Outbreak of the South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, in the Chinese mainland: geographic and potential host range expansion.

BACKGROUND: In 2017 Tuta absoluta was identified as an invasive species in China. Due to its rapid geographic expansion and the severe crop damage it causes, T. absoluta poses a serious threat to China's tomato production industry. To determine its geographic distribution and host range, intensive surveys and routine monitoring were conducted across the Chinese mainland between 2018 and 2019. The population colonization coefficient (PCC; ratio of colonized sites and prefectures) and population occurrence index (POI; ratio of infested host species and PCCs) were calculated. RESULTS: In northwestern China, T. absoluta populations established in Xinjiang exhibited a medium PCC value (~0.03). In southwestern China, populations in Yunnan and its five neighboring provinces exhibited high (~0.50 in Yunnan and Guizhou), or low (<0.02 in Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, and Chongqing) PCC values. In the Chinese mainland, infestations of four crop plant species (tomato, eggplant, potato, and Chinese lantern) and two wild plant species (black nightshade and Dutch eggplant) were identified; tomatoes were infested in every colonized province. Chinese lantern and Dutch eggplant are potentially novel hosts. Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xinjiang experienced the most serious damage (POI). In southwestern China, observed damage significantly decreased with increased distance from the first discovery site of T. absoluta to the farthest county of an infested province increased. CONCLUSION: T. absoluta populations are well-established and could potentially spread to other regions of China. The present study helps to inform the establishment of better pest management guidelines and strategies in China and tomato-producing regions worldwide. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

A NOVEL PROGNOSTIC INDEX IN PATIENTS WITH RESECTABLE ESOPHAGEAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA: FIBRINOGEN/PREALBUMIN RATIO.

BACKGROUND: Fibrinogen (Fib) to albumin (ALB) fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio as a prognostic index for esophageal cancer has been confirmed. A novel prognostic index was initially proposed with fibrinogen to prealbumin ratio (FPR) in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to study the prognostic role of the novel prognostic index (FPR) in patients with resectable ESCC without any neoadjuvant treatment. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 372 resectable ESCC patients without any neoadjuvant treatment were included. The best cutoff values were selected by the receiver operating characteristic curves. Two Cox regression analyses with forward stepwise (one for categorical variables and the other for continuous variables) were used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). RESULTS: The best cutoff point was 0.014 for FPR. Patients with lower levels of FPR (≤0.014) had better CSS (50.7% vs. 18.0%, p < 0.001) and OS (48.0% vs. 17.6%, p < 0.001) than patients with higher levels of FPR (> 0.014). Multivariate Cox analyses (categorical and continuous) demonstrated that FPR was an independent prognostic factor in CSS (categorical: hazard ratio [HR]: 2.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.504-2.697, p < 0.001; continuous per 0.01: HR: 1.438, 95% CI: 1.154-1.793, p = 0.001) and OS (categorical: HR: 1.964, 95% CI: 1.475-2.617, p < 0.001; continuous per 0.01: HR: 1.429, 95% CI: 1.146-1.781, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that FPR served as an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable ESCC.

A novel prognostic index in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: fibrinogen/prealbumin ratio

ABSTRACT Background: Fibrinogen (Fib) to albumin (ALB) fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio as a prognostic index for esophageal cancer has been confirmed. A novel prognostic index was initially proposed with fibrinogen to prealbumin ratio (FPR) in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Objective: The objective of the study was to study the prognostic role of the novel prognostic index (FPR) in patients with resectable ESCC without any neoadjuvant treatment. Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 372 resectable ESCC patients without any neoadjuvant treatment were included. The best cutoff values were selected by the receiver operating characteristic curves. Two Cox regression analyses with forward stepwise (one for categorical variables and the other for continuous variables) were used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Results: The best cutoff point was 0.014 for FPR. Patients with lower levels of FPR (≤0.014) had better CSS (50.7% vs. 18.0%, p < 0.001) and OS (48.0% vs. 17.6%, p < 0.001) than patients with higher levels of FPR (> 0.014). Multivariate Cox analyses (categorical and continuous) demonstrated that FPR was an independent prognostic factor in CSS (categorical: hazard ratio [HR]: 2.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.504-2.697, p < 0.001; continuous per 0.01: HR: 1.438, 95% CI: 1.154-1.793, p = 0.001) and OS (categorical: HR: 1.964, 95% CI: 1.475-2.617, p < 0.001; continuous per 0.01: HR: 1.429, 95% CI: 1.146-1.781, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Our study indicated that FPR served as an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable ESCC.