Significant Reduction In Disease Severity Research Articles

Diabetes and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): Molecular mechanism of Metformin intervention and the scientific basis of drug repurposing.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a new strain of coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Soon after its emergence in late December 2019, it was noticed that diabetic individuals were at an increased risk of COVID-19–associated complications, ICU admissions, and mortality. Maintaining proper blood glucose levels using insulin and/or other oral antidiabetic drugs (such as Metformin) reduced the detrimental effects of COVID-19. Interestingly, in diabetic COVID-19 patients, while insulin administration was associated with adverse outcomes, Metformin treatment was correlated with a significant reduction in disease severity and mortality rates among affected individuals. Metformin was extensively studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiviral capabilities that would explain its ability to confer cardiopulmonary and vascular protection in COVID-19. Here, we describe the various possible molecular mechanisms that contribute to Metformin therapy’s beneficial effects and lay out the scientific basis of repurposing Metformin for use in COVID-19 patients.

Successful biocontrol of major postharvest and soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi by antagonistic yeasts

Fungal pathogens are the main biotic burden of productivity for economically important crops under field, greenhouse or postharvest conditions. The discovery and development of new environmental-friendly solutions, such as application of living organisms and their derivatives to control plant diseases and pests, are of enormous interest. This study presents the results of a mass screening designed to detect yeast strains with antagonistic activity against postharvest pathogens (Alternaria alternata, Penicillium expansum and Botrytis cinerea) and soil-borne diseases (Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum). In fact, this is the first study that focuses on screening the antagonistic potential of a wide variety of yeast genera (13) and species (30) against vascular wilts. The results from in vivo trials demonstrated that fungal infected tomato plants, grown under hydroponic or soil conditions, showed a significant reduction in disease severity after yeast treatment. Wickerhamomyces anomalus Wa-32 was able to antagonise both pathogens and reduce the disease severity up to 40% (V. dahliae) and 50% (F. oxysporum) in soil conditions. In addition, this strain became endophytic in tomato plants. The features of Wa-32 are of enormous interest since no effective antagonistic biocontrol product is available for the simultaneous control of these two fungal pathogens. Postharvest assays with wounded tomato fruits showed that several strains displayed very high biocontrol levels against P. expansum and B. cinerea (up to 86 and 97% reduction in disease severity, respectively) but none of them showed protection against A. alternata. The best protection against B. cinerea was again achieved with W. anomalus Wa-32 and two Metschnikowia pulcherrima strains (Mp-22 and Mp-30). However, the best antagonistic strains of P. expansum were Candida lusitaniae Cl-28, Candida oleophila Co-13, Debaryomyces hansenii Dh-67 and Hypopichia pseudoburtonii Hp-54. These biocontrol effects were also demonstrated in grapes and apples.

Biocontrol of potato early blight and suppression of Alternaria grandis sporulation by Clonostachys spp.

AbstractEarly blight, caused by Alternaria solani and A. grandis, severely affects potato crops around the world, and few management options apart from intensive fungicide use are available. In this work, we tested whether biocontrol treatments with different species of the mycoparasitic fungus Clonostachys could reduce early blight severity on the foliage of pot‐grown potatoes of cultivar Ágata, and affect the survival and sporulation of the causal pathogen A. grandis. Twenty isolates from five Clonostachys species were screened in a preliminary biocontrol trial, and nine of them were selected and tested further in two confirmation trials. Treatments with three isolates from three species (C. chloroleuca, C. pseudochroleuca, C. rhizophaga) resulted in a significant reduction in disease severity in both confirmation trials, with control efficacy ranging from 88.7% to 92.9% in the first trial, and from 83.1% to 84.7% in the second trial. All Clonostachys isolates used in the confirmation trials survived on potato leaf tissues for at least 15 days, and resumed growth when subjected to high humidity, resulting in mycoparasitic overgrowth and significant reduction of the pathogen sporulation. Our results provide evidence that different species of Clonostachys, not only the ubiquitous C. rosea, are sources of useful candidates for the biocontrol of potato early blight and possibly other plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens.

Intestinal Host Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Outcomes in Patients With Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Background & AimsGiven that gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are a prominent extrapulmonary manifestation of COVID-19, we investigated intestinal infection with SARS-CoV-2, its effect on pathogenesis, and clinical significance.MethodsHuman intestinal biopsy tissues were obtained from patients with COVID-19 (n = 19) and uninfected control individuals (n = 10) for microscopic examination, cytometry by time of flight analyses, and RNA sequencing. Additionally, disease severity and mortality were examined in patients with and without GI symptoms in 2 large, independent cohorts of hospitalized patients in the United States (N = 634) and Europe (N = 287) using multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsCOVID-19 case patients and control individuals in the biopsy cohort were comparable for age, sex, rates of hospitalization, and relevant comorbid conditions. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in small intestinal epithelial cells by immunofluorescence staining or electron microscopy in 15 of 17 patients studied. High-dimensional analyses of GI tissues showed low levels of inflammation, including down-regulation of key inflammatory genes including IFNG, CXCL8, CXCL2, and IL1B and reduced frequencies of proinflammatory dendritic cells compared with control individuals. Consistent with these findings, we found a significant reduction in disease severity and mortality in patients presenting with GI symptoms that was independent of sex, age, and comorbid illnesses and despite similar nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral loads. Furthermore, there was reduced levels of key inflammatory proteins in circulation in patients with GI symptoms.ConclusionsThese data highlight the absence of a proinflammatory response in the GI tract despite detection of SARS-CoV-2. In parallel, reduced mortality in patients with COVID-19 presenting with GI symptoms was observed. A potential role of the GI tract in attenuating SARS-CoV-2–associated inflammation needs to be further examined.

Once-Daily Halobetasol Propionate 0.01% Lotion for Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis: Phase 3 Analysis of Hispanic Participants.

Background Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that may differ in prevalence and clinical presentation among patients from various racial and ethnic groups. Two phase 3 studies demonstrated efficacy and safety of halobetasol propionate (HP) 0.01% lotion in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (NCT02514577, NCT02515097). These post hoc analyses evaluated HP 0.01% lotion in Hispanic participants. Methods Participants were randomized (2:1) to receive once-daily HP or vehicle lotion for 8 weeks, with a 4-week posttreatment follow-up. Post hoc efficacy assessments in Hispanic participants (HP, n=76; vehicle, n=43) included treatment success (g2‑grade improvement in Investigatorrs Global Assessment and score of lclearr or lalmost clearr), psoriasis signs, and affected body surface area (BSA). Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were evaluated. Results At week 8, 38.8% of participants achieved treatment success with HP versus 10.3% on vehicle (P=0.001). HP‑treated participants achieved greater improvements in psoriasis signs, compared with vehicle (Pl0.01 all). HP group had a greater reduction in affected BSA versus vehicle (P=0.001). Treatment-related TEAEs with HP were application site infection and dermatitis (n=1 each). Conclusions Once-daily HP 0.01% lotion was associated with significant reductions in disease severity in Hispanic participants with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, with good tolerability and safety over 8 weeks. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(3):252-258. doi:10.36849/JDD.2021.5698.

Mediation of induced systemic resistance by the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria Bacillus pumilus S2-3-2.

Plant-rhizobacteria interaction and co-evolution developed adaptive strategies which may help the plant survive in nature. Plant rhizosphere soil isolates were analyzed to investigated the effects of rhizobacteria for promoting plant growth and suppress plant disease.Bacterial strains which isolated from plant rhizosphere soil were screened for elicitation of induced systemic resistance (ISR) on tobacco. Strain S2-3-2 results in significant reduction of disease severity on tobacco, it was identified as Bacillus pumilus by multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA). Strain S2-3-2 was deeper studied for pepper plant growth promotion and biological control activity against pepper bacterial spot disease. It was found that the pepper disease severity was decreased when the roots were drenched with strain S2-3-2, and the pepper plants had a higher weight and chlorophyll content, as compared with the mock-treated plants. Transcriptional expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) protein genes in pepper was analyzed by real-time PCR, gene expressions of CaPR1, CaPR4, and CaPR10 were increased when the plants were treated with strain S2-3-2. Moreover, strain S2-3-2 was tested for the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and it was determined to emit volatiles that enhance the growth of the tobacco plants. Interesting, heat-killed S2-3-2 enhance the pepper root growth, increase the gene expressions of CaPR4 and CaPR10 after pathogen challenge for 6h, but limited to suppress the pepper bacterial spot disease as compare to the mock-treated plants.Strain S2-3-2 can be a potential biological control agent on the plant root for plant growth promoting and disease suppression.

Wheat blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae pathovar Triticum is efficiently controlled by the plant defence inducer isotianil

Wheat blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae pv. Triticum is an upcoming threat to wheat cultivation worldwide. The disease crossing over to wheat first gained attention in South America, with increasing interest coming from its more recent appearance in the big wheat-growing areas of Asia. The increasing economic relevance of the disease and the lack of genetic resistance in current wheat breeding material, besides fungicide resistance already present in fungal pathogen populations, highlighted the need to evaluate the potential of isotianil as an alternative plant protection measure. Isotianil is already registered in Asia for the protection of rice against M. oryzae, but because the agronomic practices and disease development of blast differ between rice and wheat, the efficacy of isotianil against wheat blast was hard to predict. Testing isotianil in the currently available formulations, applied either as seed treatment or soil drench, resulted in a significant reduction of disease severity. The efficacy was comparably high, on different wheat cultivars and using several fungal isolates with different degrees of virulence. Microscopic analyses revealed that isotianil treatment can prevent invasive growth of the pathogen. No phytotoxicity from isotianil treatment was observed on wheat plants. Importantly, isotianil not only protects wheat plants at the seedling stage but also on spikes thereby preventing losses due to this most severe disease syndrome. In summary, the results showed the high potential of isotianil to protect against wheat blast.

Fungicidal management of yellow rust of wheat

Eleven fungicides were evaluated as two foliar sprays for the management of yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis) at CSKHPKV, RWRC, Malan. Seven fungicides were tested during both the cropping seasons whereas, two each were evaluated during 2015-16 and 2016-17. Tebuconazole 25 EC @ 0.1% was the most effective with mean disease severity (MDS) of 1.84 % and mean disease control (MDC) of 99.64% over the unsprayed check (48.39%) followed by Nativo 75WG@0.05%, Amistar 250 SC, Propiconazole and Amistar Top 325 SC @ 0.1%. The highest mean grain yield of 32.24 q/ha was recorded in two sprays of Azoxystrobin 20%+Difenconazole 12.5% SC @0.1% with mean increase in yield of 56.73% over check with corresponding net profit of Rs. 14815 and cost: benefit ratio of 1: 2.93. It was followed by 32.10, 31.47, 31.18 and 29.65 q/ha yield in Tebuconazole 25% EC, Azoxystrobin 23.1%SC, Tebuconazole 50%+ Trifloxystrobin 25% w/w 75WG and Propiconazole 25%EC, with mean yield increase of 11.54, 10.91, 10.62 and 9.08 q/ha with 56.08, 53.01, 51.60 and 44.14 % over the unsprayed check with net profit of Rs. 16705, 13187, 13384 and 13479 and with corresponding cost: benefit ratio of 1: 4.03, 1:2.68, 1:2.89 and 1:4.36, respectively. On the basis of one year data, the highest grain yield of 37.08 and 32.24 q/ha was recorded in Score 250 EC and Opera @0.1% with 64.80 and 72.96% increase in yield over check with cost: benefit ratio of 1: 3.53 and 5.38 respectively. Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) implied that effect of years on disease severity was non-significant, all the test fungicides resulted in significant reduction in disease severity and treatments Tebuconazole 25% EC, Tebuconazole 50%+ Trifloxystrobin 25% w/w 75WG, Azoxystrobin 20%+Difenconazole 12.5% SC and Azoxystrobin 23.1%SC showed significantly more yield than the other fungicides. These fungicides may be used against this disease as a short-term alternative of resistant varieties. Doi.org.10.25174/2582-2675/2020/100849

Effect of silicon compounds against Macrophomina phaseolina the causal agent of soybean charcoal rot disease

This work was designed to study the efficacy of two types of silicon compounds (sodium silicate and potassium silicate) to control charcoal rot disease caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in vitro, under greenhouse and field conditions. In vitro study showed that sodium and potassium silicate at all concentration were effective on inhibiting the growth of the pathogen. Generally, sodium silicate significantly reduces pathogen growth than potassium silicate (29.02% and 19.34%, respectively). Under greenhouse conditions, treatments with sodium silicate caused the highest percentage of disease reduction of charcoal rot disease (37.8%), compared with infected control plants. Sodium silicate treatment increased the root, stem and leaves thickness layers of cortex (CO) and pith (PI) compared to untreated soybean plants. Under field conditions, application of sodium silicate in controlling charcoal rot disease showed significant reduction of disease severity in both tested seasons (56% and 42%, respectively) as well as increased the yield of soybean by (136.7% and 97.6%, respectively). The study concluded that application of sodium silicate could be useful in reducing charcoal rot diseases under greenhouse and field conditions.

The Effects of organic fertilizer complement by addition Biological control agents on Rhizoctonia solani Kühn Causing of Eggplant root rot Disease

The research was aimed to study of some plant extracts, Trichoderma harzianium and Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Azotobacter chroococcum and addition of organic fertilizer made of Date palm leaves in control Eggplant root rot disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani fungus. Results of the field survey showed the presence of Eggplant root rot disease in all the surveyed districts Baghdad, Babylon and Karbalaa province with disease incidence of 33.3-83.0% and severity of 16-60%. T. harzianium and A. chroococcum have highly antagonistic ability against of pathogenic isolates of R. solani under laboratory conditions. The plant extract that used in study (Cinnamon, ginger, Milk thistle, Crack willow) had against effect on the growth of pathogen on PDA. superior of Cinnamon extract which was prevent growth of pathogen. The results of the field experiment and lath house condition indicated that Integrated treatment with the T. harzianium and A. chroococcum caused significant reduction in disease severity to 33.33% and caused significantly enhanced eggplant growth parameters. The organic fertilizer of Date palm leaves increased the Efficiency of biological control agents. The integrated treatment between T. harzianium and A. chroococcum and organic fertilizer of Date palm leaves showed decreased in disease severity to 20.00% then increasing the plant growth parameters into 17.33 cm, 18.33 and 2.77g respectively. These results were appeared for the first time in Iraq that T. harzianium, A. chroococcum and organic fertilizer of Date palm leaves showed high antagonistic with R. solani and decreased severity of Eggplant root rot disease.

Improving Regulation of Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Antioxidants and Stress-Related Gene Stimulation in Cucumber mosaic cucumovirus-Infected Cucumber Plants Treated with Glycine Betaine, Chitosan and Combination.

Cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) is a deadly plant virus that results in crop-yield losses with serious economic consequences. In recent years, environmentally friendly components have been developed to manage crop diseases as alternatives to chemical pesticides, including the use of natural compounds such as glycine betaine (GB) and chitosan (CHT), either alone or in combination. In the present study, the leaves of the cucumber plants were foliar-sprayed with GB and CHT—either alone or in combination—to evaluate their ability to induce resistance against CMV. The results showed a significant reduction in disease severity and CMV accumulation in plants treated with GB and CHT, either alone or in combination, compared to untreated plants (challenge control). In every treatment, growth indices, leaf chlorophylls content, phytohormones (i.e., indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid), endogenous osmoprotectants (i.e., proline, soluble sugars and glycine betaine), non-enzymatic antioxidants (i.e., ascorbic acid, glutathione and phenols) and enzymatic antioxidants (i.e., superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, catalase, lipoxygenase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, chitinase and β-1,3 glucanase) of virus-infected plants were significantly increased. On the other hand, malondialdehyde and abscisic acid contents have been significantly reduced. Based on a gene expression study, all treated plants exhibited increased expression levels of some regulatory defense genes such as PR1 and PAL1. In conclusion, the combination of GB and CHT is the most effective treatment in alleviated virus infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the induction of systemic resistance against CMV by using GB.

Plasma mediated disinfection of rice seeds in water and air

The efficacy of seed disinfection utilizing atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma is still a subject of intensive research. Previously, we found that rice seeds infected by Fusarium fujikuroi (fungus causing bakanae disease) could be disinfected via underwater arc discharge plasma. In this study, we further investigated the mechanism of disinfection and the effect on disease severity. In addition, we evaluated disinfection of rice seeds in air by surface DBD plasma. Disease severity was significantly reduced in seedlings germinated from rice seeds treated with underwater arc plasma, compared to non-treated seeds (44%–62% plasma treated compared to 92% non-treated). A shockwave of 11 atm pressure was generated during arc discharge, which likely caused fungal detachment from the seed surface. Moreover, reactive oxygen species such as atomic oxygen (O) was emitted from the underwater arc discharge plasma and could have contributed to the degeneration of the chemical composition on the seed surface and the inactivation of the fungal spores. Rice seeds treated with surface DBD plasma in the presence of H2O2 at a lower pressure (0.6 atm) for 30 min showed the highest seed disinfection efficiency (about 93% seed disinfection) and a significant reduction in disease severity in the germinated seedlings (23% plasma-treated compared to 100% non-treated). Taken together, our results suggested that underwater arc discharge and surface DBD plasma could be usefully applied to develop control strategies for seed-borne fungal diseases via seed decontamination during dry storage or water imbibition before sowing.

EVALUATION OF CERTAIN BIOCIDES AND CHEMICALS INDUCING RESISTANCE IN MANAGEMENT OF CUCUMBER DOWNY MILDEW UNDER PROTECTED CULTIVATION

Downy mildew of cucumber is caused by the fungus-like pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk and Curtis), which causes loss in the yield in Egypt especially under protected cultivation where low temperature and high humidity are prevalent. The efficiency of two Bio-control agents i.e. T34 (Trichoderma asperellum, 109 spore/cm3) and Bio-Cure-B (Pseudomonas fluorescens, 108 spore/cm3) as well as three resistance inducing chemicals (RICs), i.e. potassium dihydrogenphosphate (K2HPO4), salicylic acid (C7H6O3), and potassium nitrate (KNO3) were evaluated for controlling cucumber downy mildew under greenhouse and plastic house conditions. Greenhouse experiment data revealed that, spraying cucumber plants with either biocontrol agent or tested RICs two times i.e. 5 days before and/or nine days after artificially inoculated by the P. cubensis significantly reduced percentage of disease severity, meanwhile plant length and foliage fresh weight were increased in comparison with control treatments. The treatments increased the activity of peroxidase, β-1,3-glucanase, beside increase in total carbohydrates and total phenolic contents. Under plastic house, all tested biocides and/or RICs either alone or double combinations caused significant reduction in disease severity associated with significant increment in some growth parameter of cucumber plants (plant length and fruit yield) when compared with control treatments in both seasons. However, application of tested RICs mixture with tested biocides was more effective in this regard than the only application of them individually. In this respect, tested biocides were also more efficient than resistance inducing chemicals (RICs).

Turmeric extract based therapy for psoriasis

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affects 3 % of world population on average. Psoriasis can have disfiguring and disabling impacts on patients with increased global burden of the disease. According to WHO, there is continuous need for establishing new modalities for treatment of psoriasis with emphasis on treatment safety concerns of the patients. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of turmeric extract based ointment in the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis Methods: 10 patients with psoriasis vulgaris confirmed histopathologically were recruited at Dermatology Department outpatient clinic Zagazig University Hospitals. The diseased severity were assessed clinically using PASI score and the histopathologic severity was assessed before and after 4 weeks of twice daily application the turmeric extract based ointment.Results: Significant reduction in disease severity in all patients used treatment with PASI before PASI before treatment was 19.44 ± 10.7, and after was 10.5 ± 6.3 (P = 0.0007). There was 47% ± 12% improvement in disease severity, with 50% of patients already reached PASI 50 benchmark by 4th week of treatment. Conclusions: In this pilot study, the effectiveness and tolerability of turmeric extract based ointment in the treatment of moderate psoriasis vulgaris was evaluated and proved on both clinical and histopathological levels.

Efficacy of nano-silicon in the control of chocolate spot disease of Vicia faba L. caused by Botrytis fabae

ABSTRACT The effect of nano-silicon (NSi) at concentrations of 1.5 and 3mM in controlling the chocolate spot disease of Vicia faba L. was investigated. Botrytis fabae the causal of chocolate spot disease was isolated from infested leaves of faba bean collected from different fields of Dakahlia governorate in the winter of 2016. B. fabae isolated from Elsinbilawin (isolate B1) showed the maximum rates of disease severity (DS) and disease incidence (DI). The application of NSi caused a significant reduction in DS and DI of faba bean chocolate spot. Infection with B. fabae caused a great loss in chloroplasts number per mesophyll cell and changed the ultrastructure of chloroplasts. However, NSi-treated plants showed a significant increase in chloroplast, cell wall thickness, while the other cell organelles were kept in a good shape. In addition, NSi treatment enhanced the accumulation of proline and increased the total phenols. It also improved the activities of protective enzymes, peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) comparing with the untreated control. Besides, it enhanced the accumulation of protein in infected plants in comparison with the pathogen-alone treatment. Under energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), the NSi-treated plants showed a significant increase in silicon concentration that protects the plant from external damaging factors.

Suppressive effect of compost /pomegranate peel tea combination against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lupini, and Rhizoctonia solani as an alternative synthetic fungicide

Plant diseases continue to cause severe damage to most agricultural crops resulting in heavy losses of both yield and quality. In addition the agricultural wastes cause real problems to get rid of them. Therefore, intensive concern was directed toward compost utilization, as they are available for no cost no side effect. So, in this study different suggested formulations of aerated compost tea in combination with pomegranate peel powder were evaluated for the possibility of using them as an environmentally safe alternative to fungicides. In vitro antifungal activity as well as, the in vivo probability of these combinations to suppress damping-off and wilt diseases caused by R. solani and F. oxysporum was done. Pathogens were isolated from diseased lupine plants with root rot and wilt symptoms. In vitro experiment results illustrated that high inhibition linear growth was obtained by compost/sour pomegranate tea prepared using alkaline water by up to 60% and 70% for F. oxysporum and R. solani respectively. Meanwhile, under field condition all tested combinations showed significant reduction in disease severity over un-composted control, indicated by low wilting and high survival % of lupine plants, no significant differences were detected between treatments. All compost treatments, in the field experiment, performed significantly better than the un-composted control in terms of growth parameters, NPK accumulation, yield and its components with no significant differences. Findings of this study suggest that mixture of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peels extract with compost tea might be a promising combination for controlling phytopathogenic fungi and can be used as effective natural fungicide against two of the most dangerous soil-borne fungi looking for reducing the dependence on the chemical fungicides.

Post-harvest assessment of fruit quality and shelf life of two elite tomato varieties cultivated in Bangladesh

BackgroundTomatoes are now one of the most popular nutrient-dense vegetables in terms of acreage, production, yield, commercial use, and consumption that add to the Bangladesh economy and ultimately reduce poverty. With this view, a lab investigation was carried out to analyze the effects of tomato (Sofol and Roma VF) verities on different post-harvest managements to extend shelf life as well as reduce post-harvest losses.ResultsThis study confirmed that the fruit quality attributes (color, firmness, weight loss, chilling injury, total soluble solids, pH, disease incidence, disease severity, and dry matter content) were increased whereas moisture content, vitamin C, and titratable acidity decreased with the increases in storage duration. The high quality attributes such as color, firmness, weight loss, chilling injury, total soluble solids, pH, disease incidence, disease severity, and dry matter content increased, whereas moisture content, vitamin C and titratable acidity decrease of tomato were observed in Roma VF while Sofol variety had high weight loss, moisture content, titratable acidity, and vitamin C. Moreover, the highest shelf life (17 days) was recorded in Sofol than Roma VF (15 days). On the 16th day of storage, maximum disease severity (41%) and disease incidence (71%) were observed at an earthen cooling pot, whereas a significant reduction in disease severity (1%) and disease incidence (8%) were recorded in tomatoes stored at 10oC temperature. Weight loss was the lowest (4%) in Sofol when kept at unperforated low-density polyethylene (LDPL) plastic bag as compared to Roma VF treatment (11%). Considering the physiological process, held at the low temperature (10 °C and 15 °C) and increased shelf life as well as reduced the diseases of tomatoes.ConclusionsThe investigator concluded that the findings of this study will be helpful with specific regard to long and medium-term storage, quality control, transportation, and advertising, and will also be beneficial to tomato growers of Bangladesh.

Attrition from Care and Clinical Outcomes in a Cohort of Sickle Cell Disease Patients in a Tribal Area of Western India.

In a tribal area of western India, a non-governmental organization implemented a comprehensive sickle cell disease (SCD) program at a secondary level hospital. In a cohort of SCD patients registered during December 2015 to June 2017, we assessed rates of lost to follow-up (LTFU) during the follow-up period using routinely collected data. We compared the uptake of proven interventions and indicators of disease severity from one year prior to registration until the end of the study (June 2018). Of 404 patients, the total follow-up duration was 534 person-years (PY). The rate (95% CI) of LTFU was 21 (17.5–25.3) per 100 PY. The proportion of people who received the pneumococcal vaccine improved from 10% to 93%, and coverage of hydroxyurea improved from 3.5% to 88%. There was a statistically significant decrease in rates (per 100 PY) of pain crisis (277 vs 53.4), hospitalization (49.8 vs 42.2), and blood transfusion (27.4 vs 17.8) after enrollment in the SCD program. Although clinical intervention uptake was high, one quarter of the patients were LTFU. The study demonstrated significant reductions in disease severity in SCD patients.

The Virulence Function and Regulation of the Metalloprotease Gene prtA in the Plant-Pathogenic Bacterium Burkholderia glumae.

Bacterial panicle blight caused by Burkholderia glumae is a major bacterial disease of rice. Our preliminary RNA-seq study showed that a serine metalloprotease gene, prtA, is regulated in a similar manner to the genes for the biosynthesis and transport of toxoflavin, which is a known major virulence factor of B. glumae. prtA null mutants of the virulent strain B. glumae 336gr-1 did not show a detectable extracellular protease activity, indicating that prtA is the solely responsible gene for the extracellular protease activity detected from this bacterium. In addition, inoculation of rice panicles with the prtA mutants resulted in a significant reduction of disease severity compared with the wild-type parent strain, suggesting the requirement of prtA for the full virulence of B. glumae. A double mutant deficient in both serine metalloprotease and toxoflavin (ΔtoxA/prtA-) exhibited a further numeric but not statistically significant decrease of disease development compared with the ΔtoxA strain. Both the prtA-driven extracellular protease activity and the toxoflavin production were dependent on both the tofI/tofR quorum-sensing and the global regulatory gene qsmR, indicating the important roles of the two global regulatory factors for the bacterial pathogenesis by this pathogen.

Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Positive Airway Pressure: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and GRADE Assessment.

The purpose of this systematic review is to provide supporting evidence for the clinical practice guideline for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults using positive airway pressure (PAP). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine commissioned a task force of experts in sleep medicine. A systematic review was conducted to identify studies that compared the use of PAP with no treatment as well as studies that compared different PAP modalities. Meta-analyses were performed to determine the clinical significance of using PAP in several modalities (ie, continuous PAP, auto-adjusting PAP, and bilevel PAP), to treat OSA in adults. In addition, meta-analyses were performed to determine the clinical significance of using an in-laboratory versus ambulatory strategy for the initiation of PAP, educational and behavioral interventions, telemonitoring, humidification, different mask interfaces, and flexible or modified pressure profile PAP in conjunction with PAP to treat OSA in adults. Finally, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) process was used to assess the evidence for making recommendations. The literature search resulted in 336 studies that met inclusion criteria; 184 studies provided data suitable for meta-analyses. The data demonstrated that PAP compared to no treatment results in a clinically significant reduction in disease severity, sleepiness, blood pressure, and motor vehicle accidents, and improvement in sleep-related quality of life in adults with OSA. In addition, the initiation of PAP in the home demonstrated equivalent effects on patient outcomes when compared to an in-laboratory titration approach. The data also demonstrated that the use of auto-adjusting or bilevel PAP did not result in clinically significant differences in patient outcomes compared with standard continuous PAP. Furthermore, data demonstrated a clinically significant improvement in PAP adherence with the use of educational, behavioral, troubleshooting, and telemonitoring interventions. Systematic reviews for specific PAP delivery method were also performed and suggested that nasal interfaces compared to oronasal interfaces have improved adherence and slightly greater reductions in OSA severity, heated humidification compared to no humidification reduces some continuous PAP-related side effects, and pressure profile PAP did not result in clinically significant differences in patient outcomes compared with standard continuous PAP.