Questionnaire survey and analysis of drug clinical research implementation capabilities of breast cancer treatment departments in Chinese hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Clinical research competence determines the quality of clinical research and the reliability of research findings. We aimed to explore the clinical research implementation capabilities of breast cancer treatment departments in China. METHODS: This was a department-based cross-sectional study conducted in the form of electronic questionnaires on the Wenjuanxing platform from 7th August to 31st August 2023 among hospitals from the first batch of breast cancer standardized diagnosis and treatment quality control pilot centers in China. RESULTS: A total of 127 questionnaires from 122 hospitals were ultimately included in the analysis. Medical personnel involved in the clinical research of 118 (92.9 %) departments received good clinical practice (GCP) training. The steps of the approval process from research initiation to completion lasted 2-4 weeks or longer. The majority of departments initiated or participated in 2 or fewer clinical research projects over the past year. Among the differences between different departments, the Department of Medical Oncology had a better qualification profile and process and greater number of initiated and participated clinical studies than did the Department of Surgical Oncology. For needs and problems, most of the departments were strongly willing to undertake clinical research and receive professional training; the most common problem in the process of conducting studies was patient recruitment. CONCLUSIONS: Most departments generally exhibited complete capabilities for implementing clinical research. Improvements in implementation efficiency, quality of research and patient recruitment are still needed. Professional training and communication, as well as the recommendation of clinical research, are required in future development.

Efficacy and safety of first-line regimens for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer: A Bayesian network meta-analysis.

Background: The current standard of care for advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer is pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and docetaxel as first-line therapy. However, with the development of newer treatment regimens, there is a lack of evidence regarding which is the optimal treatment strategy. The aim of this network meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line regimens for advanced HER2-positive breast cancer by indirect comparisons. Methods: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis were conducted. The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles published through to December 2023. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% credible interval (CrI) were used to compare progression-free survival (PFS) between treatments, and the odds ratio and 95% CrI were used to compare the objective response rate (ORR) and safety. Results: Twenty randomized clinical trials that included 15 regimens and 7094 patients were analyzed. Compared with the traditional trastuzumab and docetaxel regimen, PFS was longer on the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen (HR: 0.41, 95% CrI: 0.22-0.75) and the pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen (HR: 0.65, 95% CrI: 0.43-0.98). Consistent with the results for PFS, the ORR was better on the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen and the pertuzumab and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen than on the traditional trastuzumab and docetaxel regimen. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve indicated that the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen was most likely to rank first in achieving the best PFS and ORR. Comparable results were found for grade ≥3 AE rates of ≥10%. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the pyrotinib and trastuzumab plus docetaxel regimen is most likely to be the optimal first-line therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Virulent Fusarium isolates with diverse morphologies show similar invasion and colonization strategies in alfalfa.

Root rot is a major disease that causes decline of alfalfa production, and Fusarium is a major pathogen associated with root rot. In this study, 13 Fusarium isolates were obtained from alfalfa with root rot in Gansu Province, the major alfalfa production region in China. The isolates were characterized by molecular genotyping (ITS, TEF 1-α and RPB2 fragments) and identified as six species, which included the F. acuminatum, F. incarnatum, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. redolens, and F. solani. We found that their morphology varied significantly at both the macro- and micro-levels, even for those from the same species. We developed a low cost and fast pathogenicity test and revealed that all isolates were pathogenic to alfalfa with typical root rot symptoms such as leaf yellowing and brown lesions on the root and stem. However, the virulence of the isolates differed. We also found that the conidia of all isolates germinated as early as 24 hours post inoculation (hpi), while hyphae colonized the root extensively and invaded the xylem vessel by 48 hpi. Together our results reveal that different virulent Fusarium isolates use a similar invasion strategy in alfalfa. This natural plant-fungus pathosystem is intriguing and warrants further examination, particularly with regard to efforts aimed at mitigating the impact of multiple similar vascular pathogens on infected alfalfa plants.

A model-based sliding mode control with intelligent distribution for a proportional valve driven by digital valve arrays.

Parallel-connected digital valve arrays are commonly utilized in the pilot stage of the proportional directional valve to enhance dynamic performance and reliability. However, when the digital valve array is driven by a digital signal, it is difficult to optimally assign the signal pulses to each valve. If the assignment is not well executed, it can significantly reduce the switching uniformity of the digital valves or lead to performance degradation of the system. In this paper, a model-based sliding mode control strategy based on the intelligent distribution of control law is proposed and successfully applied to a proportional valve driven by digital valve arrays. The intelligent distribution strategy encompasses a logic distribution algorithm and a circular sliding distribution algorithm that automatically assigns control laws to different valves based on the rolling of the PWM signal cycle. Experimental results confirm that the proposed strategy not only simultaneously reduces the total number of valve switches and enhances the switching uniformity among the valves, but also adapts to the variation in the number of valves. The proposed strategy is not limited to the application of digital valve arrays, it is also applicable in other fields of multi-actuators driven by digital signals, and can simultaneously improve the control accuracy, lifetime, and maintenance friendliness.

Ultrasonic backscattering model for Rayleigh waves in polycrystals with Born and independent scattering approximations.

This paper presents theoretical and numerical models for the backscattering of 2D Rayleigh waves in single-phase, untextured polycrystalline materials with statistically equiaxed grains. The theoretical model, based on our prior inclusion-induced Rayleigh wave scattering model and the independent scattering approximation, considers single scattering of Rayleigh-to-Rayleigh (R-R) waves. The numerical finite element model is established to accurately simulate the scattering problem and evaluate the theoretical model. Good quantitative agreement is observed between the theoretical model and the finite element results, especially for weakly scattering materials. The agreement decreases with the increase of the anisotropy index, owing to the reduced applicability of the Born approximation. However, the agreement remains generally good when weak multiple scattering is involved. In addition, the R-R backscattering behaviour of 2D Rayleigh waves is similar to the longitudinal-to-longitudinal and transverse-to-transverse backscattering of bulk waves, with the former exhibiting stronger scattering. These findings establish a foundation for using Rayleigh waves in the quantitative characterisation of polycrystalline materials.

Shear Wave Ultrasound Inspection of Flaws in Silicon Wafers Using Focused Transducers.

Silicon parts can contain micrometer-sized vertical cracks that are challenging to detect. Inspection using high-frequency focused ultrasound has shown promise for detecting defects of this size and geometry. However, implementing focused ultrasound to inspect anisotropic media can prove challenging, given the directional dependence of wave propagation and subsequent focusing behavior. In this work, back surface-breaking defects at various orientations within silicon wafers (0°, 15°, and 45° relative to the [010] crystallographic axis) are experimentally inspected in an immersion tank setup. Using 100 MHz unfocused and focused shear waves, the impact of medium anisotropy on focusing and defect detection is evaluated. The scattering amplitude and defect detection sensitivity results demonstrate orientation-dependent patterns that strongly rely on the use of focused transducers. The defects along the 45° orientation reveal two-lobe scattering patterns with maximum amplitudes less than half that of the defects in the 0° orientation, which in contrast show a one-lobe scattering pattern. The experimental results are further explored using finite element (FE) modeling and ray tracing to visualize the impact of focusing on wave propagation within the silicon. Ray tracing results show that the focused beam profiles for the 45° and 0° orientations form a butterfly wing and elliptical focusing profile, respectively, which correspond directly to experimentally found scattering patterns from defects. Additionally, the FE scattering results from unfocused transducers reveal single lobe scattering for both 0° and 45° orientations, proving the varying scattering patterns to be driven by the anisotropic focusing behavior.

Complete genome sequence of Agrobacterium fabrum ARqua1.

We report the complete genome of Agrobacterium fabrum ARqua1 generated from Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing. The genome of ARqua1 has a total length of 5,714,310 bp, comprising a circular chromosome, a linear chromosome, and two plasmids. In total, 5,446 genes were predicted, of which 5,288 were annotated.

Safety and efficacy study of oral metronomic capecitabine combined with pyrotinib in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: A phase II trial.

PURPOSE: To analyze the safety and efficacy of orally administered metronomic capecitabine plus pyrotinib in HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, we conducted a prospective phase II study with a single-arm design. METHODS: HER2 positive patients received oral metronomic capecitabine 500 mg three times a day and pyrotinib 400 mg per day. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Other endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), clinical benefit rate (CBR) and safety. RESULTS: The study included 50 patients with MBC that was HER2-positive, while 1 patient was excluded due to nonstandard medication. The median PFS and OS was 11.9 months (95%CI 8.8-14.6) and 29.3 months (95%CI 24.4-34.8) respectively. ORR was 34.7%, and CBR was 81.6% with 2 CR (4.1%), 15 PR (30.6%) and 23 SD (46.9%). The mPFS in first- or second-line treatment was 12.2 months. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events included hand-foot syndrome, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. Grade 3 adverse events occurred in 15(30.6%) patients, including hand-foot syndrome (12.2%), diarrhea (12.2%), vomiting (4.1%), and nausea (2.0%). 1 grade 4 adverse event of diarrhea (2.0%) was observed. CONCLUSION: The combination of metronomic capecitabine and pyrotinib is a promising regimen with competitive efficacy and improved tolerability in HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer patients.

Analysis and identification of ferroptosis-related genes in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that ferroptosis is associated with the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, this study aimed to identify key ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) associated with the diagnosis of UC. METHODS: UC-related expression datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. First, Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify UC-related genes (UCRGs). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and UC groups were screened in GSE87466, and DEGs were subjected to an intersection analysis with FRGs and UCRGs to obtain ferroptosis-related DEGs (FR DEGs). Then a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed for FR DEGs. The hub genes were extracted based on the degree, Maximum Neighborhood Component (MNC), closeness, and Maximal Clique Centrality (MCC). Biomarkers with diagnostic values were screened by support vector machine (SVM) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithms. Next, the infiltration of immune cells was compared between UC and normal groups, and the correlation between different immune cells and diagnostic genes was analyzed. The biological functions, classical pathways, and intermolecular interaction networks of diagnostic genes were characterized utilizing ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA). Finally, a TF-mRNA network was constructed and potential small-molecule compounds were screened. RESULTS: Thirty-six FR DEGs were obtained, and these were enriched in biological processes such as positive regulation of cytokine production, cytokine-mediated signalling pathway, long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligase activity, etc. Among 18 hub genes, five genes (ALOX5, TIMP1, TNFAIP3, SOCS1, DUOX2) were captured with diagnostic values for UC, and they displayed significant differences between UC and normal groups. Sixteen immune cell infiltrates were significantly different between UC and normal groups, such as activated dendritic cells and resting dendritic cells. TNFAIP3 and ALOX5 were positively correlated with neutrophils, and TIMP1, SOCS1, ALOX5, and DUOX2 were negatively correlated with M2 macrophages. IPA showed that diagnostic genes were related to 43 function modules and activated 17 pathways. The constructed TF-mRNA regulatory network comprised three diagnostic genes and 17 differentially expressed TFs. Potential small-molecule compounds including helveticoside and cymarin were identified. CONCLUSION: Our findings yielded several promising FRGs for UC, providing a scientific reference for further studies on the pathogenesis of UC.

CDK4/6 inhibitors, PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, and HDAC inhibitors as second-line treatments for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to compare the benefits and safety of agents including Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as second-line treatments for these patients by conducting a comprehensive systematic review and network meta-analysis. METHODS: The Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched for randomized trials comparing CDK4/6 inhibitors, PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, or HDAC inhibitors vs. placebo with the addition of exemestane or fulvestrant as second-line treatments in patients with HR + advanced breast cancer up to December 16, 2021. Outcomes of interest were progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), clinical benefit rate (CBR), and grade 3-4 adverse drug events (ADEs). The present study was conducted according to the Cochrane Collaboration and PRISMA statements. The overall effect was pooled using the random effects model. RESULTS: Seventeen studies with a total of 9,100 participants were included in the current study. Compared with placebo plus fulvestrant, PFS was significantly improved by CDK4/6 inhibitor plus fulvestrant, mTOR inhibitor plus fulvestrant, mTOR inhibitor plus exemestane, and PI3K inhibitor plus fulvestrant, but not HDAC inhibitor plus exemestane. While mTOR inhibitor plus exemestane was the best regimen (SUCRA value 89.5%), the mTOR inhibitor plus exemestane regimen induced more severe adverse events (SAEs) than the HDAC inhibitor plus exemestane regimen [OR, 95% CI: 2.40 (1.40-4.10)]. CONCLUSION: mTOR inhibitor and CDK4/6 inhibitor-based regimens demonstrated superior clinical efficacy and comparable safety profiles as second-line treatment in patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer.

An evolutionary game analysis of digital currency innovation and regulatory coordination.

The innovation and regulatory coordination of digital currency is an important proposition in the new era of Fintech. There is increasing competition between traditional currencies and new digital currencies, so a spontaneous game model of currencies is analyzed. By introducing the role of financial coordination, this paper revises the evolutionary game model of digital currency innovation, and analyzes their competition strategies through case and simulation. The results show that: first, the dominant result of digital currency spontaneous game is that both parties tend to digital cooperation strategy. Second, with the introduction of financial regulation, the dominant result of digital currency tripartite evolutionary game is that financial institutions tend to participate in coordination and both currency parties tend to cooperate. Third, the choice strategy of currency is more sensitive to the changes of willingness to participate in cooperation, cooperation costs and cooperation benefits of financial coordination. The selection strategy of financial coordination institutions for digital currency is more influenced by changes in cooperation costs and incentive return in the process of participating in cooperation.

Evaluating robustness of a generalized linear model when applied to electronic health record data accessed using an Open API.

The Integrated Clinical and Environmental Exposures Service (ICEES) provides open regulatory-compliant access to clinical data, including electronic health record data, that have been integrated with environmental exposures data. While ICEES has been validated in the context of an asthma use case and several other use cases, the regulatory constraints on the ICEES open application programming interface (OpenAPI) result in data loss when using the service for multivariate analysis. In this study, we investigated the robustness of the ICEES OpenAPI through a comparative analysis, in which we applied a generalized linear model (GLM) to the OpenAPI data and the constraint-free source data to examine factors predictive of asthma exacerbations. Consistent with previous studies, we found that the main predictors identified by both analyses were sex, prednisone, race, obesity, and airborne particulate exposure. Comparison of GLM model fit revealed that data loss impacts model quality, but only with select interaction terms. We conclude that the ICEES OpenAPI supports multivariate analysis, albeit with potential data loss that users should be aware of.

Theoretical and numerical modeling of Rayleigh wave scattering by an elastic inclusion.

This work presents theoretical and numerical models for the backscattering of two-dimensional Rayleigh waves by an elastic inclusion, with the host material being isotropic and the inclusion having an arbitrary shape and crystallographic symmetry. The theoretical model is developed based on the reciprocity theorem using the far-field Green's function and the Born approximation, assuming a small acoustic impedance difference between the host and inclusion materials. The numerical finite element (FE) model is established to deliver a relatively accurate simulation of the scattering problem and to evaluate the approximations of the theoretical model. Quantitative agreement is observed between the theoretical model and the FE results for arbitrarily shaped surface/subsurface inclusions with isotropic/anisotropic properties. The agreement is excellent when the wavelength of the Rayleigh wave is larger than, or comparable to, the size of the inclusion, but it deteriorates as the wavelength gets smaller. Also, the agreement decreases with the anisotropy index for inclusions of anisotropic symmetry. The results lay the foundation for using Rayleigh waves for quantitative characterization of surface/subsurface inclusions, while also demonstrating its limitations.

Erratum: Transcriptional Downregulation of miR-4306 serves as a New Therapeutic Target for Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Erratum.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/thno.30701.].

Survival benefit and biomarker analysis of pyrotinib or pyrotinib plus capecitabine for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: a pooled analysis of two phase I studies.

BACKGROUND: Pyrotinib, a novel irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has demonstrated promising antitumor activity to improve the overall response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, the survival data of pyrotinib or pyrotinib plus capecitabine in HER2-positive MBC remains scarce. Thus, we summarized the updated individual patient data from the phase I trials of pyrotinib or pyrotinib plus capecitabine, to provide a cumulative assessment on long-term outcomes and associated biomarker analysis of irreversible TKIs in HER2-positive MBC patients. METHODS: We performed a pooled analysis of the phase I trials for pyrotinib or pyrotinib plus capecitabine based on the updated survival data from individual patients. Next-generation sequencing was performed on circulating tumor DNA for predictive biomarkers. RESULTS: A total of 66 patients were enrolled, including 38 patients from the phase Ib trial for pyrotinib and 28 patients from the phase Ic trial for pyrotinib plus capecitabine. The median follow-up duration was 84.2 months (95% CI: 74.7-93.7 months). The estimated median PFS in the entire cohort was 9.2 months (95% CI: 5.4-12.9 months) and median OS was 31.0 months (95% CI: 16.5-45.5 months). The median PFS was 8.2 months in the pyrotinib monotherapy cohort and 22.1 months in the pyrotinib plus capecitabine group, while the median OS was 27.1 months in the pyrotinib monotherapy group and 37.4 months in the pyrotinib plus capecitabine group. Biomarker analysis suggested that the patients harbored concomitant mutations from multiple pathways in HER2-related signaling network (HER2 bypass signaling pathways, PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway and TP53) were observed with significantly poorer PFS and OS when compared to those with none or one genetic alteration (median PFS, 7.3 vs. 26.1 months, P = 0.003; median OS, 25.1 vs. 48.0 months, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The updated survival results based on individual patient data from the phase I trials of pyrotinib-based regimen revealed promising PFS and OS in HER2-positive MBC. Concomitant mutations from multiple pathways in HER2-related signaling network may be a potential efficacy and prognosis biomarker for pyrotinib in HER2-positive MBC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov. (NCT01937689, NCT02361112).

Inhibition of IGF2BP1 attenuates renal injury and inflammation by alleviating m6A modifications and E2F1/MIF pathway.

Septic acute kidney injury (AKI) is characterized by inflammation. Pyroptosis often occurs during AKI and is associated with the development of septic AKI. This study found that induction of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) to a higher level can induce pyroptosis in renal tubular cells. Meanwhile, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a subunit of NLRP3 inflammasomes, was essential for IGF2BP1-induced pyroptosis. A putative m6A recognition site was identified at the 3'-UTR region of E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) mRNA via bioinformatics analyses and validated using mutation and luciferase experiments. Further actinomycin D (Act D) chase experiments showed that IGF2BP1 stabilized E2F1 mRNA dependent on m6A. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicated that E2F1 acted as a transcription factor to promote MIF expression. Thus, IGF2BP1 upregulated MIF through directly upregulating E2F1 expression via m6A modification. Experiments on mice with cecum ligation puncture (CLP) surgery verified the relationships between IGF2BP1, E2F1, and MIF and demonstrated the significance of IGF2BP1 in MIF-associated pyroptosis in vivo. In conclusion, IGF2BP1 was a potent pyroptosis inducer in septic AKI through targeting the MIF component of NLRP3 inflammasomes. Inhibiting IGF2BP1 could be an alternate pyroptosis-based treatment for septic AKI.

Association between depression and anxiety status of breast cancer patients before adjuvant chemotherapy and chemotherapy-induced adverse events.

PURPOSE: Patients with breast cancer are more likely to experience psychological distress than the general population. This study aimed to explore the relationship between depression and anxiety status measured before chemotherapy and adverse events during adjuvant chemotherapy in Chinese breast cancer patients. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on 290 postoperative early-stage breast cancer patients (response rate 96.7%) in China. Depression and anxiety status before adjuvant chemotherapy were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Adverse events that occurred throughout the course of chemotherapy were graded and recorded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) 4.02. RESULTS: The rates of depression and anxiety were 20.0% and 31.4%, respectively, at baseline. The incidence of grade two or higher myelosuppression induced by chemotherapy was correlated with depression before chemotherapy (p = 0.037). Multivariate analysis showed that the incidence of myelosuppression was significantly related to depression before chemotherapy (p = 0.032). There was no association between depression and anxiety status and other adverse events (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We observed an association between depression status in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. Monitoring the depression status of breast cancer patients before chemotherapy may help to optimize the management of adverse events.

First Report of Leaf Spot on Stephania tetrandra Caused by Albifimbria verrucaria in China.

Stephania tetrandra S. Moore belongs to the family Menispermaceae and is a Chinese medicinal plant widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. The root can be used for a variety of treatments (Jiang et al. 2020). In August 2021, leaf spot symptoms were observed on S. tetrandra cultivated in Jiangxi (114.456E, 27.379N, southern China). The disease symptoms included a slight constriction of the leaves, with irregularly shaped brown to black spots with well-defined borders. Severely affected leaves were shed by the plant. In order to determine the cause, symptomatic leaves were surface-disinfested with 0.6% NaOCl for 2 min, and rinsed twice in sterile water, then incubated on moist paper towels at 26°C in the dark for 2 days. Cream-colored sporodochia were observed within the leaf spots, turning dark green to black within 16 hours. A slow-growing white fungus was isolated from 95% of the samples (n = 30) on PDA. Dark green sporodochia emerged after 7 to 10 days of incubation, and released tip-end oval, non-septate, hyaline conidia measuring 6.7 to 8.5 µm (mean 7.5 µm, n = 50) by 2.0 to 3.3 µm (mean 2.7 µm, n = 50). Concentric rings were interspersed with sporodochia on the continually incubated mycelium. The morphological characteristics of the isolates matched the description of Albifimbria (Lombard et al. 2016). Nucleotide sequences, amplified from isolate FJL5C using primers of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (White et al. 1990), calmodulin (cmdA; Carbone and Kohn 1999), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2; O'Donnell et al. 2007), were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers OM317911, OM386815, and OM386816. A BLASTn analysis of the sequences showed 100% identity with the type strain CBS 328.52 (Lombard et al. 2016) of Albifimbria verrucaria (syn. Myrothecium verrucaria) for ITS, and 99% for cmdA and rpb2 (KU845893, KU845875, and KU845931, respectively). A phylogenetic tree generated using the three sequences showed that the isolate from S. tetrandra grouped with the A. verrucaria isolates, but away from other species of Albifimbria. These results together with the lack of a pale luteus exudate produced by A. viridis (Lombard et al. 2016) implied that the isolate was A. verrucaria. The culture was deposited in Guangdong Microbial Culture Collection Center (GDMCC 3.716). To verify pathogenicity, conidial suspension (106 conidia/mL in 0.05% Tween 20 solution) was sprayed onto six healthy plants. Six other plants sprayed with the Tween 20 solution alone served as controls. All plants were incubated in the dark at 26°C and 95% humidity for 30 hours, then transferred to a greenhouse at 26°C and 12 hours of illumination per day for 2 to 3 days. Inoculated leaves developed similar symptoms to those described above, whereas control plants remained healthy. The same pathogen was isolated from the diseased leaves, with the same morphological and molecular traits as those from the field plants. This experiment fulfilled Koch's postulates and confirmed that A. verrucaria causes leaf spots on S. tetrandra. This pathogen has been reported to cause disease in a wide range of weeds, legumes, and crop plants (Herman et al. 2020). To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. verrucaria causing leaf spots on S. tetrandra in natural or controlled environments. The disease can seriously threaten S. tetrandra on growth and yield loss.