ. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction of BWR vs. sex vs. ATM (P = .02), with no effects of IUGR, sex or ATM. The model was significant for girls with low ATM scores (B = -2.035, P = .014), but not for girls with high (P = 0.94) or boys with high (P = .27) or low (P = .19) ATM scores. Only in IUGR girls, 48 months emotional over-eating correlated with BMI at that age (r = 0.560, P = 0.013) and predicted BMI in the subsequent years (r = 0.654, P = 0.006 at 60 months and r = 0.750, P = 0.005 at 72 months). CONCLUSIONS: IUGR and exposure to a negative emotional atmosphere during maternal-child interactions predicted emotional overeating in girls but not in boys. The quality of mother-infant interaction may be an important target for interventions to prevent emotional overeating and overweight in early development, particularly in girls with a history of IUGR.

First Report of Mango Malformation Disease Caused by Fusarium pseudocircinatum in Mexico.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) malformation disease (MMD) is one of the most important diseases affecting this crop worldwide, causing severe economic loss due to reduction of yield. After the first report in India in 1891 (3), MMD has spread worldwide to most mango-growing regions. Several species of Fusarium cause the disease, including F. mangiferae in India, Israel, the USA (Florida), Egypt, South Africa, Oman, and elsewhere; F. sterilihyphosum in South Africa and Brazil; F. proliferatum in China; F. mexicanum in Mexico; and recently, F. tupiense in Brazil (1,2,3,4). Besides F. mexicanum, F. pseudocircinatum, not yet reported as a causal agent of MMD, was isolated in Mexico from affected inflorescences and vegetative malformed tissues (4). Symptoms of vegetative malformation caused by F. pseudocircinatum included hypertrophied, tightly bunched young shoots, with swollen apical and lateral buds producing misshapen terminals with shortened internodes and dwarfed leaves. Infected inflorescences of primary or secondary axes on affected panicles were shortened, thickened, and highly branched, while the peduncles became thick, remained green and fleshy, and branches profusely resembled a cauliflower in shape and size (3). Ten isolates of F. pseudocircinatum were recovered from cultivars Ataulfo, Criollo, Haden, and Tommy Atkins in Guerrero, Campeche, and Chiapas states and characterized. Isolates produced mostly 0-septate but occasionally 1- to 3-septate oval, obovoid, or elliptical aerial conidia (0-septate: 4 to 19 [avg. 8.7] × 1.5 to 4 [avg. 2.6] µm) in false heads in the dark and in short false chains under black light, unbranched or sympodially branched prostrate aerial conidiophores producing mono- and polyphialides, and sporodochia with straight or falcate conidia that were mostly 3- to 5-septate, but sometimes up to 7-septate (3-septate: 25 to 58 [avg. 41] × 2 to 3.3 [avg. 2.9] µm; 5-septate: 33.5 to 76.5 [avg. 56.7] × 2.5 to 6 [avg. 3.5] µm). Circinate sterile hyphae were rarely formed. Two representative isolates, NRRL 53570 and 53573, were subjected to multilocus molecular phylogenetic analyses of portions of five genes: nuclear large subunit 28S ribosomal RNA, ß-tubulin, calmodulin, histone H3, and translation elongation factor (TEF)-1α (GenBank GU737456, GU737457, GU737290, GU737291, GU737371, GU737372, GU737425, GU737426, GU737398, and GU737399). Two pathogenicity tests were conducted with NRRL 53570 and 53573 on healthy 2-year-old nucellar seedlings of polyembryonic Criollo; 20 µl conidial suspensions (5 × 106 conidia/ml) of each isolate and water controls were inoculated separately on 15 buds on 3 different trees, as described previously (1). The following conditions were used in experiment 1: 24 to 27°C with light intensity of 16.2 to 19.8 •Mol m-2s-1 in the range of 400 to 700 nm, and photoperiods of 14 h light and 10 h dark. Typical vegetative disease symptoms were discernible in plants inoculated with NRRL 53570 (20%) and 53573 (7%) after 8 months. In experiment 2, after 3 months growth under the above conditions, seedlings were transferred to an outdoor nursery in Iguala, Guerrero. Typical vegetative symptoms of MMD were observed in 86.7 and 13.3% of the buds inoculated with F. pseudocircinatum NRRL 53570 and 53573, respectively, after 9 months. Isolates from typical symptomatic vegetative buds were confirmed as F. pseudocircinatum by sequencing a portion of their TEF-1α gene, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first report of F. pseudocircinatum as a causal agent of MMD. References: (1) S. Freeman et al. Phytopathology 89:456, 1999. (2) C. S. Lima et al. Mycologia 104:1408, 2012. (3) W. F. O. Marasas et al. Phytopathology 96:667, 2006. (4) G. Otero-Colina et al. Phytopathology 100:1176, 2010.

A holistic assessment of bariatric surgical outcomes in a Northern Irish cohort.

The King's Obesity Staging system was developed to evaluate the effect of obesity treatments in multiple physical, psychological and functional domains. In this prospective cohort study, a Northern Irish cohort was scored using the King's Obesity Staging system before and 1 year after bariatric surgery. 71 individuals underwent surgery and 31 (44%) had type 2 diabetes. Bariatric surgery improved each health domain (p < 0.05). A subgroup with type 2 diabetes showed a significantly greater improvement in gonadal disease (polycystic ovarian syndrome and sub-fertility) (p = 0.02), and a trend towards greater improvement in cardiovascular disease (p = 0.07) compared with the non-diabetic subgroup. Half of those with pre-diabetes were normoglycaemic postoperatively (p < 0.05). The King's Obesity Staging system can be used to holistically evaluate the outcomes of bariatric surgery. Patients benefit from bariatric surgery in many ways, but those with diabetes may benefit more.

Establishment of a clinical network for children with amelogenesis imperfecta and dentinogenesis imperfecta in the UK: 4-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) and dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) are two groups of genetically inherited conditions resulting in abnormal enamel and dentin formation, respectively. Children and young people may be adversely affected by these conditions, with significant reduction in oral health related quality of life. Dental management of children with AI and DI is often complex, which is exacerbated by the absence of clear referral pathways and scarce evidence-based guidelines. METHOD: The need for increased knowledge and peer support led to the development of a group of UK paediatric dentists with a special clinical interest in the management of children with AI and DI. PURPOSE: The aims of this paper are to describe the establishment of an AI/DI Clinical Excellence Network (AI/DI CEN) in paediatric dentistry including outputs and future plans, and to share our collective learning to help support others anywhere in the world advance the care of people with AI or DI.

Variation in the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) moderates the influence of maternal sensitivity on child attachment.

The endogenous opioid system is thought to play an important role in mother-infant attachment. In infant rhesus macaques, variation in the µ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) is related to differences in attachment behavior that emerges following repeated separation from the mother; specifically, infants carrying at least one copy of the minor G allele of the OPRM1 C77G polymorphism show heightened and more persistent separation distress, as well as a pattern of increased contact-seeking behavior directed towards the mother during reunions (at the expense of affiliation with other group members). Research in adult humans has also linked the minor G allele of the analogous OPRM1 A118G polymorphism with greater interpersonal sensitivity. Adopting an interactionist approach, we examined whether OPRM1 A118G genotype and maternal (in)sensitivity are associated with child attachment style, predicting that children carrying the G allele may be more likely to develop an ambivalent attachment pattern in response to less sensitive maternal care. The sample consisted of 191 mothers participating with their children (n = 223) in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) project, a community-based, birth cohort study of Canadian mothers and their children assessed longitudinally across the child's development. Maternal sensitivity was coded from at-home mother-child interactions videotaped when the child was 18 months of age. Child attachment was assessed at 36 months using the Strange Situation paradigm. As predicted, G allele carriers, but not AA homozygotes, showed increasing odds of being classified as ambivalently attached with decreasing levels of maternal sensitivity. Paralleling earlier non-human animal research, this work provides support for the theory that endogenous opioids contribute to the expression of attachment behaviors in humans.

Fusarium euwallaceae sp. nov.--a symbiotic fungus of Euwallacea sp., an invasive ambrosia beetle in Israel and California.

The invasive Asian ambrosia beetle Euwallacea sp. (Coleoptera, Scolytinae, Xyleborini) and a novel Fusarium sp. that it farms in its galleries as a source of nutrition causes serious damage to more than 20 species of live trees and pose a serious threat to avocado production (Persea americana) in Israel and California. Adult female beetles are equipped with mandibular mycangia in which its fungal symbiont is transported within and from the natal galleries. Damage caused to the xylem is associated with disease symptoms that include sugar or gum exudates, dieback, wilt and ultimately host tree mortality. In 2012 the beetle was recorded on more than 200 and 20 different urban landscape species in southern California and Israel respectively. Euwallacea sp. and its symbiont are closely related to the tea shot-hole borer (E. fornicatus) and its obligate symbiont, F. ambrosium occurring in Sri Lanka and India. To distinguish these beetles, hereafter the unnamed xyleborine in Israel and California will be referred to as Euwallacea sp. IS/CA. Both fusaria exhibit distinctive ecologies and produce clavate macroconidia, which we think might represent an adaption to the species-specific beetle partner. Both fusaria comprise a genealogically exclusive lineage within Clade 3 of the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) that can be differentiated with arbitrarily primed PCR. Currently these fusaria can be distinguished only phenotypically by the abundant production of blue to brownish macroconidia in the symbiont of Euwallacea sp. IS/CA and their rarity or absence in F. ambrosium. We speculate that obligate symbiosis of Euwallacea and Fusarium, might have driven ecological speciation in these mutualists. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate the novel, economically destructive avocado pathogen as Fusarium euwallaceae sp. nov. S. Freeman et al.

First Report of Syzygites megalocarpus (Mucorales) Web Mold on the Commercial Portabella Button Mushroom Agaricus bisporus in North America.

Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach mushrooms, which are cultivated commercially under environmentally controlled conditions, are the most valuable crop in Pennsylvania. In August 2011, we first observed a mucoraceous mold colonizing primordia and mature basidiocarps of a new brown portabella strain of A. bisporus at two commercial mushroom farms in Chester County, PA. This strain is a hybrid between a commercial strain producing white basidiocarps and a brown wild type isolate of A. bisporus. Mushrooms mature in weekly "flushes". By third flush, 25% of the production surface at both farms was colonized by a fast growing mycelium that was initially white, subsequently yellow to golden brown, and finally grayish. Mushrooms colonized by the mold showed pitting, discoloration, and necrosis. Two pure cultures of the mold were obtained by the hyphal tip method from mature, necrotic basidiocarps at each farm. These isolates were accessioned in the ARS Culture Collection (NRRL, Peoria, IL) as NRRL 54814 to 54815 and 54818 to 54819. The cultures produced abundant aerial sporangiophores that branched dichotomously on potato dextrose agar. Light microscopic examination revealed that each branch terminated in a globose, multispored sporangium with a conspicuous columella. Individual cultures of NRRL 54818 and 54819 produced large (175 to 250 × 200 to 250 µm), barrel-shaped, dark brown to black zygosporangia between opposed suspensors, indicating they were homothallic. Morphological and cultural characteristics of the mold matched the description of Syzygites megalocarpus (3), a member of the Mucorales reported to colonize diverse, mostly fleshy basidiomycetes (2), including cultivated matsutake (Tricholoma matsutake) in Korea (1). Molecular phylogenetic confirmation of the morphological identification was obtained by PCR amplifying and sequencing domains D1 and D2 at the 5' end of the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (LSU rDNA). The four isolates shared an identical LSU rDNA allele. A search of the NCBI nucleotide database, using a partial LSU rDNA sequence from NRRL 54814 as the BLAST query, revealed that it shared 99.5% identity with AF157216.1, a reference isolate of S. megalocarpus NRRL 6288 (3). To assess whether cultures of S. megalocarpus could induce the disease, caps of portabella and white button mushrooms were inoculated with 3.7 × 106 sporangiospores. When incubated in moist chambers at 21 to 22°C with a 12-h photoperiod, disease symptoms developed in 2 to 3 days on portabella that included discoloration and pitting at the site of inoculation. S. megalocarpus was reisolated from the symptomatic mushrooms and produced a colony identical to the original. By comparison, white button mushrooms inoculated with S. megalocarpus, using the same method, only showed minor pitting and discoloration. Disease symptoms were not observed on mushrooms inoculated with water as a negative control. Although development of new commercial varieties derived using "wild" genetically diverse stocks is an effective way to introduce desirable traits into cultivated mushrooms, it carries the risk of introducing new diseases into the industry. References: (1) K.-H. Ka et al. Korean J. Mycology 27:345, 1999. (2) R. L. Kovacs and W. J. Sundberg. Trans. Il. State Acad. Sci. 92:181, 1999. (3) K. O'Donnell. Zygomycetes in culture. Palfrey Contributions in Botany. No. 2. Department of Botany, University of Georgia, Athens, 1979.

Atmospheric freeze drying for the reduction of powder electrostatics of amorphous, low density, high surface area pharmaceutical powders.

Amorphous itraconazole (ITZ) was prepared by Thin Film Freezing (TFF) utilizing 1,4-dioxane as the solvent with subsequent solvent removal via conventional tray lyophilization (ITZ LYO) or atmospheric freeze drying (ITZ AFD). ITZ AFD was prepared under various drying conditions to assess the influence of drying parameters on powder properties. XRD analysis confirmed all products were amorphous and DSC analysis revealed both drying processes resulted in the formation of the nematic mesophase of ITZ. SEM revealed a larger pore size and agglomerate size with fewer fine particles (i.e. less than 10 microns in diameter) for ITZ AFD compared to ITZ LYO. Residual solvent analysis revealed a primary drying temperature of -10°C resulted in residual solvent levels above the acceptable limits set by the International Conference on Harmonization as a result of microcollapse. Primary drying temperatures of less than -10°C resulted in acceptable residual solvent levels. The extent of microcollapse did not alter the macrostructure of the resulting powder. Powder flowability was determined to be similar for ITZ AFD and ITZ LYO based on Carr's index and the Hausner ratio, as well as by dynamic angle of repose. All powders displayed poor flowability. Chargeability measurements demonstrated a lower charge transfer for ITZ AFD powders compared to ITZ LYO due to a combination of factors including differences in residual solvent level, particle size, pore size, surface area, and fine particles content. The reduction in chargeability as a result of AFD is highly desirable because it allows for improved powder handling and use post-production.

Unexpected intraoperative hypotension in a chronic cocaine user.

It is not uncommon for patients to present for procedures under anaesthesia with a history of recent cocaine use. The acute effects of cocaine toxicity are well documented, but the pathophysiological changes caused by chronic use are complex and can result in unexpected cardiovascular responses and interactions with anaesthetic agents. In this case report, we describe an episode of hypotension under general anaesthesia, likely due to catecholamine depletion, an unusual but significant consequence of chronic cocaine use. It should be treated with intravenous fluids and direct-acting vasopressors such as phenylephrine or noradrenaline, as they are likely to be more effective than indirect acting agents. As the prevalence of cocaine use continues to increase, anaesthesia providers need to not only be familiar with the treatment of acute cocaine toxicity, but also to anticipate and manage the cardiovascular changes associated with chronic use of this drug.