Detecting Aphanomyces Invadans in Pure Cultures and EUS-infected Fish Lesions by Applying PCR

Aphanomyces invadans is an oomycete fungus which causes Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (EUS) disease in wide range of fresh and brackish water fish worldwide imposing serious economic losses. A diagnostic procedure, based on a polymerase chain reaction method (PCR) was developed to detect infection of fish with the A.invadans. A set of primers (1APM 1F and 1APM 6R) was used to specifically amplify A. invadans DNA. The PCR amplifies a 400 bp amplicon. A protocol for the extraction of A. invadans DNA from infected fish tissue and pure fungal cultures was developed. The method was tested on seven EUS-susceptible fish species (snakehead, snakeskin gourami, moonlight gourami, koi carp, catfish, gold fish, climbing perch) and one EUS-resistant fish (tilapia), artificially infected with A. invadans and pure cultures of Aphanomyces spp., Saprolegnia spp., Achlya spp., and Allomyces sp. Detection of A. invadans was possible at the early stage of sampling, which was 24 hours post injection in both EUS-susceptible and resistant fish. Resistant fish was found to be PCR-negative after 6 days of inoculation but in susceptible fish PCR-positive results obtained even after day 28 or in dead fish. Therefore PCR may be a useful method for detection EUS infection in fish from early stage of disease onset.

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Integration of early disease-resistance phenotyping, histological characterization, and transcriptome sequencing reveals insights into downy mildew resistance in impatiens

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00543-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ze Peng ◽

Yanhong He ◽

Saroj Parajuli ◽

Qian You ◽

Weining Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Resistance ◽

Downy Mildew ◽

Transcriptome Sequencing ◽

Early Stage ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Potential Candidate ◽

Early Disease ◽

True Leaf ◽

Cotyledon Stage ◽

Wide Range

AbstractDowny mildew (DM), caused by obligate parasitic oomycetes, is a destructive disease for a wide range of crops worldwide. Recent outbreaks of impatiens downy mildew (IDM) in many countries have caused huge economic losses. A system to reveal plant–pathogen interactions in the early stage of infection and quickly assess resistance/susceptibility of plants to DM is desired. In this study, we established an early and rapid system to achieve these goals using impatiens as a model. Thirty-two cultivars of Impatiens walleriana and I. hawkeri were evaluated for their responses to IDM at cotyledon, first/second pair of true leaf, and mature plant stages. All I. walleriana cultivars were highly susceptible to IDM. While all I. hawkeri cultivars were resistant to IDM starting at the first true leaf stage, many (14/16) were susceptible to IDM at the cotyledon stage. Two cultivars showed resistance even at the cotyledon stage. Histological characterization showed that the resistance mechanism of the I. hawkeri cultivars resembles that in grapevine and type II resistance in sunflower. By integrating full-length transcriptome sequencing (Iso-Seq) and RNA-Seq, we constructed the first reference transcriptome for Impatiens comprised of 48,758 sequences with an N50 length of 2060 bp. Comparative transcriptome and qRT-PCR analyses revealed strong candidate genes for IDM resistance, including three resistance genes orthologous to the sunflower gene RGC203, a potential candidate associated with DM resistance. Our approach of integrating early disease-resistance phenotyping, histological characterization, and transcriptome analysis lay a solid foundation to improve DM resistance in impatiens and may provide a model for other crops.

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An Improved Membrane Filtration Method for Enumeration of Faecal Coliforms and E. Coli by a Fluorogenic β-Glucuronidase Assay

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1993.0357 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 27 (3-4) ◽

pp. 267-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. T. Augoustinos ◽

N. A. Grabow ◽

B. Genthe ◽

R. Kfir

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Water Samples ◽

Membrane Filtration ◽

Faecal Coliforms ◽

Environmental Waters ◽

Filtration Method ◽

E Coli ◽

Wide Range ◽

Pure Cultures ◽

Glucuronidase Assay

A fluorogenic β-glucuronidase assay comprising membrane filtration followed by selective enumeration on m-FC agar at 44.5°C and further confirmation using tlie 4-metliylumbelliferyl-β-D-glucuronide (MUG) containing medium was evaluated for the detection of Escherichia coli in water. A total of 200 typical blue and non-typical blue colonies were isolated from sea and fresh water samples using initial selective enumeration on m-FC agar. Pure cultures of the selected colonies were further tested using the MUG assay and identified using the API 20E method. Of the colonies tested which were shown to be positive using the MUG assay 99.4% were Escherichia coli. The results of this study indicate the combination of the m-FC method followed by the MUG assay to be highly efficient for the selection and confirmation of E. coli from a wide range of environmental waters.

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Celiac Disease in Kosovar Albanian Children: Evaluation of Clinical Features and Diagnosis

Current Pediatric Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573396316666200116093753 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 241-247

Author(s):

Atifete Ramosaj-Morina ◽

Alije Keka-Sylaj ◽

Arbana Baloku Zejnullahu ◽

Lidvana Spahiu ◽

Virgjina Hasbahta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Celiac Disease ◽

Disease Onset ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽

Dominant Mode ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Classical Form ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Mean

Background: Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder characterized by variable clinical manifestations, specific antibodies, HLA-DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes, and enteropathy. Objectives: The aim of this study was to present the clinical spectrum and patterns of celiac disease in Kosovar Albanian children. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was performed with Albanian children aged 0-18 years, treated for celiac disease in the Pediatric Clinic, University Clinical Center of Kosovo from 2005 to 2016. Results: During the study period, 63 children were treated for celiac disease. The mean age at diagnosis was 5.5 years (SD ± 3.31). The mean age at celiac disease onset was 3.3 years (SD ± 2.02), while the mean delay from the first symptoms indicative of celiac disease to diagnosis was 2.2 years (SD ± 2.09). More than 70% of the patients were diagnosed in the first 7 years of life, mainly presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, while primary school children and adolescents mostly showed atypical symptoms (p<0.001). The classical form of celiac disease occurred in 78% of the cases. Sixty (95%) patients carried HLA-DQ2.5, DQ2.2 and/or HLA-DQ8 heterodimers, and only three of them tested negative. Conclusions: Kosovo, as the majority of developing countries, is still facing the classical form of celiac disease as the dominant mode of presentation; as a result, most children with other forms of the celiac disease remain undiagnosed. : Physicians should be aware of the wide range of clinical presentations and utilize low testing thresholds in order to prevent potential long-term problems associated with untreated celiac disease.

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Toxin Production in Soybean (Glycine max L.) Plants with Charcoal Rot Disease and by Macrophomina phaseolina, the Fungus that Causes the Disease

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins11110645 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 645 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Hamed K. Abbas ◽

Nacer Bellaloui ◽

Cesare Accinelli ◽

James R. Smith ◽

W. Thomas Shier

Keyword(s):

Culture Media ◽

Leaf Disc ◽

Toxin Production ◽

Macrophomina Phaseolina ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Limit Of Quantification ◽

Charcoal Rot ◽

Wide Range ◽

Soybean Plants ◽

Rot Disease

Charcoal rot disease, caused by the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina, results in major economic losses in soybean production in southern USA. M. phaseolina has been proposed to use the toxin (-)-botryodiplodin in its root infection mechanism to create a necrotic zone in root tissue through which fungal hyphae can readily enter the plant. The majority (51.4%) of M. phaseolina isolates from plants with charcoal rot disease produced a wide range of (-)-botryodiplodin concentrations in a culture medium (0.14–6.11 µg/mL), 37.8% produced traces below the limit of quantification (0.01 µg/mL), and 10.8% produced no detectable (-)-botryodiplodin. Some culture media with traces or no (-)-botryodiplodin were nevertheless strongly phytotoxic in soybean leaf disc cultures, consistent with the production of another unidentified toxin(s). Widely ranging (-)-botryodiplodin levels (traces to 3.14 µg/g) were also observed in the roots, but not in the aerial parts, of soybean plants naturally infected with charcoal rot disease. This is the first report of (-)-botryodiplodin in plant tissues naturally infected with charcoal rot disease. No phaseolinone was detected in M. phaseolina culture media or naturally infected soybean tissues. These results are consistent with (-)-botryodiplodin playing a role in the pathology of some, but not all, M. phaseolina isolates from soybeans with charcoal rot disease in southern USA.

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Photonic Crystal Nanobeam Cavities for Nanoscale Optical Sensing: A Review

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi11010072 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 72 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Da-Quan Yang ◽

Bing Duan ◽

Xiao Liu ◽

Ai-Qiang Wang ◽

Xiao-Gang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Photonic Crystal ◽

Optical Waveguides ◽

Optical Sensing ◽

Early Stage ◽

Disease Diagnosis ◽

Label Free ◽

Quality Factors ◽

Integrated Sensor ◽

Early Stage Disease ◽

Wide Range

The ability to detect nanoscale objects is particular crucial for a wide range of applications, such as environmental protection, early-stage disease diagnosis and drug discovery. Photonic crystal nanobeam cavity (PCNC) sensors have attracted great attention due to high-quality factors and small-mode volumes (Q/V) and good on-chip integrability with optical waveguides/circuits. In this review, we focus on nanoscale optical sensing based on PCNC sensors, including ultrahigh figure of merit (FOM) sensing, single nanoparticle trapping, label-free molecule detection and an integrated sensor array for multiplexed sensing. We believe that the PCNC sensors featuring ultracompact footprint, high monolithic integration capability, fast response and ultrahigh sensitivity sensing ability, etc., will provide a promising platform for further developing lab-on-a-chip devices for biosensing and other functionalities.

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Non-Albumin Proteinuria (NAP) as a Complementary Marker for Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD)

Life ◽

10.3390/life11030224 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 224

Author(s):

Jaehyun Bae ◽

Young Jun Won ◽

Byung-Wan Lee

Keyword(s):

Kidney Disease ◽

Filtration Rate ◽

Diabetic Kidney Disease ◽

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate ◽

Early Stage ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Tubular Injury ◽

Current Standard ◽

Diabetic Kidney ◽

Wide Range

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most common forms of chronic kidney disease. Its pathogenic mechanism is complex, and it can affect entire structures of the kidney. However, conventional approaches to early stage DKD have focused on changes to the glomerulus. Current standard screening tools for DKD, albuminuria, and estimated glomerular filtration rate are insufficient to reflect early tubular injury. Therefore, many tubular biomarkers have been suggested. Non-albumin proteinuria (NAP) contains a wide range of tubular biomarkers and is convenient to measure. We reviewed the clinical meanings of NAP and its significance as a marker for early stage DKD.

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Contagion Management at the Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10122627 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2627

Author(s):

Pierre-Edouard Fournier ◽

Sophie Edouard ◽

Nathalie Wurtz ◽

Justine Raclot ◽

Marion Bechet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Early Stage ◽

Point Of Care ◽

University Hospital ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Monitoring Point ◽

Epidemiological Monitoring ◽

Wide Range

The Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU) is located in a recent building, which includes experts on a wide range of infectious disease. The IHU strategy is to develop innovative tools, including epidemiological monitoring, point-of-care laboratories, and the ability to mass screen the population. In this study, we review the strategy and guidelines proposed by the IHU and its application to the COVID-19 pandemic and summarise the various challenges it raises. Early diagnosis enables contagious patients to be isolated and treatment to be initiated at an early stage to reduce the microbial load and contagiousness. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to deal with a shortage of personal protective equipment and reagents and a massive influx of patients. Between 27 January 2020 and 5 January 2021, 434,925 nasopharyngeal samples were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Of them, 12,055 patients with COVID-19 were followed up in our out-patient clinic, and 1888 patients were hospitalised in the Institute. By constantly adapting our strategy to the ongoing situation, the IHU has succeeded in expanding and upgrading its equipment and improving circuits and flows to better manage infected patients.

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Design of Personalized Devices—The Tradeoff between Individual Value and Personalization Workload

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11010241 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 241

Author(s):

Juliane Kuhl ◽

Andreas Ding ◽

Ngoc Tuan Ngo ◽

Andres Braschkat ◽

Jens Fiehler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Customer Value ◽

Early Stage ◽

Treatment Success ◽

Product Family ◽

Flow Diverter ◽

New Method ◽

Product Families ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Individual ◽

Individual Value

Personalized medical devices adapted to the anatomy of the individual promise greater treatment success for patients, thus increasing the individual value of the product. In order to cater to individual adaptations, however, medical device companies need to be able to handle a wide range of internal processes and components. These are here referred to collectively as the personalization workload. Consequently, support is required in order to evaluate how best to target product personalization. Since the approaches presented in the literature are not able to sufficiently meet this demand, this paper introduces a new method that can be used to define an appropriate variety level for a product family taking into account standardized, variant, and personalized attributes. The new method enables the identification and evaluation of personalizable attributes within an existing product family. The method is based on established steps and tools from the field of variant-oriented product design, and is applied using a flow diverter—an implant for the treatment of aneurysm diseases—as an example product. The personalization relevance and adaptation workload for the product characteristics that constitute the differentiating product properties were analyzed and compared in order to determine a tradeoff between customer value and personalization workload. This will consequently help companies to employ targeted, deliberate personalization when designing their product families by enabling them to factor variety-induced complexity and customer value into their thinking at an early stage, thus allowing them to critically evaluate a personalization project.

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Early Dropout Prediction in MOOCs through Supervised Learning and Hyperparameter Optimization

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics10141701 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (14) ◽

pp. 1701

Author(s):

Theodor Panagiotakopoulos ◽

Sotiris Kotsiantis ◽

Georgios Kostopoulos ◽

Omiros Iatrellis ◽

Achilles Kameas

Keyword(s):

Online Education ◽

Online Courses ◽

Early Stage ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Machine Learning Algorithms ◽

Supervised Machine Learning ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Student Dropout ◽

Wide Range

Over recent years, massive open online courses (MOOCs) have gained increasing popularity in the field of online education. Students with different needs and learning specificities are able to attend a wide range of specialized online courses offered by universities and educational institutions. As a result, large amounts of data regarding students’ demographic characteristics, activity patterns, and learning performances are generated and stored in institutional repositories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, a key issue in MOOCs is low completion rates, which directly affect student success. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for educational institutions and faculty members to find more effective practices and reduce non-completer ratios. In this context, the main purpose of the present study is to employ a plethora of state-of-the-art supervised machine learning algorithms for predicting student dropout in a MOOC for smart city professionals at an early stage. The experimental results show that accuracy exceeds 96% based on data collected during the first week of the course, thus enabling effective intervention strategies and support actions.

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Imaging features and differential diagnoses of non-neoplastic diffuse mediastinal diseases

Insights into Imaging ◽

10.1186/s13244-020-00909-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Flavian Tabotta ◽

Gilbert R. Ferretti ◽

Helmut Prosch ◽

Samia Boussouar ◽

Anne-Laure Brun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Stage ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Imaging Features ◽

Mediastinal Diseases ◽

Pictorial Review ◽

Wide Range ◽

Chest X Ray ◽

Delayed Recognition ◽

Patient’S History ◽

Contiguous Spread

Abstract Acute or chronic non-neoplastic diffuse mediastinal diseases have multiple causes, degrees of severity, and a wide range of management. Some situations require emergency care while others do not need specific treatment. Although the diagnosis may be suspected on chest X-ray, it is mainly based on CT. A delayed recognition is not uncommonly observed. Some findings may prompt the radiologist to look for specific associated injuries or lesions. This pictorial review will successively describe the various non-neoplastic causes of diffuse mediastinal diseases with their typical findings and major differentials. First, pneumomediastinum that can be provoked by extra- or intra-thoracic triggers requires the knowledge of patient’s history or recent occurrences. Absence of any usual etiological factor should raise suspicion of cocaine inhalation in young individuals. Next, acute mediastinitis may be related to post-operative complications, esophageal perforation, or contiguous spread of odontogenic or retropharyngeal infections. The former diagnosis is not an easy task in the early stage, owing to the similarities of imaging findings with those of normal post-operative appearance during the first 2–3 weeks. Finally, fibrosing mediastinitis that is linked to an excessive fibrotic reaction in the mediastinum with variable compromise of mediastinal structures, in particular vascular and airway ones. Differential diagnosis includes tumoral and inflammatory infiltrations of the mediastinum.

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