Whole-genome sequencing and comparative genome analysis of Xanthomonas fragariae YM2 causing angular leaf spot disease in strawberry.

Background: Angular leaf spot disease caused by plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas fragariae seriously threatens strawberry crop production globally. Methods: In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of X. fragariae YM2, isolated from Yunnan Province, China. In addition, we performed a comparative genome analysis of X. fragariae YM2 with two existing strains of X. fragariae YL19 and SHQP01 isolated from Liaoning and Shanghai, respectively. Results: The results of Nanopore sequencing showed that X. fragariae YM2 comprises one single chromosome with a contig size of 4,263,697 bp, one plasmid contig size of 0.39 Mb, a GC content ratio of 62.27%, and 3,958 predicted coding genes. The genome of YM2 comprises gum, hrp, rpf, and xps gene clusters and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which are typical virulence factors in Xanthomonas species. By performing a comparative genomic analysis between X. fragariae strains YM2, YL19, and SHQP01, we found that strain YM2 is similar to YL19 and SHQP01 regarding genome size and GC contents. However, there are minor differences in the composition of major virulence factors and homologous gene clusters. Furthermore, the results of collinearity analysis demonstrated that YM2 has lower similarity and longer evolutionary distance with YL19 and SHQP01, but YL19 is more closely related to SHQP01. Conclusions: The availability of this high-quality genetic resource will serve as a basic tool for investigating the biology, molecular pathogenesis, and virulence of X. fragariae YM2. In addition, unraveling the potential vulnerabilities in its genetic makeup will aid in developing more effective disease suppression control measures.

Crop Rotation with Marigold Promotes Soil Bacterial Structure to Assist in Mitigating Clubroot Incidence in Chinese Cabbage.

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is an economically important soilborne disease of Chinese cabbage worldwide. Integrated biological control through crop rotation is considered a good disease management approach to suppress the incidence of soilborne diseases. In this study, we evaluated the effect of a marigold plant (root exudates, crude extract, and powder) on the germination and death of resting spores of P. brassicae in vitro assays. Additionally, we also performed 16S high throughput sequencing, to investigate the impact of marigold-Chinese cabbage crop rotation on soil bacterial community composition, to manage this devastating pathogen. This study revealed that the marigold root exudates, crude extract, and powder significantly promoted the germination and death of P. brassicae resting spores. Under field conditions, marigold-Chinese cabbage crop rotation with an empty period of at least 15 days enhanced the germination of P. brassicae resting spores, shifted the rhizosphere bacterial community composition, and suppressed the incidence of clubroot by up to 63.35%. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia were the most dominant phyla and were present at high relative levels in the rhizosphere soil of Chinese cabbage. We concluded that crop rotation of Chinese cabbage with marigold can significantly reduce the incidence of clubroot disease in the next crop. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study on the prevention and control of clubroot disease in Chinese cabbage through crop rotation with marigold.

Spontaneous bleeding from an unusual renal mass: A case of gestational choriocarcinoma related to previous pregnancy over a decade earlier.

Gestational choriocarcinoma is an uncommon trophoblastic malignancy, occurring in females after pregnancy, which is rarely encountered by urologists. It can be rapidly progressive, however metastases to other organs can occur after a prolonged latency period. We describe a rare case of solitary metastatic gestational choriocarcinoma presenting with spontaneous bleeding from a renal mass, over a decade after the associated pregnancy with a presumed sub-clinical primary tumour. This case demonstrates the importance of recognising gestational choriocarcinoma as a potential differential diagnosis of spontaneous bleeding renal mass in females of child-bearing age as a urologist given the often-aggressive nature of the disease.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Significance of Body Mass Index on Kidney Cancer Outcomes.

PURPOSE: Obesity is a well-known risk factor for kidney cancer incidence. However, a number of studies have demonstrated more favorable kidney cancer prognosis in patients with elevated body mass index conferring a survival advantage, termed the "obesity paradox." We aimed to evaluate the association between body mass index and kidney cancer outcomes (progression-free survival, cancer specific survival and overall survival). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A computerized systematic search of Medline®, Embase®, ProQuest®, PubMed® and Google Scholar™ for literature published in English was performed between its inception and December 2018, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used for reporting. RESULTS: Overall, 34 publications comprising a total of 50,717 patients were included in the analysis. The majority assessed the association between body mass index and cancer specific survival. Overweight and obese patients were associated with improved cancer specific survival compared to patients with normal body mass index (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79-0.93). A similar trend was demonstrated for progression-free survival (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.59-0.78) and overall survival (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.55-0.79). On the contrary, the underweight group was associated with inferior cancer specific survival (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.15-4.04). Main drawbacks limiting the interpretation were the retrospective design in the majority of studies, heterogeneity in study population, body mass index classification and covariates in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest systematic review evaluating the potential phenomenon of the obesity paradox in kidney cancer outcomes. It demonstrated a favorable effect of body mass index on kidney cancer outcomes. However, due to significant heterogeneity of studies, multicenter prospective studies and further research on the fundamental biological mechanisms are warranted to confirm the significance of body mass index on kidney cancer prognosis.

Metachronous ureteral metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma in a duplex collecting system 1 year after nephrectomy.

While renal cell carcinoma is known to metastasise in an unpredictable pattern, even after resection of a primary tumour, delayed ureteric metastasis is a very rarely reported phenomenon. In this case report, we describe a case of ipsilateral metachronous ureteric metastasis in a patient with a complete duplex collecting system. This case demonstrates some useful strategies in the diagnosis and treatment of renal cell carcinoma in this context. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of delayed ureteric metastasis of a renal clear cell carcinoma in a patient with a duplex collecting system.

A Rare Case of Extensive Unilateral Ureteritis Cystica.

Ureteritis cystica is rare, benign entity that associates with chronic urothelial irritation such as recurrent urinary tract infection or nephrolithiasis. It is often diagnosed incidentally on routine imaging or ureteroscopy in asymptomatic individuals. In this case report, we present the retrograde pyelogram and ureteroscopy images of a rare case of extensive unilateral ureteritis cystica in a 78-year-old female presenting for elective stone surgery.