Sclerotia degradation by Trichoderma-mycoparasitic; an effective and sustainable trend in the drop lettuce disease control caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

Controlling the hazard of sclerotia produced by the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is very complex, and it is urgent to adopt an effective method that is harmonious environmentally to control the disease. Among the six isolates isolated from the rhizosphere of lettuce, the isolate HZA84 demonstrated a high activity in its antagonism towards Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vitro, and produces siderophore. By amplification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α), and RNA polymerase II subunit (RPB2) genes, the isolate HZA84 was identified as Trichoderma asperellum, which was confirmed by analysis of phylogenetic tree. The Scanning electron microscope monitoring detected that the isolate HZA84 spread over the sclerotial surface, thus, damaging, decomposing, and distorting the globular cells of the outer cortex of the sclerotia. The Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis disclosed the overexpression of two genes (chit33 and chit37) encoding the endochitinase in addition to one gene (prb1) encoding the proteinase during 4 and 8 days of the parasitism behavior of isolate HZA84 on the sclerotia surface. These enzymes aligned together in the sclerotia destruction by hyperparasitism. On the other hand, the pots trial revealed that spraying of isolate HZA84 reduced the drop disease symptoms of lettuce. The disease severity was decreased by 19.33 and the biocontrol efficiency was increased by 80.67% within the fourth week of inoculation. These findings magnify the unique role of Trichoderma in disrupting the development of plant diseases in sustainable ways.

Prevalence of hypertension links with body mass index by academic population in Babylon city.

Many risk factors have been listed that predispose to the occurrence of high blood pressure (BP). Although high body mass index (BMI) is a recognized risk factor for hypertension, the cutoff value for the high BMI was not taken into consideration as a predictor risk. There is no clear data on the occurrence of hypertension in Iraq in the highly educated population. Moreover, studies on hypertension in Iraq have been limited to a few studies. To assess and study the prevalence of BP in the academic population of Babylon city, a prospective study of 100 people was conducted. In the course of 3 months, during their work at the university in the morning, the questionnaire was filled out along with the body weight measurement. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to measure the maximum area under the curve for the BMI score. Outcomes demonstrated that despite the high level of education, the prevalence of hypertension remains unacceptable. Awareness raising about the risk factors should be addressed through ongoing health education in health sectors and media. BMI of more than 25 could be considered a predictable risk value.

A computational study of structural analysis of Class I human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) variants: Elaborating the correlation to chronic non-spherocytic hemolytic anemia (CNSHA).

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common human enzyme defect that affects more than 500 million people worldwide. Individuals affected with G6PD deficiency may occasionally suffer mild-to-severe chronic hemolytic anemia. Chronic non-spherocytic hemolytic anemia (CNSHA) is a potential result of the Class I G6PD variants. This comparative computational study attempted to correct the defect in variants structure by docking the AG1 molecule to selected Class I G6PD variants [G6PDNashville (Arg393His), G6PDAlhambra (Val394Leu), and G6PDDurham (Lys238Arg)] at the dimer interface and structural NADP+ binding site. It was followed by an analysis of the enzyme conformations before and after binding to the AG1 molecule using the molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) approach, while the severity of CNSHA was determined via root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, radius of gyration (Rg), solvent accessible surface area analysis (SASA), and principal component analysis (PCA). The results revealed that G6PDNashville (Arg393His) and G6PDDurham (Lys238Arg) had lost the direct contact with structural NADP+ and salt bridges at Glu419 - Arg427 and Glu206 - Lys407 were disrupted in all selected variants. Furthermore, the AG1 molecule re-stabilized the enzyme structure by restoring the missing interactions. Bioinformatics approaches were also used to conduct a detailed structural analysis of the G6PD enzyme at a molecular level to understand the implications of these variants toward enzyme function. Our findings suggest that despite the lack of treatment for G6PDD to date, AG1 remains a novel molecule that promotes activation in a variety of G6PD variants.

Current trends and future perspectives of nanomedicine for the management of colon cancer.

Colon cancer (CC) kills countless people every year throughout the globe. It persists as one of the highly lethal diseases to be treated because the overall survival rate for CC is meagre. Early diagnosis and efficient treatments are two of the biggest hurdles in the fight against cancer. In the present work, we will review thriving strategies for CC targeted drug delivery and critically explain the most recent progressions on emerging novel nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems. Nanotechnology-based animal and human clinical trial studies targeting CC are discussed. Advancements in nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems intended to enhance cellular uptake, improved pharmacokinetics and effectiveness of anticancer drugs have facilitated the powerful targeting of specific agents for CC therapy. This review provides insight into current progress and future opportunities for nanomedicines as potential curative targets for CC treatment. This information could be used as a platform for the future expansion of multi-functional nano constructs for CC's advanced detection and functional drug delivery.

Inherited Bleeding Disorders in Pediatric Patients; experience of the national referral center in Iraq.

BACKGROUND: Inherited bleeding disorders can lead to lifelong bleeding; they are mainly caused by quantitative or qualitative defect of coagulation factors, von Willebrand factor (VWF) or platelets. No published data are available about the different types of inherited bleeding disorders in Iraq. OBJECTIVES: To describe types, severity and presentation of inherited bleeding disorders in pediatric patients in the major referral center in Iraq. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a cohort prospective descriptive study conducted at the National Center of Hematology, a referral center for bleeding disorders in Baghdad-Iraq, from January 2015 to December 2019. One hundred ninety-one patients, aged 1 day to 14 years, with suspected inherited bleeding disorder are included in this study. Each patient was interviewed, accompanied by a chaperone, mostly parent(s), with revision of personal and familial bleeding history, conducting a brief medical examination, and withdrawing blood for complete blood count, peripheral blood film, bleeding time, PT and APTT. Further investigations including mixing studies, lupus anticoagulant, clotting factor activity, VWF:antigen (VWF:Ag), VWF: Ristocetin cofactor (VWF:RiCof) and platelet function tests using light transmission aggregometry were performed only if indicated. RESULTS: The mean ± 1SD of age of patients is 5.3 ± 3 years, with a male:female ratio of 1.3:1. Family history of a similar bleeding disorder is recorded in 44.9% patients (P < 0.05). Consanguineous marriage was observed in 70.8% of the families (P < 0.001). The most prevalent inherited bleeding disorder is von Willebrand disease (VWD) (43.9%), of which type 3 is the most common (86.9%). Thrombasthenia is the second most prevalent (39.8%) inherited bleeding disorder; of these, the majority have Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (82.9%). Hemophilia A is found in 9.4% of patients. CONCLUSION: Type 3 VWD, Glanzmann's thrombasthenia and hemophilia A are the most common inherited bleeding disorders in the central part of Iraq, collectively they constitute >86% of patients. Consanguineous marriage should be discouraged in our society to decrease hereditary bleeding disorders. Also, there is a need to increase awareness and knowledge of bleeding disorders to improve early identification, mitigate the risk of further bleeding and prevent complications.

Recent Advances and Implication of Bioengineered Nanomaterials in Cancer Theranostics.

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death and affects millions of lives every year. In addition to non-infectious carcinogens, infectious agents contribute significantly to increased incidence of several cancers. Several therapeutic techniques have been used for the treatment of such cancers. Recently, nanotechnology has emerged to advance the diagnosis, imaging, and therapeutics of various cancer types. Nanomaterials have multiple advantages over other materials due to their small size and high surface area, which allow retention and controlled drug release to improve the anti-cancer property. Most cancer therapies have been known to damage healthy cells due to poor specificity, which can be avoided by using nanosized particles. Nanomaterials can be combined with various types of biomaterials to make it less toxic and improve its biocompatibility. Based on these properties, several nanomaterials have been developed which possess excellent anti-cancer efficacy potential and improved diagnosis. This review presents the latest update on novel nanomaterials used to improve the diagnostic and therapeutic of pathogen-associated and non-pathogenic cancers. We further highlighted mechanistic insights into their mode of action, improved features, and limitations.

Pharmacotherapeutic options for kidney disease in HIV positive patients.

INTRODUCTION: Since the developmentof combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV-associated mortality and the incidence of HIV-associated end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has decreased. However, in the United States, an increase in non-HIV-associated kidney diseases within the HIV-positive population is expected. AREAS COVERED: In this review, the authors highlight the risk factors for kidney disease within an HIV-positive population and provide the current recommendations for risk stratification and for the monitoring of its progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD), as well as, treatment. The article is based on literature searches using PubMed, Medline and SCOPUS. EXPERT OPINION: The authors recommend clinicians (1) be aware of early cART initiation to prevent and treat HIV-associated kidney diseases, (2) be aware of cART side effects and discriminate those that may become more nephrotoxic than others and require dose-adjustment in the setting of eGFR ≤ 30ml/min/1.73m2, (3) follow KDIGO guidelines regarding screening and monitoring for CKD with a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, (4) manage other co-infections and comorbidities, (5) consider changing cART if drug induced toxicity is established with apparent eGFR decline of ≥ 10ml/min/1.73m2 or rising creatinine (≥0.5mg/dl) during drug-drug interactions, and (6) strongly consider kidney transplant in appropriately selected individuals with end stage kidney failure.

Presentation and diagnosis of patients with type 3 von Willebrand disease in resources-limited laboratory.

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is a bleeding disorder that results from decreased von Willebrand factor (VWF) activity <0.30 iu/mL. Therefore, the diagnosis of type 3 VWD in patients with bleeding requires finding a VWF:Ag and/or VWF:platelet ristocetin cofactor (RiCof) <0.03 iu/mL, no further testing is usually necessary. This is a cohort study that included 64 patients with type 3 VWD who were presented and diagnosed at the National Center of Hematology (NCH) from October 2014 to October 2016. In this study the sensitivity of VWF:Ag is only 78%, the sensitivity of VWF:RiCof is 92% of diagnosed cases. From our results it can be concluded that patients with type 3 VWD are usually presented with moderate/severe mucocutaneous bleeding that is associated with prolonged bleeding time test of >10 min and a family history of similar type of bleeding. This fact was frequently utilized to provisionally diagnose several members of the same family, forming a cohort of patients that is larger than the number of objectively-diagnosed patients included in this study, when they cannot afford to be all tested with VWF:Ag/VWF:RiCof.

Multicentre retrospective study of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma treated at academic institutions within the United States.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare entity, with a generally aggressive course that may vary based on geographic presentation. While a United States (US) registry study showed relatively good outcomes with IVLBCL, clinicopathological and treatment data were unavailable. We performed a detailed retrospective review of cases identified at 8 US medical centres, to improve understanding of IVLBCL and inform management. We compiled data retrieved via an Institutional Review Board-approved review of IVLBCL cases identified from 1999 to 2015 at nine academic institutions across the US. We characterized the cohort's clinical status at time of diagnosis, presenting diagnostic and clinical features of the disease, treatment modalities used and overall prognostic data. Our cohort consisted of 54 patients with varying degrees of clinical features. Adjusting for age, better performance status at presentation was associated with increased survival time for the patients diagnosed in vivo (hazard ratio: 2·12, 95% confidence interval 1·28, 3·53). Based on the data we have collected, it would appear that the time interval to diagnosis is a significant contributor to outcomes of patients with IVLBCL.