Exploring the Efficacy of Biocontrol Microbes against the Fungal Pathogen Botryosphaeria dothidea JNHT01 Isolated from Fresh Walnut Fruit.

Biological control by antagonistic microorganisms are an effective and environmentally friendly approach in postharvest disease management. In order to develop a biocontrol agent for fresh walnut fruit preservation, the potential biocontrol effects of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens RD.006 and Hanseniaspora uvarum FA.006 against the main fungal pathogen of walnuts were evaluated. Botryosphaeria species showed the highest detection, and the JNHT01 strain showed the strongest pathogenicity. Bot. dothidea JNHT01 caused gray mold and brown rot on fresh walnuts, and its incidence rate reached 100% after an 8 days incubation. The growth of this fungal strain can be promoted by lighting, with a maximum growth rate achieved at a pH of 7 and at 28 °C. B. amyloliquefaciens RD.006 and H. uvarum FA.006 supernatants at a concentration of 1-15% v/v showed antifungal activity. The mycelial growth inhibition rates of Bot. dothidea JNHT01 were 23.67-82.61% for B. amyloliquefaciens RD.006 and 1.45-21.74% for H. uvarum FA.006. During Bot. dothidea JNHT01 growth, the biomass, nucleic acid leakage, and malondialdehyde content gradually increased, while the DPPH scavenging capacity and SOD activity decreased. The B. amyloliquefaciens RD.006 and H. uvarum FA.006 strains showed antifungal activity by damaging fungal cell membranes and reducing fungal antioxidant activity. Moreover, the antifungal effect of B. amyloliquefaciens RD.006 was higher than that of H. uvarum FA.006. Hence, the RD.006 strain of B. amyloliquefaciens can be considered a potential biocontrol agent for the management of postharvest walnut diseases caused by Bot. dothidea.

[Analysis of Gene Mutation Types of Thalassemia in Fuzhou Area of China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the gene mutation types and spectrum of α, ß-thalassemia in Fuzhou area of China. METHODS: Thalassemia gene screening was performed in the women receiving physical, prenatal, and pre-pregnancy examination, and the patients with suspected thalassemia in our hospital from July 2013 to March 2018.Genotypes of thalassem were detected by Gap-PCR and RDB-PCR. RESULTS: 1042 were positive among 2074 suspected cases with a positive rate of 50.24%; 618 cases were confirmed to be α-thalassemia and with a positive rate of 29.8%; 409 cases were confirmed to be ß-thalassemia with a positive rate of 19.72%. 15 cases were confirmed to be α-ß complex thalassemia with a positive rate of 0.72%. the --SEA/αα(76.54%) was the most common genotype among α-thalassemia, -α3.7/αα(10.03%) and -α4.2/αα(2.91%) in hot pursuit. In addition, IVS-II-55 (T->G) and IVS-II-119 (-G, +CTCGGCCC) were newly found alpha mutations; the IVS-2-654 (C→T) (40.83%) was the most common genotype among ß-thalassemia, CD41-42 (-TCTT) (35.94%) and CD17 (A→T) (9.78%) in hot pursuit. CONCLUSION: The genotype of thalassemia in Fuzhou area is highly heterogenic, --SEA/αα is the most common genotype among α-thalassemia, IVS-2-654 (C→T) is the most common genotype among ß-thalassemia, Meanwhile, two α-mutation sites are found in this study which were not reported in the Database of Human Hemoglobin Variants and Thalassemias.

Combined Effect of Polyphenol-Chitosan Coating and Irradiation on the Microbial and Sensory Quality of Carp Fillets.

Irradiation can extend the shelf-life of fish, but it may cause unacceptable change on quality. Since rose polyphenols have high antioxidant and antibacterial activities, this study evaluated the combined effect of polyphenol-chitosan coatings and irradiation (3 kGy) on the microbial and sensory qualities of carp fillets during storage at 4 °C. A dose of 3 kGy irradiation reduced the initial total viable counts (TVC) and psychrophiles, and increased the initial b* and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values. During storage, TBARS, TVC and psychrophiles of nonirradiated samples increased faster and were higher than those irradiated. Regardless of irradiation treatment, samples coated with chitosan containing rose polyphenols had lower TBARS, pH and bacteria than that in no coating or chitosan coating batches. Carp treated with combined treatment could preserve an acceptable sensory quality at the end of storage. The result indicated that polyphenol-chitosan coating combined with irradiation can maintain fish quality by preventing bacterial growth, oxidation, and changes in color and sensory acceptability.

Primary biliary cirrhosis degree assessment by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging and hepatic fibrosis indicators.

AIM: To evaluate the assessment of primary biliary cirrhosis degree by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) and hepatic fibrosis indicators. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients who developed liver cirrhosis secondary to primary biliary cirrhosis were selected as the observation group, with the degree of patient liver cirrhosis graded by Child-Pugh (CP) score. Sixty healthy individuals were selected as the control group. The four indicators of hepatic fibrosis were detected in all research objects, including hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type III collagen (PC III), and type IV collagen (IV-C). The liver parenchyma hardness value (LS) was then measured by ARFI technique. LS and the four indicators of liver fibrosis (HA, LN, PC III, and IV-C) were observed in different grade CP scores. The diagnostic value of LS and the four indicators of liver fibrosis in determining liver cirrhosis degree with PBC, whether used alone or in combination, were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: LS and the four indicators of liver fibrosis within the three classes (A, B, and C) of CP scores in the observation group were higher than in the control group, with C class > B class > A class; the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01). Although AUC values of LS within the three classes of CP scores were higher than in the four indicators of liver fibrosis, sensitivity and specificity were unstable. The ROC curves of LS combined with the four indicators of liver fibrosis revealed that: AUC and sensitivity in all indicators combined in the A class of CP score were higher than in LS alone, albeit with slightly decreased specificity; AUC and specificity in all indicators combined in the B class of CP score were higher than in LS alone, with unchanged sensitivity; AUC values (0.967), sensitivity (97.4%), and specificity (90%) of all indicators combined in the C class of CP score were higher than in LS alone (0.936, 92.1%, 83.3%). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic value of PBC cirrhosis degree in liver cirrhosis degree assessment by ARFI combined with the four indicators of serum liver fibrosis is of satisfactory effectiveness and has important clinical application value.