Engineered Bio-Based Hydrogels for Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy represents a revolutionary paradigm in cancer management, showcasing its potential to impede tumor metastasis and recurrence. Nonetheless, challenges including limited therapeutic efficacy and severe immune-related side effects are frequently encountered, especially in solid tumors. Hydrogels, a class of versatile materials featuring well-hydrated structures widely used in biomedicine, offer a promising platform for encapsulating and releasing small molecule drugs, biomacromolecules, and cells in a controlled manner. Immunomodulatory hydrogels present a unique capability for augmenting immune activation and mitigating systemic toxicity through encapsulation of multiple components and localized administration. Notably, hydrogels based on biopolymers have gained significant interest owing to their biocompatibility, environmental friendliness, and ease of production. This review delves into the recent advances in bio-based hydrogels in cancer immunotherapy and synergistic combinatorial approaches, highlighting their diverse applications. It is anticipated that this review will guide the rational design of hydrogels in the field of cancer immunotherapy, fostering clinical translation and ultimately benefiting patients.

A Guanidinobenzol-Rich Polymer Overcoming Cascade Delivery Barriers for CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing

The efficient cytosolic delivery of the CRISPR-Cas9 machinery remains a challenge for genome editing. Herein, we performed ligand screening and identified a guanidinobenzol-rich polymer to overcome the cascade delivery barriers of CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) for genome editing. RNPs were stably loaded into the polymeric nanoparticles (PGBA NPs) by their inherent affinity. The polymer facilitated rapid endosomal escape of RNPs via a dynamic multiple-step cascade process. Importantly, the incorporation of fluorescence in the polymer helps to identify the correlation between cellular uptake and editing efficiency, increasing the efficiency up to 70% from the initial 30% for the enrichment of edited cells. The PGBA NPs efficiently deliver RNPs for in vivo gene editing via both local and systemic injections and dramatically reduce PCSK9 level. These results indicate that PGBA NPs enable the cascade delivery of RNPs for genome editing, showing great promise in broadening the therapeutic potential of the CRISPR-Cas9 technique.

Tea polyphenol-engineered hybrid cellular nanovesicles for cancer immunotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a crucial and effective strategy for prostate cancer, while systemic administration may cause profound side effects on normal tissues. More importantly, the ADT can easily lead to resistance by involving the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway and high infiltration of M2 macrophages in tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, we developed a biomimetic nanotherapeutic platform by deriving cell membrane nanovesicles from cancer cells and probiotics to yield the hybrid cellular nanovesicles (hNVs), loading flutamide (Flu) into the resulting hNVs, and finally modifying the hNVs@Flu with Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). In this nanotherapeutic platform, the hNVs significantly improved the accumulation of hNVs@Flu-EGCG in tumor sites and reprogramed immunosuppressive M2 macrophages into antitumorigenic M1 macrophages, the Flu acted on androgen receptors and inhibited tumor proliferation, and the EGCG promoted apoptosis of prostate cancer cells by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, thus synergistically stimulating the antitumor immunity and reducing the side effects and resistance of ADT. In a prostate cancer mouse model, the hNVs@Flu-EGCG significantly extended the lifespan of mice with tumors and led to an 81.78% reduction in tumor growth compared with the untreated group. Overall, the hNVs@Flu-EGCG are safe, modifiable, and effective, thus offering a promising platform for effective therapeutics of prostate cancer.

Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Nanoparticles Amplifying STING Signaling Pathway for Cancer Immunotherapy

Insufficient activation of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway and profoundly immunosuppressive microenvironment largely limits the effect of cancer immunotherapy. Herein, tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive nanoparticles (PMM NPs) are exploited that simultaneously harness STING and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) to augment STING activation via TLR4-mediated nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway stimulation, leading to the increased secretion of type I interferons (i.e., 4.0-fold enhancement of IFN-β) and pro-inflammatory cytokines to promote a specific T cell immune response. Moreover, PMM NPs relieve the immunosuppression of the TME by decreasing the percentage of regulatory T cells, and polarizing M2 macrophages to the M1 type, thus creating an immune-supportive TME to unleash a cascade adaptive immune response. Combined with an anti-PD-1 antibody, synergistic efficacy is achieved in both inflamed colorectal cancer and noninflamed metastatic breast tumor models. Moreover, rechallenging tumor-free animals with homotypic cells induced complete tumor rejection, indicating the generation of systemic antitumor memory. These TME-responsive nanoparticles may open a new avenue to achieve the spatiotemporal orchestration of STING activation, providing a promising clinical candidate for next-generation cancer immunotherapy.

[Study on 4 cases of mushroom poisoning with amanita and identification of poison]

Different kinds of poisonous mushrooms contain different toxic components. Acute liver injury caused by amanita mushroom is the main cause of death from poisonous mushroom poisoning in China. Consumption of poisonous mushrooms has an incubation period, there is a false recovery period in the clinical process, and the early performance is slight and does not attract enough attention from doctors, and it is easy to miss the treatment opportunity. The clinical characteristics, treatment and identification of mushrooms containing amanita in 4 patients were analyzed in order to improve clinicians' understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of mushroom poisoning and early species identification.

Inhalation delivery of dexamethasone with iSEND nanoparticles attenuates the COVID-19 cytokine storm in mice and nonhuman primates

Dexamethasone (DEX) is the first drug to show life-saving efficacy in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while DEX is associated with serious adverse effects. Here, we report an inhaled, Self-immunoregulatory, Extracellular Nanovesicle-based Delivery (iSEND) system by engineering neutrophil nanovesicles with cholesterols to deliver DEX for enhanced treatment of COVID-19. Relying on surface chemokine and cytokine receptors, the iSEND showed improved targeting to macrophages and neutralized broad-spectrum cytokines. The nanoDEX, made by encapsulating DEX with the iSEND, efficiently promoted the anti-inflammation effect of DEX in an acute pneumonia mouse model and suppressed DEX-induced bone density reduction in an osteoporosis rat model. Relative to an intravenous administration of DEX at 0.1 milligram per kilogram, a 10-fold lower dose of nanoDEX administered by inhalation produced even better effects against lung inflammation and injury in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-challenged nonhuman primates. Our work presents a safe and robust inhalation delivery platform for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.

A decoy microrobot that removes SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in wastewater

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which can persist in wastewater for several days, has a risk of waterborne-human transmission. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with increased infection capacity further highlights the need to remove the virus and restrict its spread in wastewater. Here, we report a decoy microrobot created by camouflaging algae with cell membranes displaying angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for effective elimination of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The decoy microrobots show fast self-propulsion (>85 μm/s), allowing for successful "on-the-fly" elimination of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and pseudovirus in wastewater. Moreover, relying on the robust binding between ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 variants, the decoy microrobots exhibit a broad-spectrum elimination of virus with a high efficiency of 95% for the wild-type strain, 92% for the Delta variant, and 93% for the Omicron variant, respectively. Our work presents a simple and safe decoy microrobot aimed toward eliminating viruses and other environmental hazards from wastewater.

Microfluidics-Assisted Fluorescence Mapping of DNA Phosphorothioation

As the key player of a new restriction modification system, DNA phosphorothioate (PT) modification, which swaps oxygen for sulfur on the DNA backbone, protects the bacterial host from foreign DNA invasion. The identification of PT sites helps us understand its physiological defense mechanisms, but accurately quantifying this dynamic modification remains a challenge. Herein, we report a simple quantitative analysis method for optical mapping of PT sites in the single bacterial genome. DNA molecules are fully stretched and immobilized in a microfluidic chip by capillary flow and electrostatic interactions, improving the labeling efficiency by maximizing exposure of PT sites on DNA while avoiding DNA loss and damage. After screening 116 candidates, we identified a bifunctional chemical compound, iodoacetyl-polyethylene glycol-biotin, that can noninvasively and selectively biotinylate PT sites, enabling further labeling with streptavidin fluorescent nanoprobes. With this method, PT sites in PT⁺ DNA can be easily detected by fluorescence, while almost no detectable ones were found in PT^- DNA, achieving real-time visualization of PT sites on a single DNA molecule. Collectively, this facile genome-wide PT site detection method directly characterizes the distribution and frequency of DNA modification, facilitating a better understanding of its modification mechanism that can be potentially extended to label DNAs in different species.

Neutrophil membrane-coated immunomagnetic nanoparticles for efficient isolation and analysis of circulating tumor cells

The isolation and analysis of scarce circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with immunomagnetic nanoparticles (IMNs) have shown promising outcomes in noninvasive cancer diagnosis. However, the IMNs adsorb nonspecific proteins after entering into biofluids and the formed protein coronas cover surface targeting ligands, limiting the detection efficiency of IMNs. In addition, the interaction between surface targeting ligands and white blood cells (WBCs) significantly limits the purity of CTCs isolated by IMNs. Furthermore, the interfacial collision of nanoparticles and cells has negative effects on the viability of isolated CTCs. All of these limitations synthetically restrict the isolation and analysis of rare CTCs for early diagnosis and precision medicine. Here, we proposed that surface functionalization of IMNs with neutrophil membranes can simultaneously reduce nonspecific protein adsorption, enhance the interaction with CTCs, reduce the distraction from WBCs, and improve the viability of isolated CTCs. In spiked blood samples, our neutrophil membrane-coated IMNs (Neu-IMNs) exhibited a superior separation efficiency from 41.36% to 96.82% and an improved purity from 40.25% to 90.68% when compared to bare IMNs. Additionally, we successfully isolated CTCs in 19 out of total 20 blood samples from breast cancer patients using Neu-IMNs and further confirmed the feasibility of the isolated CTCs for downstream cell sequencing. Our work provides a new perspective on engineered IMNs for efficient isolation and analysis of CTCs, paving the way for early noninvasive diagnosis of cancer.

Genetically Programmable Fusion Cellular Vesicles for Cancer Immunotherapy

Herein, we report that genetically programmable fusion cellular vesicles (Fus-CVs) displaying high-affinity SIRPα variants and PD-1 can activate potent antitumor immunity through both innate and adaptive immune effectors. Dual-blockade of CD47 and PD-L1 with Fus-CVs significantly increases the phagocytosis of cancer cells by macrophages, promotes antigen presentation, and activates antitumor T-cell immunity. Moreover, the bispecific targeting design of Fus-CVs ensures better targeting on tumor cells, but less on other cells, which reduces systemic side effects and enhances therapeutic efficacies. In malignant melanoma and mammary carcinoma models, we demonstrate that Fus-CVs significantly improve overall survival of model animals by inhibiting post-surgery tumor recurrence and metastasis. The Fus-CVs are suitable for protein display by genetic engineering. These advantages, integrated with other unique properties inherited from source cells, make Fus-CVs an attractive platform for multi-targeting immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Decoy nanoparticles protect against COVID-19 by concurrently adsorbing viruses and inflammatory cytokines

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has highlighted the urgent need to rapidly develop therapeutic strategies for such emerging viruses without effective vaccines or drugs. Here, we report a decoy nanoparticle against COVID-19 through a powerful two-step neutralization approach: virus neutralization in the first step followed by cytokine neutralization in the second step. The nanodecoy, made by fusing cellular membrane nanovesicles derived from human monocytes and genetically engineered cells stably expressing angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptors, possesses an antigenic exterior the same as source cells. By competing with host cells for virus binding, these nanodecoys effectively protect host cells from the infection of pseudoviruses and authentic SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, relying on abundant cytokine receptors on the surface, the nanodecoys efficiently bind and neutralize inflammatory cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and significantly suppress immune disorder and lung injury in an acute pneumonia mouse model. Our work presents a simple, safe, and robust antiviral nanotechnology for ongoing COVID-19 and future potential epidemics.

Activating Macrophage-Mediated Cancer Immunotherapy by Genetically Edited Nanoparticles

Immunomodulation of macrophages against cancer has emerged as an encouraging therapeutic strategy. However, there exist two major challenges in effectively activating macrophages for antitumor immunotherapy. First, ligation of signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) on macrophages to CD47, a "don't eat me" signal on cancer cells, prevents macrophage phagocytosis of cancer cells. Second, colony stimulating factors, secreted by cancer cells, polarize tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to a tumorigenic M2 phenotype. Here, it is reported that genetically engineered cell-membrane-coated magnetic nanoparticles (gCM-MNs) can disable both mechanisms. The gCM shell genetically overexpressing SIRPα variants with remarkable affinity efficiently blocks the CD47-SIRPα pathway while the MN core promotes M2 TAM repolarization, synergistically triggering potent macrophage immune responses. Moreover, the gCM shell protects the MNs from immune clearance; and in turn, the MN core delivers the gCMs into tumor tissues under magnetic navigation, effectively promoting their systemic circulation and tumor accumulation. In melanoma and breast cancer models, it is shown that gCM-MNs significantly prolong overall mouse survival by controlling both local tumor growth and distant tumor metastasis. The combination of cell-membrane-coating nanotechnology and genetic editing technique offers a safe and robust strategy in activating the body's immune responses for cancer immunotherapy.

One-step synthesis of green emission carbon dots for selective and sensitive detection of nitrite ions and cellular imaging application

Schematic route of the carbon dots and their applications for the nitrite detection.

A novel “on–off–on” fluorescence assay for the discriminative detection of Cu(ii) and l-cysteine based on red-emissive Si-CDs and cellular imaging applications

Copper ions (Cu²⁺) and l-cysteine (l-Cys) in the human body always play critical roles in various physiological processes, while abnormal Cu²⁺ and l-Cys concentrations in the biological system lead to many diseases.

Biomimetic Immunomagnetic Nanoparticles with Minimal Nonspecific Biomolecule Adsorption for Enhanced Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells

Immunomagnetic micro/nanoparticles (IMNs) have been widely used to isolate rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples for early diagnosis of cancers. However, when entering into biofluids, IMNs nonspecifically adsorb biomolecules and the in situ formed biomolecule corona covers IMN surface ligands and weakens the targeting capabilities of IMNs. In this work, we demonstrated that by surface coating of IMNs with red blood cell (RBC)-derived vesicles, the obtained biomimetic particles (RBC-IMNs) basically adsorb no biomolecules and maintain the CTC targeting ability when exposed to plasma. Compared to IMNs, RBC-IMNs exhibited an excellent cell isolation efficiency in spiked blood samples, which was improved to 95.71% from 60.22%. Furthermore, by using RBC-IMNs, we successfully isolated CTCs in 28 out of 30 prostate cancer patient blood samples and further showed the robustness of RBC-IMNs in downstream cell sequencing. The work presented here provides a new insight into developing targeted nanomaterials for biological and medical applications.

A Biomimetic Nanodecoy Traps Zika Virus To Prevent Viral Infection and Fetal Microcephaly Development

Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as a global health threat due to its unexpected causal link to devastating neurological disorders such as fetal microcephaly; however, to date, no approved vaccine or specific treatment is available for ZIKV infection. Here we develop a biomimetic nanodecoy (ND) that can trap ZIKV, divert ZIKV away from its intended targets, and inhibit ZIKV infection. The ND, which is composed of a gelatin nanoparticle core camouflaged by mosquito medium host cell membranes, effectively adsorbs ZIKV and inhibits ZIKV replication in ZIKV-susceptible cells. Using a mouse model, we demonstrate that NDs significantly attenuate the ZIKV-induced inflammatory responses and degenerative changes and thus improve the survival rate of ZIKV-challenged mice. Moreover, by trapping ZIKV, NDs successfully prevent ZIKV from passing through physiologic barriers into the fetal brain and thereby mitigate ZIKV-induced fetal microcephaly in pregnant mice. We anticipate that this study will provide new insights into the development of safe and effective protection against ZIKV and various other viruses that threaten public health.

A valve-based microfluidic device for on-chip single cell treatments

Assays toward single-cell analysis have attracted the attention in biological and biomedical researches to reveal cellular mechanisms as well as heterogeneity. Yet nowadays microfluidic devices for single-cell analysis have several drawbacks: some would cause cell damage due to the hydraulic forces directly acting on cells, while others could not implement biological assays since they could not immobilize cells while manipulating the reagents at the same time. In this work, we presented a two-layer pneumatic valve-based platform to implement cell immobilization and treatment on-chip simultaneously, and cells after treatment could be collected non-destructively for further analysis. Target cells could be encapsulated in sodium alginate droplets which solidified into hydrogel when reacted with Ca²⁺ . The size of hydrogel beads could be precisely controlled by modulating flow rates of continuous/disperse phases. While regulating fluid resistance between the main channel and passages by the integrated pneumatic valves, on-chip capture and release of hydrogel beads was implemented. As a proof of concept for on-chip single-cell treatments, we showed cellular live/dead staining based on our devices. This method would have potential in single cell manipulation for biochemical cellular assays.

Artemisinin ameliorates the symptoms of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by regulating the balance of TH1 cells, TH17 cells and Treg cells

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fatigue and muscle weakness. Artemisinin and its derivatives were reported to be experimentally used to treat autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Here, we tested the effects of artemisinin on experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). Our data confirmed that artemisinin markedly ameliorated the symptoms of EAMG rats. There was a decreased level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-17+ cells in mononuclear cells (MNCs), and an increased level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and Treg cells in MNCs. These findings indicate that artemisinin may be a new choice for MG treatment.

Macrophage membrane-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for enhanced photothermal tumor therapy

Nanotechnology possesses the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of tumors. The ideal nanoparticles used for in vivo cancer therapy should have long blood circulation times and active cancer targeting. Additionally, they should be harmless and invisible to the immune system. Here, we developed a biomimetic nanoplatform with the above properties for cancer therapy. Macrophage membranes were reconstructed into vesicles and then coated onto magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NPs). Inherited from the Fe₃O₄ core and the macrophage membrane shell, the resulting Fe₃O₄@MM NPs exhibited good biocompatibility, immune evasion, cancer targeting and light-to-heat conversion capabilities. Due to the favorable in vitro and in vivo properties, biomimetic Fe₃O₄@MM NPs were further used for highly effective photothermal therapy of breast cancer in nude mice. Surface modification of synthetic nanomaterials with biomimetic cell membranes exemplifies a novel strategy for designing an ideal nanoplatform for translational medicine.

Erythrocyte Membrane-Coated Upconversion Nanoparticles with Minimal Protein Adsorption for Enhanced Tumor Imaging

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with superior optical and chemical features have been broadly employed for in vivo cancer imaging. Generally, UCNPs are surface modified with ligands for cancer active targeting. However, nanoparticles in biological fluids are known to form a long-lived "protein corona", which covers the targeting ligands on nanoparticle surface and dramatically reduces the nanoparticle targeting capabilities. Here, for the first time, we demonstrated that by coating UCNPs with red blood cell (RBC) membranes, the resulting cell membrane-capped nanoparticles (RBC-UCNPs) adsorbed virtually no proteins when exposed to human plasma. We further observed in various scenarios that the cancer targeting ability of folic acid (FA)-functionalized nanoparticles (FA-RBC-UCNPs) was rescued by the cell membrane coating. Next, the FA-RBC-UCNPs were successfully utilized for enhanced in vivo tumor imaging. Finally, blood parameters and histology analysis suggested that no significant systematic toxicity was induced by the injection of biomimetic nanoparticles. Our method provides a new angle on the design of targeted nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

Effective cancer targeting and imaging using macrophage membrane-camouflaged upconversion nanoparticles

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), with fascinating optical and chemical features, are a promising new generation of fluorescent probes. Although UCNPs have been widely used in diagnosis and therapy, there is an unmet need for a simple and effective surface engineering method that can produce cancer-targeting UCNPs. Here, we show that by coating particles with macrophage membranes, it becomes possible to utilize the adhesion between macrophages and cancer cells for effective cancer targeting. Natural macrophage membranes along with their associated membrane proteins were reconstructed into vesicles and then coated onto synthetic UCNPs. The resulting macrophage membrane-camouflaged particles (MM-UCNPs) exhibited effective cancer targeting capability inherited from the source cells and were further used for enhanced in vivo cancer imaging. Finally, the blood biochemistry, hematology testing and histology analysis results suggested a good in vivo biocompatibility of MM-UCNPs. The combination of synthetic nanoparticles with biomimetic cell membranes embodies a novel design strategy toward developing biocompatible nanoprobes for potential clinical applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 521-530, 2017.

ERKs and mitochondria-related pathways are essential for glycyrrhizic acid-mediated neuroprotection against glutamate-induced toxicity in differentiated PC12 cells

The present study focuses on the neuroprotective effect of glycyrrhizic acid (GA, a major compound separated from Glycyrrhiza Radix, which is a crude Chinese traditional drug) against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in differentiated PC12 (DPC12) cells. The results showed that GA treatment improved cell viability and ameliorated abnormal glutamate-induced alterations in mitochondria in DPC12 cells. GA reversed glutamate-suppressed B-cell lymphoma 2 levels, inhibited glutamate-enhanced expressions of Bax and cleaved caspase 3, and reduced cytochrome C (Cyto C) release. Exposure to glutamate strongly inhibited phosphorylation of AKT (protein kinase B) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs); however, GA pretreatment enhanced activation of ERKs but not AKT. The presence of PD98059 (a mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase [MEK] inhibitor) but not LY294002 (a phosphoinositide 3-kinase [PI3K] inhibitor) diminished the potency of GA for improving viability of glutamate-exposed DPC12 cells. These results indicated that ERKs and mitochondria-related pathways are essential for the neuroprotective effect of GA against glutamate-induced toxicity in DPC12 cells. The present study provides experimental evidence supporting GA as a potential therapeutic agent for use in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

First Report of Neocosmospora striata Causing Peanut Pod Rot in China

In 2008, an outbreak of pod rot of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) occurred on most of the peanut cultivars in the Old Yellow River drainage area, the largest peanut-growing region in China. Disease incidence reached as high as 90% in some fields, causing severe yield losses. The black rot of pods and blackened, nonrotting taproots is similar to symptoms of peanut black rot caused by Cylindrocladium parasiticum, but the reddish orange perithecia of C. parasiticum were not found on the taproots close to the surface of the soil. The foliage of affected plants was generally asymptomatic, but some plants turned greener. This pod rot disease was further investigated in 2008 and 2010. Twenty-three Fusarium-like isolates were obtained from symptomatic, surface-disinfested pods with a frequency of 82%. These isolates were fast growing, with flat, thin, and grayish white colonies when cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28°C for 3 to 4 days. The hyaline, elongated to cylindrical conidia, aggregated in slimy heads on conidiogenous cells developed from undifferentiated hyphae when observed with the light microscope. The size of conidia (single celled or one septum) varied from 3 to 9 μm long and 1.5 to 3.5 μm wide on the basis of the measurement of 50 spores. Some conidia appeared slightly curved. Ascomata formed within 10 to 14 days, with a punctate appearance on the colony. The cerebriform ascomata were dark brown, pyriform, ostiolate, glabrous, 120 to 170 × 90 to 130 μm, and with necks 30 to 50 μm long. Asci measured 60 to 90 × 6 to 10 μm, were cylindrical to cylindric-clavate, thin walled, and had an apical ring. Ascospore arrangement was obliquely uniseriate or partially biseriate, very pale yellow to hyaline, ellipsoidal, and measured 8 to 12 × 4.5 to 6 μm. Some spores had a median transverse straight or curved septum and were slightly constricted at the septum, with 6 to 10 thin, transverse, hyaline flanges. Morphological characteristics of the isolates with ascomata dark brown and ascospores with 6 to 10 transverse hyaline flanges matched the description for Neocosmospora striata (1). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified from extracted template DNA with primer pairs ITS4/ITS5 and sequenced. A 591-bp amplicon (GenBank Accession No. HM461900) had 99% sequence identity with Fusarium solani (HQ607968 and HQ608009) and N. vasinfecta (GU213063), which indicated that these fungi belong to the genus Neocosmospora or Fusarium, although there is no direct sequence evidence that they are N. striata. N. striata has only been previously reported in Japan (2). This species is unique because of the dark brown ascomata and there is no comparable species (1). Koch's postulates were completed by surface-disinfesting 80 peanut pods of cv. Jihua 9813 and soaking them in conidial suspensions (10⁵ conidia/ml) for 2 min. Another 80 other pods soaked in sterile water served as controls. All peanuts were incubated in moist petri dishes under darkness at 28°C. Symptoms similar to those originally observed in the field formed within 10 days on all inoculated peanut pods and not the controls. N. striata was reisolated from all affected peanut pods. To our knowledge, this is first report of N. striata causing peanut pod rot in China and the first description of the anamorph of the fungus. References: (1) P. F. Cannon et al. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc. 82:673, 1984. (2) S. Udagawa et al. Trans. Mycol. Soc. Jpn. 16:340, 1975.

Seedling and Slow Rusting Resistance to Leaf Rust in Chinese Wheat Cultivars

Identification of resistance genes is important for developing leaf rust resistant wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivars. A total of 102 Chinese winter wheat cultivars and advanced lines were inoculated with 24 pathotypes of Puccinia triticina for postulation of leaf rust resistance genes effective at the seedling stage. These genotypes were also planted in the field for characterization of slow rusting responses to leaf rust in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 cropping seasons. Fourteen leaf rust resistance genes-Lr1, Lr2a, Lr3bg, Lr3ka, Lr14a, Lr16, Lr17a, Lr18, Lr20, Lr23, Lr24, Lr26, Lr34, and LrZH84-either singly or in combinations, were postulated in 65 genotypes, whereas known resistance genes were not identified in the other 37 accessions. Resistance gene Lr26 was present in 44 accessions. Genes Lr14a and Lr34 were each detected in seven entries. Lr1 and Lr3ka were each found in six cultivars, and five lines possessed Lr16. Lr17a and Lr18 were each identified in four lines. Three cultivars were postulated to possess Lr3bg. Genes Lr20, Lr24, and LrZH84 were each present in two cultivars. Each of the genes Lr2a and Lr23 may exist in one line. Fourteen genotypes showed slow leaf rusting resistance in two cropping seasons.

High-resolution diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the human lumbosacral plexus and its branches based on a steady-state free precession imaging technique at 3T

3D diffusion-weighted steady-state free precession imaging (3D DW-SSFP) with isotropic resolution was performed to delineate structures of the human lumbosacral plexus (LSP). 3D DW-SSFP clearly revealed detailed anatomy of the LSP and its branches. Our data suggest that the sequence based on 3D DW-SSFP can be used for high-resolution MR imaging of the peripheral nervous system.

Phalangeal osteoid osteoma

Although the typical features of osteoid osteomas are well known, those arising in phalanges are frequently misdiagnosed. This is partly because of their rarity (9% of osteoid osteomas in the Bristol Bone Tumour Registry occur in phalanges), and also because of atypical radiological features. The most common appearance is of an eccentric lesion with soft-tissue swelling and a relative absence of sclerosis, suggesting osteomyelitis.