First Report of Blueberry red ringspot virus Infecting Highbush Blueberry in Korea

Blueberry red ringspot virus (BRRSV) of the Soymovirus genus in the family Caulimovididae causes red ringspot diseases in highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) on leaves, stems, and fruits. The virus has been identified in the United States, Japan, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Poland (1). In July 2010, highbush blueberry with red ringspots on leaves and circular blotches on ripening fruits was found in one plant of cv. Duke in Pyeongtaek, Korea. The symptoms were similar to red ringspot disease caused by BRRSV (3), although stems did not show any characteristic symptoms. Red ringspots on the upper surface of leaves were the most visible symptom and became more prominent as leaves matured in August through October. Leaves of the symptomatic plant were collected and tested for BRRSV infection by PCR, and were also embedded for electron microscopy. DNA was extracted from leaves using DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Primer pairs BR1512F/BR2377R (5'-ACAGGACGATTAGAAGATGG-3'/5'-CCTTTAGGGCAATATTTCTG-3', amplifying a fragment of the coat protein region with an expected size of 865 bp) and BR2961F/BR3726R (5'-ACCGATACATCACAGTTCAC-3'/5'-TGGTTGTGATAAGATGATTCC-3', amplifying a fragment of the reverse transcriptase region with an expected size of 766 bp) were used to amplify the indicated region of BRRV in PCR. Primers were designed on the basis of the BRRSV isolate from New Jersey (GenBank Accession No. AF404509). DNA fragments of the expected sizes were obtained from the symptomatic plant, while no amplification products were obtained from highbush blueberry without symptoms. The PCR products were cloned into pGEM-T easy vector (Promega, Madison, WI) and sequenced. BLAST analyses of obtained fragments revealed 91 to 98% nucleotide sequence identity with the coat protein gene (GenBank Accession No. JQ706341) and 96 to 98% nucleotide sequence identity with the reverse transcriptase gene (GenBank Accession No. JQ706340) of known BRRV isolates. Electron microscopy of thin sections revealed particles approximately 50 nm diameter within electron-dense inclusion bodies, characteristic of BRRSV (2) To our knowledge, this is the first report of BRRSV infection of highbush blueberry in Korea. Highbush blueberries are usually propagated by cutting, so BRRSV suspicious plants should be tested with PCR before they are propagated. References: (1) E. Kalinowska et al. Virus Genes. DOI 10.1007/s11262-011-0679-4, 2011. (2) K. S. Kim et al. Phytopathology 71:673, 1981. (3) M. Isogai et al. J. Gen. Plant Pathol. 75:140, 2009.

Accumulation of potentially toxic elements in road deposited sediments in residential and light industrial neighborhoods of Singapore

Road deposited sediments (RDS) are a valuable environmental medium for characterizing contaminant levels in urban areas; and their associated potentially toxic elements (PTEs) can directly impact both human and aquatic health. In this study, RDS were collected from 15 co-located industrial and residential roads throughout Singapore to determine the effect of land use on contaminant levels. A second pilot study was designed to quantify the efficiency of road sweeping in removing different RDS grain size fractions from industrial and residential roads. The fine fraction (<63 μm) of all RDSs was analyzed for over 40 elements. Eleven elements that reflect geogenic and anthropogenic sources were examined in detail (Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sc, Si, and Zn). Industrial RDS had statistically higher concentrations of Co, Cr, Fe, and Ni than residential RDS. Potentially toxic elements Cu, Pb, Sb, and Zn were enriched >10-fold at all locations compared to upper continental crust values. Concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn exceeded aquatic sediment probable effect concentration levels, suggesting they could generate a toxic response in bottom-dwelling aquatic organisms. Traffic was equally heavy at both industrial and residential sites, but large trucks and machinery comprised a larger proportion of the traffic in the industrial areas. Traffic was not significantly correlated with the PTE (i.e., Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn) concentrations. Plausible anthropogenic contaminant sources include vehicles (e.g., brake and tire wear, vehicle emissions) and several industrial activities including metal works, oil processing, and waste incineration. Street sweeping was effective in removal of large organic debris and inorganic RDS, but it was ineffective in removing the geochemically important fraction, i.e., <125 μm.

Soluble human leukocyte antigen-G expression in hepatitis B virus infection and hepatocellular carcinoma

We investigated soluble human leukocyte antigen-G (sHLA-G) expression according to the phases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 267 sera from anti-HBs positive healthy individuals (n = 50), chronic HBV carriers (n = 45), as well as patients with active hepatitis B (n = 46), liver cirrhosis (LC, n = 46) and early stage HCC (n = 80) were collected and assayed for sHLA-G. Relationships between sHLA-G levels and clinicopathologic parameters including HCC stages, differentiation grades, and levels of aminotransferases, HBV DNA and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were assessed. Concentrations of sHLA-G were higher in the active hepatitis B and HCC groups (median sHLA-G 53.7 and 178.8 U/ml, respectively) in comparison to other groups (P < 0.05), and there were no significant differences among sHLA-G levels of the anti-HBs positive, chronic HBV carrier and LC groups. Serum sHLA-G concentrations were not shown to be associated with clinicopathologic indices including the levels of aminotransferases, AFP, anti-HBs titer, HBV DNA, as well as HCC stages, numbers of tumor nodules, pathologic grades and presence of vessel invasion. The receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC) value of sHLA-G for differentiating HCC from LC was 0.98, which was greater than that of AFP (0.78) (P < 0.0001), and sensitivity and specificity of sHLA-G were, respectively, 90.0% and 95.7% for HCC when applying a cutoff level of 97.3 U/ml. Serum sHLA-G levels could be used as a diagnostic marker for HCC. Although sHLA-G levels did not reflect the severity of HBV infections and HCC, they were related with phases of the disease.

The effect of age on motor deficits and cerebral glucose metabolism of Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

No systematic study has been made to separate age-related clinical deterioration and dysfunctional brain areas from those associated with Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHODS

This study included 73 de novo patients with PD and 43 age-matched controls. All subjects underwent [(18)F]-fluorodeoxy glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography studies. The severity of parkinsonian motor deficit was measured using unified PD rating scale (UPDRS) motor scores. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify those parkinsonian motor deficits for which severity was correlated with the age of the patients and to locate brain areas in which normalized FDG uptake values were inversely correlated with the age of the subjects.

RESULTS

Patient age was positively correlated with total UPDRS motor scores and with subscores for bradykinesia and axial motor deficits, but not with subscores for tremor and rigidity. In the control group, an age-related decline in glucose uptake was found only in the cingulate cortex. However, in the patient group, an inverse correlation between age and glucose uptake was observed in the prefrontal, cingulate, orbitofrontal, perisylvian areas, caudate, and thalamus.

CONCLUSIONS

In PD, widespread age-related decline in cerebral function may exaggerate the deterioration associated with bradykinesia and the axial motor deficits associated with nigral neuronal loss.

Effect of oxygen partial pressure on production of animal virus (VSV)

The effect of oxygen partial pressure on viral replication was investigated with Vero/VSV system. At 10% oxygen partial pressure in spinner culture, VSV titer was significantly increased 130 fold compared to that obtained at 21%. A similar result was obtained for viral production in 1liter bioreactor. This implies that oxygen partial pressure during viral production has to be low. In low oxygen partial pressure, malondialdehyde concentration was decreased about 5 fold. Thus, low oxygen partial pressure allowed the reduced reactive oxygen species to be evolved, possibly by decreasing the random oxidation of the produced viral protein and membrane from the host cell.

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination of N-nitrosamines released from rubber or elastomer teats and soothers

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method as an alternative to a gas chromatography-thermal energy analyser (GC-TEA) method recommended by the European Committee on Standardization (CEN) was validated for the simultaneous determination of eight N-nitrosamines released into artificial saliva from rubber or elastomer teats and soothers. N-nitroso-dipropylamine-d₁₄ (NDPA-d₁₄) was used as internal standard for accurate quantification. The method was validated with relatively good analytical results, including sufficiently low limits of detection (0.1-2 µg kg⁻¹) of sample) and good linearity (r²> 0.99) throughout the studied concentration ranges. Intra- and inter-day precisions expressed with the relative standard deviation (RSD, %) were 3.4-8.0% and 4.4-11.3%, which were below the performance criteria based on one-half of the value derived from the Horwitz value. It was also found that the LC-MS/MS method is sufficiently rugged and successfully applicable to its routine analysis for the compliance test of Commission Directive 93/11/EEC.

Nanostructured magnonic crystal with magnetic-field tunable bandgap

Most experimental investigations into magnonic bandgaps are based on structures composed of single-constituent magnetic materials. Here we report Brillouin and numerical studies of the spin dynamics of a bi-component magnonic crystal, viz. a one-dimensional periodic array of alternating permalloy and cobalt 150 nm-wide nanostripes. Our measurements, together with those for a similar crystal composed of 250 nm-wide nanostripes, suggest that for a stripe width ratio of 1:1, the bandgap width of such magnonic arrays increases with crystal lattice constant. The bandgap parameters are strongly dependent on external magnetic field. This magnetic-field tunability of the bandgap is expected to be a crucial property of devices based on magnonic crystals. The agreement between numerical calculations, based on finite element analysis, and the experimental data is generally good.

Magnetic field dependence of the lowest-frequency edge-localized spin wave mode in a magnetic nanotriangle

An understanding of the spin dynamics of nanoscale magnetic elements is important for their applications in magnetic sensing and storage. Inhomogeneity of the demagnetizing field in a non-ellipsoidal magnetic element results in localization of spin waves near the edge of the element. However, relative little work has been carried out to investigate the effect of the applied magnetic fields on the nature of such localized modes. In this study, micromagnetic simulations are performed on an equilateral triangular nanomagnet to investigate the magnetic field dependence of the mode profiles of the lowest-frequency spin wave. Our findings reveal that the lowest-frequency mode is localized at the base edge of the equilateral triangle. The characteristics of its mode profile change with the ground state magnetization configuration of the nanotriangle, which, in turn, depends on the magnitude of the in-plane applied magnetic field.

Mapping QTL for an adaptive trait: the length of caudal fin in Lates calcarifer

The caudal fin represents a fundamental design feature of fishes and plays an important role in locomotor dynamics in fishes. The shape of caudal is an important parameter in traditional systematics. However, little is known about genes involved in the development of different forms of caudal fins. This study was conducted to identify and map quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting the length of caudal fin and the ratio between tail length and standard body length in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer). One F1 family containing 380 offspring was generated by crossing two unrelated individuals. One hundred and seventeen microsatellites almost evenly distributed along the whole genome were genotyped. Length of caudal fin at 90 days post-hatch was measured. QTL analysis detected six significant (genome-wide significant) and two suggestive (linkage-group-wide significant) QTL on seven linkage groups. The six significant QTL explained 5.5-16.6% of the phenotypic variance, suggesting these traits were controlled by multiple genes. Comparative genomics analysis identified several potential candidate genes for the length of caudal fin. The QTL for the length of caudal fin detected for the first time in marine fish may provide a starting point for the future identification of genes involved in the development of different forms of caudal fins in fishes.

Evidence-based management of heart failure in clinical practice: a review of device-based therapy use

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is a growing health issue and is associated with significant mortality risk. Device therapy is efficacious in preventing sudden death in patients with heart failure; however, this evidence comes from rigorous clinical trials. It is unclear how device therapy is utilized in 'real-world' practice. The primary objective was to characterize patterns of device use in patients with heart failure at risk of sudden death and to identify barriers to guideline-driven prescription of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

METHODS

We report a cross-sectional study of patients attending general cardiology clinic over a 3-month period.

RESULTS

Of 1003 consecutive patients attending the cardiology clinic, 176 had heart failure. Of these, 66 were potentially eligible for device therapy, but only 16 of these had actually undergone device implantation. Potentially eligible non-recipients were older (P < 0.001), more likely to have ischaemic cardiomyopathy (P= 0.002), less likely to be prescribed spironolactone (P= 0.005) or warfarin (P= 0.02), and less likely to have a widened QRS > 120 ms (P= 0.005). There was a high prevalence of underuse of evidence-based pharmacotherapies among patients with heart failure.

CONCLUSION

There is substantial underuse of device therapy in patients with heart failure. Strikingly, whereas patients with symptoms of heart failure were more likely to receive a device, those being managed for ischaemic heart disease were not. There is also a high prevalence of failure to prescribe evidence-based pharmacotherapy in a tertiary hospital general cardiology clinic. This may be explained in part by the lack of a patient database to record treatment contraindications and to alert clinicians to possible gaps in patient therapy.

Pseudomonas stutzeri YPL-1 Genetic Transformation and Antifungal Mechanism against Fusarium solani, an Agent of Plant Root Rot

An actively antagonistic bacterium that could be used as a biocontrol agent against Fusarium solani, which causes root rots with considerable losses in many important crops, was isolated from a ginseng rhizosphere and identified as a strain of Pseudomonas stutzeri. In several biochemical tests with culture filtrates of P. stutzeri YPL-1 and in mutational analyses of antifungal activities of reinforced or defective mutants, we found that the anti-F. solani mechanism of the bacterium may involve a lytic enzyme rather than a toxic substance or antibiotic. P. stutzeri YPL-1 produced extracellular chitinase and laminarinase when grown on different polymers such as chitin, laminarin, or F. solani mycelium. These lytic extracellular enzymes markedly inhibited mycelial growth rather than spore germination and also caused lysis of F. solani mycelia and germ tubes. Scanning electron microscopy revealed degradation of the F. solani mycelium. Abnormal hyphal swelling and retreating were caused by the lysing agents from P. stutzeri YPL-1, and a penetration hole was formed on the hyphae in the region of interaction with the bacterium; the walls of this region were rapidly lysed, causing leakage of protoplasm. Genetically bred P. stutzeri YPL-1 was obtained by transformation of the bacterium with a broad-host-range vector, pKT230. Also, the best conditions for the transformation were investigated.

Catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia

Sudden cardiac death due to ventricular arrhythmias remains the most common cause of death in developed nations. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators have been shown to improve mortality in high-risk groups for ventricular tachyarrhythmias, but they are not curative, with the risk of arrhythmia recurrence remaining unaltered. It is also important to remember that ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the setting of a structurally normal heart is often not associated with an increased risk of sudden death and catheter ablation is a potentially curative procedure in this cohort. Recent advances in catheter ablation for VT have increased the efficacy in creating adequate lesions, accurate three-dimensional maps and mapping haemodynamically unstable VT, all of which have increased the utility of this modality in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias. In this article, we review the recent advances that have fuelled renewed interest in catheter ablation of VT, its clinical utility and who should be referred.

CFD modelling of flow field and particle tracking in a hydrodynamic stormwater separator

The best management practices (BMPs) for control of urban stormwater pollution are evaluated to remove solid particles containing various pollutants. Currently, most storm runoff treatment devices using primary pollutant removal mechanism are applied to storm water since most pollutants in runoff are associated with the solid particulates. A hydrodynamic separator is a storm water treatment device using centrifugal motion which separates solids pollution from runoff. In this study, the velocity flow field and particle tracking of hydrodynamic separator were investigated using anthracite as a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model particle. The Fluent 6.3.26 CFD program was used to predict the solid particles removal efficiency for various parameters such as particle size, surface loading rate, and the ratio of underflow to overflow. The velocity flow field in a hydrodynamic stormwater separator (HDS) has been simulated using CFD RNG κ-ε model. Modeling results for the removal efficiency of HDS were similar with the results obtained from experimental measurements of laboratory scale HDS. These results showed that the simulated velocity field was useful to interpret the behavior of flow in the hydrodynamic separator. The results obtained from particle tracking can be applied to predict the separation efficiency.

A standard panel of microsatellites for Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer)

Microsatellites are the most popular markers for parentage assignment and population genetic studies. To meet the demand for international comparability for genetic studies of Asian seabass, a standard panel of 28 microsatellites has been selected and characterized using the DNA of 24 individuals from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The average allele number of these markers was 10.82 +/- 0.71 (range: 6-19), and the expected heterozygosity averaged 0.76 +/- 0.02 (range: 0.63-1.00). All microsatellites showed Mendelian inheritance. In addition, eight standard size controls have been developed by cloning a set of microsatellite alleles into a pGEM-T vector to calibrate allele sizes determined by different laboratories, and are available upon request. Seven multiplex PCRs, each amplifying 3-5 markers, were optimized to accurately and rapidly genotype microsatellites. Parentage assignment using 10 microsatellites in two crosses (10 x 10 and 20 x 20) demonstrated a high power of these markers for revealing parent-sibling connections. This standard set of microsatellites will standardize genetic diversity studies of Asian seabass, and the multiplex PCR sets will facilitate parentage assignment.

Ethnic differences in myocardial infarction in patients with hypertension: effects of diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

It has been reported that hypertension carries a greater risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in South Asians living in the UK than in the indigenous British population. This has been attributed to some specifically Asian susceptibility factor.

DESIGN

Using a longitudinal approach, we investigated the relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors amongst hypertension patients attending Sandwell and City Hospitals, and the onset of cardiovascular events over a 5-year follow-up period.

RESULTS

A total of 350 Caucasian (83.7% male) and 104 South Asian (66.3% male) patients with hypertension [age 63.7 (7.6) years and 57.1 (11.1) years respectively, P < 0.001] were followed-up for a mean (SD) period of 64.7(12.1) months. There were 11 (6.4/1000 patient years) cases of MI in Caucasian patients vs. 11 (17.8/1000 patient years) in South Asians, with event-free survival times being significantly lower amongst South Asians (log-rank test P = 0.04). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 22.9% higher amongst South Asians (P < 0.001), whilst mean serum cholesterol and fasting triglyceride levels were higher amongst Caucasians (P = 0.001). There were no ethnic differences in HDL cholesterol concentrations, the use of tobacco, statin therapy or anti-platelet therapies (all P = NS), or in composite endpoint (MI, angina, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, revascularization or death; P = 0.74). On Cox regression analysis of all independent cardiovascular risk variables, associated treatments and ethnicity, MI risk was associated with diabetes mellitus (odds ratio 3.77, 95%CI 1.55-9.15, P = 0.003) but not ethnicity per se (P = 0.26).

CONCLUSION

Increased risk of MI in hypertensive South Asians in the United Kingdom appears to be the result of a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Further work is required to understand the pathophysiological basis with which diabetes increases CHD risk in this ethnic group.

Clinically apparent atherosclerotic disease in diabetes is associated with an increase in platelet microparticle levels

BACKGROUND

The commonest cause of mortality in patients with Type 2 diabetes is atherothrombosis, which can be related to abnormalities in the coagulation and fibrinolytic pathways, as well as in platelet function. Platelet microparticles (PMPs) may contribute to the prothrombotic state and may promote the progression of atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that PMPs are elevated in Type 2 diabetes and that patients with Type 2 diabetes and clinically apparent atherosclerosis would have the highest levels. Similarly, we hypothesized that soluble plasma P-selectin (sPsel) and CD40L (both molecules which are released by activated platelets), as well as %CD62P (P-selectin) and %CD63 positivity on platelets quantified by flow cytometry, would be highest in patients with Type 2 diabetes and clinically apparent atherosclerotic disease, and might be correlated to PMP levels.

METHODS

Venous blood was obtained from 21 Type 2 diabetic patients without atherosclerotic complications, 18 diabetic patients with clinically apparent atherosclerotic disease and 21 non-diabetic control subjects. PMPs, as well as %CD62P and %CD63 positivity on platelets, were quantified by flow cytometry. sPsel and CD40L were measured using ELISA.

RESULTS

Patients with Type 2 diabetes and clinically apparent atherosclerotic disease had the highest PMP (P=0.045) and sPsel (P=0.046) levels, compared with patients without complications (who had intermediate PMP levels) and control subjects. Control subjects had the lowest CD40L levels (P<0.001) when compared with patients with Type 2 diabetes, with no difference in sCD40L levels between the two diabetic subgroups. %CD62P and %CD63 positivity did not differ between the groups. PMP levels correlated with %CD62P positivity (P=0.026) but not to %CD63 positivity (P=0.089), sCD40L (P=0.407) or sP-sel (P=0.163); sCD40L levels did not correlate with any other marker of platelet activation.

CONCLUSION

PMPs are elevated in Type 2 diabetes. In addition, patients with clinically apparent atherosclerosis had the highest levels of PMPs and sPsel. Thus, PMPs may be a marker of symptomatic atherosclerotic vascular disease in Type 2 diabetes, and may both represent a useful risk stratification tool as well as a novel therapeutic target for anti-thrombotic drugs.

Factors predicting the development of metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes against a background of hypertension

BACKGROUND

The metabolic syndrome (MetS), predicting coronary heart disease (CHD), is a compound of risk factors including diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The relationship between the development of MetS, diabetes and CHD in patients with established hypertension is unclear. We hypothesized that patients with hypertension developing MetS are at increased risk of type II diabetes and CHD compared with patients who do not develop MetS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We prospectively studied 284 patients (100 with existing/established MetS) with hypertension but without diabetes and CHD over 4 years. MetS and diabetes were diagnosed by the modified NCEP and ADA criteria, and CHD risk by the Framingham risk equation; all patients had annual fasting blood sampling.

RESULTS

Over 4 years of follow up, 75 of the 184 patients (41%) initially free of MetS at baseline subsequently fulfilled the criteria for MetS. These patients (i.e. 'developing MetS') had higher baseline BMI, triglycerides and lower HDL cholesterol, with a higher calculated CHD risk (all P <or= 0.001) than those who did not develop MetS. The 4-year odds ratios of developing diabetes in the patients with established MetS (23%) and the patients developing MetS (13.3%) vs. the patients not developing MetS (3.7%, P < 0.001) were 7.8 (95% CI: 2.6-23.5) and 4.0 (95% CI: 1.2-13.4), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with hypertension developing MetS have an increased CHD risk and risk of developing type II diabetes even before fulfilling the criteria for MetS, and the former is comparable to patients with established MetS. These data suggest a high-risk phase not adequately identified by current diagnostic thresholds for MetS.