A Review of Factors Affecting Ganoderma Basal Stem Rot Disease Progress in Oil Palm

In recent years, oil palm has grown on a major scale as it is a prominent commodity crop that contributes the most to almost every producing country's gross domestic product (GDP). Nonetheless, existing threats such as the Ganoderma basal stem rot (BSR) disease have been deteriorating the oil palm plantations and suitable actions to overcome the issue are still being investigated. The BSR disease progression in oil palm is being studied using the disease progression through the plant disease triangle idea. This concept looks at all potential elements that could affect the transmission and development of the disease. The elements include pathogenic, with their mode of infection in each studied factor.

Temporal Progress and Spatial Patterns of Northern Corn Leaf Blight in Corn Fields in China

Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), caused by Exserohilum turcicum, is a devastating disease of corn in China. To enhance our understanding of NCLB epidemiology, the temporal progress and spatial patterns of NCLB were investigated. A susceptible corn cultivar, Xianyu 335, was planted in a field in Beijing in 2016 and 2017. Leaf lesions of NCLB on each plant were counted twice a week during the growing seasons. In addition, temporal disease progress was monitored for 8 weeks in three commercial corn fields in each of Yanqing, Miyun, Daxing, and Haidian Districts of Beijing in 2017, and the spatial patterns of diseased plants and NCLB lesion counts per plant were assessed in three commercial corn fields with moderate to high NCLB incidence in Yanqing District. The results demonstrated that a logistic model was the most appropriate to describe the temporal progress of NCLB incidence. The initial disease incidence was the key factor affecting disease epidemics under various conditions in the four districts of Beijing during the study. The higher the initial incidence of NCLB, the higher the final incidence. Thus, the earlier in the season NCLB incidence attained 1%, the higher was the final disease incidence. Greater than 1.0 variance-to-mean ratios suggested that the leaf lesions of NCLB tended to be aggregated on a plant. According to results from join-counts, variance of moving window averages, and semivariogram analysis, diseased corn plants and lesion numbers on each plant were aggregated in the field. The clustered pattern of NCLB lesions and infected plants suggested that conidia produced locally on diseased plants were important for disease spread within the field. The aggregated pattern of diseased plants suggested that plants should be sampled from more sites in a field to accurately estimate incidence of NCLB.

Development and Validation of a Mechanistic, Weather-Based Model for Predicting Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici Infections and Stem Rust Progress in Wheat

Stem rust (or black rust) of wheat, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), is a re-emerging, major threat to wheat production worldwide. Here, we retrieved, analyzed, and synthetized the available information about Pgt to develop a mechanistic, weather-driven model for predicting stem rust epidemics caused by uredospores. The ability of the model to predict the first infections in a season was evaluated using field data collected in three wheat-growing areas of Italy (Emilia-Romagna, Apulia, and Sardinia) from 2016 to 2021. The model showed good accuracy, with a posterior probability to correctly predict infections of 0.78 and a probability that there was no infection when not predicted of 0.96. The model's ability to predict disease progress during the growing season was also evaluated by using published data obtained from trials in Minnesota, United States, in 1968, 1978, and 1979, and in Pennsylvania, United States, in 1986. Comparison of observed versus predicted data generated a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.96 and an average distance between real data and the fitted line of 0.09. The model could therefore be considered accurate and reliable for predicting epidemics of wheat stem rust and could be tested for its ability to support risk-based control of the disease.

Temporal Dynamics and Severity of Cucurbit Downy Mildew Epidemics as Affected by Chemical Control and Cucurbit Host Type

Cucurbit downy mildew caused by the oomycete Pseudoperonospora cubensis is an important disease that affects members of Cucurbitaceae family globally. However, temporal dynamics of the disease have not been characterized at the field scale to understand how control strategies influence disease epidemics. Disease severity was assessed visually on cucumber and summer squash treated with weekly alternation of chlorothalonil with cymoxanil, fluopicolide, or propamocarb during the 2018 spring season and 2019 and 2020 fall seasons in North Carolina and the 2018 and 2020 fall seasons in South Carolina. Disease onset was observed around mid-June during the spring season and early September during the fall season, followed by a rapid increase in severity until mid-July in the spring season and late September or mid-October in the fall season, typical of polycyclic epidemics. The Gompertz, logistic, and monomolecular growth models were fitted to disease severity using linear regression and parameter estimates to compare the effects of fungicide treatment and cucurbit host type on disease progress. The Gompertz and logistic models were more appropriate than the monomolecular model in describing temporal dynamics of cucurbit downy mildew, with the Gompertz model providing the best description for 34 of the 44 epidemics examined. Fungicide treatment and host type significantly (P < 0.0001) affected the standardized area under disease progress curve (sAUDPC), final disease severity (Final DS), and weighted mean absolute rates of disease progress (ρ), with these variables, in most cases, being significantly (P < 0.05) lower in fungicide-treated plots than in untreated control plots. Except in a few cases, sAUDPC, Final DS, and ρ were lower in cases where chlorothalonil was alternated with fluopicolide or propamocarb than in cases where chlorothalonil was alternated with cymoxanil or when chlorothalonil was applied alone. These results characterized the temporal progress of cucurbit downy mildew and provided an improved understanding of the dynamics of the disease at the field level. Parameters of disease progress obtained from this study could serve as inputs in simulation studies to assess the efficacy of fungicide alternation in managing fungicide resistance in this pathosystem.

Construction of Progress Prediction Model of Urinary Incontinence in Elderly Women: Protocol for a Multi-Center, Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common health problem and seriously affects quality of life. Many women lack understanding of UI or are too ashamed to seek medical advice early, leading to a low treatment rate. The aim of this study is to establish an effective UI progress prediction model for elderly women with UI for earlier detection and better treatment. Methods: This study is conducted as a prospective, multi-center, cohort study, and recruits 800 women aged ≥60 with mild or moderate UI in China. Participants are divided into three groups: stress urinary incontinence group (SUI), urgency urinary incontinence group (UUI), and mixed urinary incontinence group (MUI). This study will investigate the general conditions of patients, after complete relevant pelvic floor function assessment, as well as after follow up at 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months by telephone. The primary endpoint is UI disease progress. Single factor and multi-factor Cox regression model analyses are undertaken to evaluate the associated risk factors affecting the progress of UI to establish a progress prediction model for elderly women. Discussion: This study will provide more predictive information for elderly women with UI, and new clinical references for the intervention and the treatment of UI for medical staff.

Interleukin-17 and Interleukin-10 Association with Disease Progression in Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND

Alteration in cytokine levels are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) and their association with disease progression in schizophrenia.

METHODS

A total of 67 schizophrenia cases were enrolled in the present study. IL-17 and IL-10 were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to evaluate disease severity.

RESULTS

IL-17 was positively correlated with positive symptom score (r = 0.256, p = .036), general psychopathology score (r = 0.255, p = .038) and total score (r = 0.273, p = .025) in schizophrenia. IL-17 and IL-10 were significantly increased in schizophrenia cases with PANSS more than 85 compared to those with 71-85.

CONCLUSION

IL-17 and IL-10 are associated with disease severity in schizophrenia but are not good markers for predicting the disease progression.

Increased Interleukin-6 Levels in the Astrocyte-Derived Exosomes of Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis. However, it is difficult to evaluate inflammation of the central nervous system (CNS) or the relationship between neuroinflammation and disease progression in ALS patients. Recent advances in the field of exosomes and CNS-derived exosomes extraction technology provide the possibility of measuring the inflammatory status in the CNS without brain biopsy. In this pilot study, we extracted astrocyte-derived exosomes from the plasma of sporadic ALS patients and age-, sex-matched healthy controls and determined Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The IL-6 levels in astrocyte-derived exosomes were increased in sALS patients and positively associated with the rate of disease progression. However, the association between IL-6 levels and disease progression rate was limited to patients whose disease duration were less than 12 months. These data suggest an increased inflammatory cascade in the CNS of sALS patients. Our pilot study demonstrates that CNS-derived exosomes could be useful to reveal neuroinflammation of the CNS in ALS patients.

Quantification of Epstein-Barr virus DNA load in nasopharyngeal brushing samples in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in southern China

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is highly incident in southern China, where 40% of world's new cases arise each year. Detection of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA load in nasopharyngeal (NP) brush/swab samples has gradually been established as a method for diagnosis of NPC. However, its applicable value in NPC diagnosis has never been investigated in southern China. It is important to explore whether such a test could be applicable to our local population. A total of 245 consecutive participants undergoing NP brushing examination were recruited to obtain the NP brushing samples in this study. Quantitative PCR assays were used to obtain the EBV DNA load. Mann–Whitney, ANOVA and receiver operating characteristic tests were used to analyze its diagnostic value. NP brushing samples from NPC patients showed extremely high levels of EBV DNA load (mean = 46360 copy/ng DNA) compared to its expression from non-NPC control (mean = 28 copy/ng DNA) and high-risk control (mean = 50 copy/ng DNA) groups. It produced 96% sensitivity and 97% specificity, at the COV = 225 copy/ng DNA. Furthermore, EBV DNA load could reflect disease progress. Our data showed a better performance of EBV DNA load in NP brushing samples compared with an initial biopsy, immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody titers to viral capsid antigen in serum and EBV DNA load in plasma. Detection of EBV DNA load in NP brushing samples could be an effective supplement for NPC diagnosis. Being minimally invasive and low cost, NP brush sampling combined with EBV DNA detection demonstrates great potential for screening high-risk populations for NPC.

A drug and disease model for lixisenatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist in type 2 diabetes

Incretin hormone analogs such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have emerged as promising new options for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), targeting several of its pathophysiological traits, including reduced insulin sensitivity, inadequate insulin secretion, and loss of β-cell mass (BCM). This article describes the semi-mechanistic modeling of lixisenatide dose-response over time using fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting serum insulin (FSI) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) data from two Phase II and four Phase III clinical trials, for a total of 2470 T2DM patients. Previously published models for FPG, FSI, and BCM as well as HbA1c were adapted and expanded to describe the available data. The model incorporated aspects describing disease progression, standard-of-care, FPG-dependent and -independent HbA1c synthesis, and covariate effects of body size, race, and sex. The final model described lixisenatide effects on β-cell responsiveness, insulin sensitivity and FPG-independent HbA1c synthesis, was able to describe the observed FPG, FSI, and HbA1c data accurately, and was successful in predicting data from an unseen Phase III clinical study.

Disease progress and response to treatment as predictors of survival, disability, cognitive impairment and depression in Parkinson's disease

AIM

To describe the time to clinical events (death, disability, cognitive impairment and depression) in Parkinson's disease using the time course of disease status and treatment as explanatory variables.

METHODS

Disease status based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the time to clinical outcome events were obtained from 800 patients who initially had early Parkinson's disease. Parametric hazard models were used to describe the time to the events of interest.

RESULTS

Time course of disease status (severity) was an important predictor of clinical outcome events. There was an increased hazard ratio for death 1.4 (95% CI 1.31, 149), disability 2.75 (95% CI 2.30, 3.28), cognitive impairment 4.35 (95% CI 1.94, 9.74), and depressive state 1.43 (95% CI 1.26, 1.63) with each 10 unit increase of UPDRS. Age at study entry increased the hazard with hazard ratios of 49.1 (95% CI 8.7, 278) for death, 4.76 (95% CI 1.10, 20.6) for disability and 90.0 (95% CI 63.3-128) for cognitive impairment at age 60 years. Selegiline treatment had independent effects as a predictor of death at 8 year follow-up with a hazard ratio of 2.54 (95% CI 1.51, 4.25) but had beneficial effects on disability with a hazard ratio of 0.363 (95% CI 0.132, 0.533) and depression with a hazard ratio of 0.372 (95% CI 0.12, 0.552).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that the time course of disease status based on UPDRS is a much better predictor of future clinical events than any baseline disease characteristic. Continued selegiline treatment appears to increase the hazard of death.

Soybean Stem Colonization by Genotypes A and B of Cadophora gregata Increases with Increasing Population Densities of Heterodera glycines

Growth chamber experiments were conducted to investigate whether parasitism by increasing population densities of Heterodera glycines, the soybean cyst nematode, increases the incidence and severity of stem colonization by the aggressive genotype A and the mild genotype B of Cadophora gregata (Phialophora gregata), causal agents of brown stem rot of soybeans. Soybean genotypes with three combinations of resistance and susceptibility to H. glycines and genotype A of C. gregata were inoculated with each genotype of C. gregata alone or each genotype with two population densities of H. glycines eggs, 1,500 or 10,000 per 100 cm³ of soil. Stems of two H. glycines-susceptible soybeans were more colonized by both aggressive and mild genotypes of C. gregata in the presence of high than in the presence of low H. glycines population density.