Screening bacterial isolates for biocontrol of sheath blight in rice plants

Sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani) causes significant yield losses in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Its sustainable management needs an efficient biocontrol agent. The objective was to screen bacterial isolates as an antagonist to R. solani and identify the most efficient ones as sheath blight suppressors under greenhouse conditions. Two assays (E1 and E2) were performed in a completely randomized design with three replications. E1 tested 21 bacterial isolates antagonists to R. solani in vitro. E2 was conducted under greenhouse conditions, with rice cultivar BRS Pampeira sown in plastic pots (7 kg) containing fertilized soil. Sixty old plants were inoculated with a segment of a toothpick containing fragments of R. solani, followed by spray inoculation of a bacterial suspension (108 CFU/mL). The severity of the disease was determined by calculating the relative lesion size formed on the colm. Isolates BRM32112 (Pseudomonas nitroreducens), BRM65929 (Priestia megaterium), and BRM65919 (Bacillus cereus) reduced R. solani colony radial growth by 92.8, 77.56, and 75.56%, respectively while BRM63523 (Serratia marcescens), BRM65923 and BRM65916 (P. megaterium) and BRM65919 (B. cereus) with 23.45, 23.37, 23.62, and 20.17 cm, respectively were effective at suppressing sheath blight in greenhouse, indicating their potential as a biofungicide for sheath blight suppression.

Would surgical Apgar score be useful to predict postoperative complications after proximal femoral fracture surgery? - A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The surgical Apgar score (SAS) is a perioperative risk evaluation score, which considers intraoperative minimum heart rate, minimum mean arterial pressure and estimated blood loss. Although validated in multiple surgical fields, SAS remains quite controversial in the orthopedic one. The main purpose of this study was to investigate if SAS relates with the occurrence of complications during the first 30-days after proximal femoral fracture surgery.

METHODS

Retrospective study including all consecutive patients submitted to proximal femoral fracture surgery between January and July 2019. Patients with no information about SAS were excluded. Patients were divided in two groups, based on the occurrence of complications during the first 30 post-operative days and their SAS calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess SAS power as a predictive model of complications.

RESULTS

Forty-two percent (n = 76) of the 181 patients included in the study developed complications during the first 30 postoperative days. Eight patients (4,4%) died during that period. The patient's mean age was 79 years and 30,9% (n = 56) were men. Heart failure, pacemaker use, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dementia were significantly associated with post-operative morbidity. There was no significant correlation between SAS and the occurrence of complications during the first 30 postoperative days. The AUC of SAS as a predictive model for postoperative complications after proximal femoral fracture surgery was 0,522, being insufficient to be considered an accepted model of prediction.

CONCLUSION

Based on this study, we conclude that SAS is not predictive of the development of complications in the first 30 post-operative days in patients submitted to proximal femoral fracture surgery. However, other clinical factors have been identified as associated with postoperative morbidity. In the future, prospective-based studies with higher samples may better clarify the role of SAS in this context.

Development and characterization of microsatellite markers in Stryphnodendron adstringens (Leguminosae)

In this study, we report the development and characterization of 15 new microsatellite markers for Stryphnodendron adstringens (Leguminosae) in order to support future analyses of genetic diversity in populations of this species. In screening with 48 individuals from three different populations of S. adstringens, we tested the amplification of 20 microsatellite loci, of which five are not useful for population genetic studies due to the lack of polymorphisms or amplification failures. For the final set of 15 loci, the number of alleles ranged from 2 to 15, with a total of 116 alleles. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.1219 to 0.8965, with an average of 0.6694 per locus. The combined probability of genetic identity (PI = 8.12 × 10^-15) and paternity exclusion (Q = 0.99999) estimations showed that the loci may be useful to discriminate between individuals of S. adstringens. Initial cross-amplification tests were satisfactory in three species of the genus Stryphnodendron: S. rotundifolium, S. coriaceum and S. polyphyllum. This new set of markers will be a useful tool for population genetic studies, contributing to the knowledge about the evolutionary history of S. adstringens and, additionally, correlated species.

Data on the draft genome sequence of Caryocar brasiliense Camb. (Caryocaraceae): An important genetic resource from Brazilian savannas

Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) is a Neotropical tree species widely distributed in Brazilian savannas. This species is very popular in central Brazil mainly due to the use of its fruits in the local cuisine and their anti-inflammatory proprieties, and indeed it is one of the candidates, among Brazilian native plants, for fast track incorporation into cropping systems. Considering the importance of Caryocar brasiliense, little is known about its genetics and genomics, and determination of a reference genome sequence could improve the understanding of its evolution, as well as the development of tools for domestication. Here, we provide the first draft genome of C. brasiliense, the raw sequencing data and some multiplex sets of high quality microsatellite primers. Data on the genome project can be obtained from the BioProject at NCBI (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=caryocar).

Age-related changes in social decision-making: An electrophysiological analysis of unfairness evaluation in the Ultimatum Game

This study examines age-related differences in behavioral and neural responses to unfairness. Our sample was composed of younger, middle-aged, and older adults, who performed the Ultimatum Game in the proposer role, and in the respondent role during an EEG recording. We administered neurocognitive tests to identify whether patterns in decision-making are associated with age-related changes in cognition. Despite the worse performance in measures of executive functioning, older adults had the best economic strategy by accepting more unfair offers than younger and middle-aged adults. Regarding electrophysiological results, while younger adults showed higher medial frontal negativity (MFN) amplitudes after unfair than after fair offers, middle-aged and older adults had similar amplitudes after both conditions. Our results suggest that aging may be accompanied by an insensitivity to unfairness, which may underlie their higher rates of unfair offers acceptance.

The effect of aging on the (mis)perception of intentionality - an ERP study

Despite the accumulated knowledge on moral decision-making in the early stages of development, empirical evidence is still limited in the old-aged adults. The current study contributes to unveil the neural correlates of judgments of moral transgressions as a function of aging, by examining the temporal dynamics of neural activation elicited by intentional and accidental harmful actions in three groups of healthy participants: young adults (18-35), adults (40-55), and older adults (60-75). Older adults were slower and less accurate in rating intentionality, compared to the younger groups. In ERP analysis, the older group showed increased P2 amplitude, which was predicted by poorer performance on neuropsychological tests. Reduced amplitudes were found on critical ERP components to moral cognition (N2 and LPP), namely while processing intentional harmful scenarios. Older adults seem to allocate more attentional resources (P2) to the task, probably to compensate the age-related decline in executive functioning, while younger groups show a pronounced negativity while detecting harm (N2) and increased neural activation to encode the intentions behind the acts (LPP).

Comparative analysis of viral shedding in pediatric and adult subjects with central nervous system-associated enterovirus infections from 2013 to 2015 in Switzerland

BACKGROUND

Several enterovirus (EV) genotypes can result in aseptic meningitis, but their routes of access to the central nervous system remain to be elucidated and may differ between the pediatric and adult populations.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the pattern of viral shedding in pediatric and adult subjects with acute EV meningitis and to generate EV surveillance data for Switzerland.

STUDY DESIGN

All pediatric and adult subjects admitted to the University Hospitals of Geneva with a diagnosis of EV meningitis between 2013 and 2015 were enrolled. A quantitative EV real-time reverse transcriptase (rRT)-PCR was performed on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, stool, urine and respiratory specimens to assess viral shedding and provide a comparative analysis of pediatric and adult populations. EV genotyping was systematically performed.

RESULTS

EV positivity rates differed significantly between pediatric and adult subjects; 62.5% of pediatric cases (no adult case) were EV-positive in stool and blood for subjects for whom these samples were all collected. Similarly, the EV viral load in blood was significantly higher in pediatric subjects. Blood C-reactive protein levels were lower and the number of leucocytes/mm³ in the CSF were higher in non-viremic than in viremic pediatric subjects, respectively. A greater diversity of EV genotypes was observed in pediatric cases, with a predominance of echovirus 30 in children ≥3 years old and adults.

CONCLUSION

In contrast to adults, EV-disseminated infections are predominant in pediatric subjects and show different patterns of EV viral shedding. This observation may be useful for clinicians and contribute to modify current practices of patient care.

Proactive therapeutic drug monitoring of infliximab: a comparative study of a new point-of-care quantitative test with two established ELISA assays

BACKGROUND

Therapeutic drug monitoring is a powerful strategy known to improve the clinical outcomes and to optimise the healthcare resources in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Currently, most of the methods commercially available for the quantification of infliximab (IFX) are ELISA-based, with a turnaround time of approximately 8 h, and delaying the target dosage adjustment to the following infusion.

AIM

To validate the first point-of-care IFX quantification device available in the market - the Quantum Blue Infliximab assay (Buhlmann, Schonenbuch, Switzerland) - by comparing it with two well-established methods.

METHODS

The three methods were used to assay the IFX concentration of spiked samples and of the serum of 299 inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients undergoing IFX therapy.

RESULTS

The point-of-care assay had an average IFX recovery of 92%, being the most precise among the tested methods. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficients of the point-of-care IFX assay vs. the two ELISA-based established methods were 0.889 and 0.939. Moreover, the accuracy of the point-of-care IFX compared with each of the two reference methods was 77% and 83%, and the kappa statistics revealed a substantial agreement (0.648 and 0.738).

CONCLUSIONS

The Quantum Blue IFX assay can successfully replace the commonly used ELISA-based IFX quantification kits. This point-of-care IFX assay is able to deliver the results within 15 min makes it ideal for an immediate target concentration adjusted dosing. Moreover, it is a user-friendly desktop device that does not require specific laboratory facilities or highly specialised personnel.

Detection of bacterial DNA in acute and chronic cholecystitis

BACKGROUND

The incidence of bacterbilia in cholelithiasis remains controversial. The positivity of cultures ranges from 0 to 73 per cent. The aim of this study was to employ the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect bacterial DNA in gallbladder bile extracted during elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and to compare PCR findings with those of bile culture.

METHODS

Bile samples from 84 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were collected for culture and PCR analysis.

RESULTS

Positive results for bacterbilia were found in 42 (50 per cent) of 84 patients by PCR but in only 16 patients (19 per cent) by culture (P < 0.001). Agreement between the two methods was seen in 44 samples (52 per cent), which were negative in 35 cases. Pathological examination showed chronic cholecystitis in 69 cases (82 per cent) and acute cholecystitis in 15 (18 per cent). Thirty-three (48 per cent) of the patients with chronic cholecystitis were PCR positive but only ten (14 per cent) were culture positive (P < 0.001). Only culture results correlated with findings on pathological examination (P = 0.033).

CONCLUSION

PCR is more sensitive in detecting bacterial contamination of gallbladder bile in cholecystitis than conventional culture. The clinical relevance of this high sensitivity remains unclear.

Hemangioma esplênico e Síndrome de Kasabach-Merritt como diagnóstico diferencial de massa abdominal do recém-nascido

Apresentamos um caso raro de hemangioma esplênico em um recém-nascido do sexo feminino, apresentando-se como massa abdominal, coagulopatia e trombocitopenia. No ato operatório observou-se uma massa tumoral vascular do pólo inferior do baço. A paciente encontra-se em acompanhamento ambulatorial. O diagnóstico e as opções de tratamento foram revistas e discutidas. Os autores revisaram a literatura sobre hemangioma esplênico em recém-nascidos e observaram ser este o terceiro caso de associação entre hemangioma esplênico e síndrome de Kasabach-Merritt. O hemangioma esplênico é uma doença rara no diagnóstico diferencial das massas abdominais em recémnascidos. O hemangioma é a neoplasia benigna mais freqüente do baço. A anemia, a trombocitopenia e a coagulopatia são vistos com freqüência em hemangiomas cavernosos grandes associados à Síndrome de Kasabach-Merritt (KMS). O hemangioma cavernoso esplênico associado com esta síndrome é extremamente raro.

Bleachability and characterization by Fourier transform infrared principal component analysis of Acetosolv pulps obtained from sugarcane bagasse

Sugarcane bagasse Acetosolv pulps were bleached by xylanase and the pulps classified by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA). Pulp was treated with xylanase for 4-8 hwith stirring at 30 degrees C. Some samples were further extracted with NaOH for 1 h at 65 degrees C. FTIR spectra were recorded directly from the dried pulp samples by using the diffuse reflectance technique. Reduction in kappa number of 69% was obtained after sequence xylanase (4 h)-alkaline extraction. During bleaching the viscosity decreased only 12%. FTIR-PCA showed that the first three principal components (PCs) explained more than 90% of the total variance of the pulp spectra. PC2 x PC1 plot showed that the points related to pulps from sequence xylanase (4 h)-alkaline extraction are different from the other. This group is enlarged by plotting PC3 x PC1 or PC3x PC2 containing all pulps submitted to alkaline extraction. PC2 and PC3 are the principal factor for differentiation of the pulps. These PCs suffer influence of the ester bands (1740 and 1244 cm(-1)). On the other hand, the pulps bleached only with xylanase could not be differentiated from the nonbleached pulps.

Mathematical modeling of controlled-release kinetics of herbicides in a dynamic-water-bath system

Release of herbicides from lignin-based formulations follows a diffusion-controlled mechanism. For mathematical modeling of diffusive transport, the conventional approach is to assume sink conditions at both surfaces of polymeric matrix. This boundary condition proved to be inadequate to describe experimental data obtained in a water dynamic bath system. However, satisfactory descriptions for this system were obtained when a stagnant unstirred layer of herbicide solution was used as the boundary condition. The adequacy of the model incorporating this new boundary condition was statistically tested using the Fisher test at a confidence level of 95% and plotting the residual distribution.

Hydroxymethylation and oxidation of Organosolv lignins and utilization of the products

Organosolv lignins obtained from Eucalyptus grandis, sugarcane bagasse and Picea abies by Acetosolv, Formacell and Organocell processes were characterized, fractionated and converted to hydroxymethylated and oxidized products. The reactivity of lignins with formaldehyde did not improve significantly with the fractionation. Both eucalyptus Acetosolv (EAc) and eucalyptus Formacell (EFo) lignins retained high heterogeneity in relation to the molecular weight distribution but not in relation to structural units. The temperatures of the exothermic peaks and the apparent activation energies for the cross-linking are different for hydroxymethylated lignins and phenol, with similar cure temperatures of the resols. Chemical oxidation using cobalt(II) and manganese(II) salts furnished oxidized lignins with improved chelating properties. These chelating agents can remove up to 14% of Mn present in pulps, decreasing the peroxide consumption in the bleaching process. The products obtained can be also used as oxidized phenols and controlled-release matrices. Oxidation of Acetosolv bagasse lignin with polyphenol oxidase furnishes lignins with chelating capacity 110% higher than that of original lignin.

Mathematical modeling of controlled-release systems of herbicides using lignins as matrices. A review

The herbicides applied in soils can be easily lost, owing to leaching, volatilization, and bio- and photodegradation. Controlled-release systems using polymeric matrices claim to solve these problems. The movement of the herbicides in the soil is also an important phenomenon to be studied in order to evaluate the loss processes. The development of mathematical models is a relevant requirement for simulation and optimization of such systems. This study reviews mathematical models as an initial step for modeling data obtained for controlled-release systems of herbicides (diuron, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and ametryn) using sugarcane bagasse lignin as a polymeric matrix. The release kinetic studies were carried out using several acceptor systems including a water bath, soil, and soil-packed columns. Generally, these models take into account phenomena such as unsteady-state mass transfer by diffusion (Fick's law) and convection, consumption by several processes, and partitioning processes, resulting in partial differential equations with respect to time and space variables.