Manipulating table beet growth using exogeneous gibberellic acid 3 in New York, USA

Posted on 1 October 2023 by nSarah J. Pethybridge, nSean Murphy, nEric Branch, nPratibha Sharma, nJulie R. Kikkertn

Table beets are grown in New York, USA for processing into cans and jars (left) for which their suitability is dictated by quality and root shoulder diameter.

Abstract

Table beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) root suitability for processing into cans and jars is dictated by quality and shoulder diameter (crown width). For shoulder diameter, roots are sorted into six classes and those in the small (19.1–44.5 mm) and small/medium (44.6–40.8 mm) classes are considered suitable. Smaller (≤19 mm) roots are usually lost in harvesting while larger (≥40.9 mm) roots are typically discarded. Exogenous (foliar-applied) gibberellic acid 3 (GA₃) may alter source-sink carbohydrate partitioning with potential advantages for processing table beet producers. Small plot replicated trials were conducted in each of 3 years (2020, 2021 and 2022) to evaluate the effect and optimal timing of exogenous GA₃ on table beet yield components in New York, USA. GA₃ was applied as ProGibb at 30 ppm in all trials and as ProGibb at 30 ppm and FalGro 2X LV at 67 ppm (label rates) in 2022. GA₃ as ProGibb resulted in significant increases in foliar health attributes (leaf blade length and width, petiole diameter, normalized difference vegetative index and dry weight of foliage). GA₃ as ProGibb significantly reduced average root shoulder diameter and affected the percentage of roots in various size categories. The percentage of tiny roots (<19 mm) was significantly decreased while the percentage of small roots was increased. The percentage of small/medium roots were unaffected. In 2022, the percentage of small roots was significantly increased compared to nontreated plots but was not significantly different between GA₃ as either ProGibb or FalGro applied at 42 or 62 Days after Planting (DAP). Exogenous GA₃ had no consistent, significant effect on the severity of the foliar disease, Cercospora leaf spot. The significant increase in foliar health attributes from GA₃ is beneficial for harvest that relies upon top pulling machinery. Increases in the percentage of small roots and reductions in tiny roots can reduce wasted crop input investments. The optimal number of GA₃ applications was seasonally dependent, ranging from a single application at 40 or 62 DAP in 2 years, to two applications in 2021. GA₃ applications late (>80 DAP) in the cropping season had no significant effect on foliar health attributes or root yield components. The implications of these results on the New York table beet processing industry are discussed.

Deroceras laeve as a potential agricultural pest in Darjeeling Himalayas, India: Palatability and preference of economically important plants

Posted on 30 September 2023 by nNeha Kumari Gupta, nPranesh Paul, nGautam Adityan

The plant food preference and palatability of the slug Deroceras laeve, reported from Darjeeling Himalayas, India, was assessed. The pumpkin leaf was consumed maximally by D. laeve while mint leaf was least consumed, though the fecundity was higher in lettuce and cabbage diet. Apart from being positively linked with body mass, the consumption rate of D. laeve was considerably higher than the controphic slug, Meghimatium bilineatum.

Abstract

The invasion of the terrestrial ecosystem by gastropods has immense negative impacts on ecosystem functions, health, and agricultural plants. The non-native slug, Deroceras laeve (O. F. Müller, 1774), a recognised agricultural pest in native and invaded regions, was recently reported from the Darjeeling Himalayas, India. We assessed the plant palatability and preference of D. laeve using selected plants being farmed in Darjeeling Himalayas (basil, cabbage, coriander, lettuce, mint, pumpkin leaf, and spinach) by laboratory-based choice and non-choice experiments. Moreover, we evaluated the correlation between different chemical features of the plants with the consumption rate of D. laeve and observed the fecundity of D. laeve reared on different plant diets. The highest consumption rate of D. laeve was observed for pumpkin (12.99 ± 1.33 mg dry mass) and the lowest for mint (1.63 ± 0.13 mg dry mass), with a significant positive correlation between consumption rate and D. laeve body mass (for lettuce: R = .47, p = .0009 and other plant species: R = .52, p = .00004) was observed through the non-choice experiment. Moreover, the consumption rate of the non-native slug, D. laeve, was considerably higher than a controphic slug, Meghimatium bilineatum. In the choice experiment, D. laeve preferred lettuce, followed by pumpkin, cabbage, and coriander, even in the presence of detritus and significantly avoided spinach, mint, and basil. The consumption rate of D. laeve had a significant negative correlation with calcium (R = −.49, p = .003) and potassium (R = −.37, p = .03), and a positive correlation was observed for magnesium (R = .37, p = .03). However, no correlation was observed for zinc, silica, total carbohydrate, protein, and phenol content of the leaves. The highest fecundity of D. laeve was observed in the lettuce and cabbage diet, while no eggs were laid on the mint diet. Hence, the consumption of different leaves, irrespective of physical and chemical features (hairiness, amount of silicon, protein, carbohydrate, and phenol), suitable life history traits, and suitable habitats, may facilitate D. laeve as a potential agricultural pest in the Darjeeling Himalayas, India.

Comprehensive analyses of the clinicopathological features and genomic mutations of combined hepatocellular‐cholangiocarcinoma

Posted on 29 September 2023 by

Abstract

Aim

Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA) is a rare primary liver cancer that has two different tumor phenotypes in a single tumor nodule. The relationship between genetic mutations and clinicopathological features of cHCC-CCA remains to be elucidated.

Methods

Whole-exome sequencing analyses were carried out in 13 primary and 2 recurrent cHCC-CCAs. The whole-exome analyses and clinicopathological information were integrated.

Results

TP53 was the most frequently mutated gene in this cohort, followed by BAP1, IDH1/2, and NFE2L2 mutations in multiple cases. All tumors with diameters <3 cm had TP53 mutations. In contrast, six of seven tumors with diameters ≥3 cm did not have TP53 mutations, but all seven tumors had mutations in genes associated with various pathways, including Wnt, RAS/PI3K, and epigenetic modulators. In the signature analysis, the pattern of mutations shown in the TP53 mutation group tended to be more similar to HCC than the TP53 nonmutation group. Mutations in recurrent cHCC-CCA tumors were frequently identical to those in the primary tumor, suggesting that those tumors originated from identical clones of the primary cHCC-CCA tumors. Recurrent and co-occurrent HCC tumors in the same patients with cHCC-CCA had either common or different mutation patterns from the primary cHCC-CCA tumors in each case.

Conclusions

The study suggested that there were two subtypes of cHCC-CCA, one involving TP53 mutations in the early stage of the carcinogenic process and the other not involving such mutations. The comparison of the variants between primary and recurrent tumors suggested that cHCC-CCA was derived from an identical clone.

Fat deposition, fatty acid profiles, antioxidant capacity and differentially expressed genes in subcutaneous fat of Tibetan sheep fed wheat‐based diets with and without xylanase supplementation

Posted on 29 September 2023 by

Abstract

Xylanase, an exogenous enzyme that plays an essential role in energy metabolism by hydrolysing xylan into xylose, has been shown to positively influence nutrient digestion and utilisation in ruminants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of xylanase supplementation on the back-fat thickness, fatty acid profiles, antioxidant capacity, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the subcutaneous fat of Tibetan sheep. Sixty three-month-old rams with an average weight of 19.35 ± 2.18 kg were randomly assigned to control (no enzyme added, WH group) and xylanase (0.2% of diet on a dry matter basis, WE group) treatments. The experiment was conducted over 97 d, including 7 d of adaption to the diets. The results showed that xylanase supplementation in the diet increased adipocyte volume of subcutaneous fat (p < 0.05), shown by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Gas chromatography showed greater concentrations of C14:0 and C16:0 in the subcutaneous fat of controls compared with the enzyme-treated group (p < 0.05), while opposite trend was seen for the absolute contents of C18:1n9t, C20:1, C18:2n6c, C18:3, and C18:3n3 (p < 0.05). Compared with controls, supplementation with xylanase increased the activity of T-AOC significantly (p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis showed the presence of 1630 DEGs between the two groups, of which 1023 were up-regulated and 607 were down-regulated, with enrichment in 4833 Gene Ontology terms, and significant enrichment in 31 terms (p < 0.05). The common DEGs were enriched in 295 pathways and significantly enriched in 26 pathways. Additionally, the expression of lipid-related genes, including fatty acid synthase, superoxide dismutase, fatty acid binding protein 5, carnitine palmytoyltransferase 1 A, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor A were verified via quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. In conclusion, dietary xylanase supplementation was found to reduce subcutaneous fat deposition in Tibetan sheep, likely through modulating the expression of lipid-related genes.

Protein profiles reveal MSH6/MSH2 as a potential biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion MSH6/MSH2 is an biomarker for HCC with HCC

Posted on 29 September 2023 by

Abstract

Aim

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is an independent risk factor for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the specific protein expression profiles that differentiate HCC with MVI from those without MVI remain unclear.

Methods

The profiles of proteins in early-stage HCC tissues and normal liver tissues were characterized by quantitative proteomics techniques. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed on tissue microarrays from 80 HCC patients to assess the expression of MSH2 and MSH6. Cell counting and colony formation, migration and invasion assays were performed in vitro.

Results

We identified 5164 proteins in both HCC tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. As compared to HCC without MVI, 148 upregulated proteins and 97 downregulated proteins were found in HCC with MVI. Particularly noteworthy was the remarkable upregulation of MSH6/MSH2 among these dysregulated proteins in HCC with MVI. Further validation through bioinformatics prediction and IHC confirmed the elevated expression of MSH6/MSH2, which correlated with aggressive disease characteristics and poor prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses demonstrated a substantial area under curve of 0.761 (specificity: 71.79%, sensitivity: 73.17%) for the combined use of MSH6/MSH2. Knockdown of MSH6/MSH2 significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation and invasion in vitro.

Conclusions

Our study establishes MSH6 or MSH2 as an oncogene that is prominently overexpressed during HCC progression which provides new targets for HCC with MVI.

The detection of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus via accelerated strand exchange amplification: An ultra‐rapid and accurate method

Posted on 29 September 2023 by

In this work, an approach for the ultra-fast and accurate detection of B. xylophilus in pinewood called accelerated strand exchange amplification (ASEA) was established for the first time, which only needs one Bst DNA polymerase and a set of primers.

Abstract

One of the most damaging pathogens of pinewood is the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which could cause an adverse effect on the ecosystems of forests and the commerce of timber. Therefore, it is crucial to realize rapid and accurate B. xylophilus detection. In this work, an accelerated strand exchange amplification method (ASEA) was established to detect B. xylophilus for the first time. By integrating with fast nucleic acid extraction, the whole detection procedure could be finished within 30 min, dramatically shortened the detection time. The ASEA method exhibited high specificity towards B. xylophilus and the detection limit for B. xylophilus plasmid DNA was as low as 1.0 × 10⁰ copies/μL. Furthermore, the ASEA approach also exhibited accurate detection for B. xylophilus when applied to actual pinewood samples, meeting the demand of B. xylophilus detection in realistic scenario. We believe the ASEA method has significant potential for B. xylophilus detection, and it will be helpful for controlling forest pest and quarantine regulations.

Weighted thyroid‐stimulating hormone disturbance in prognosis of hepatitis b virus related acute‐on‐chronic liver failure

Posted on 28 September 2023 by

Present study firstly identified TSH was a promising predictor for HBV-ACLF outcome, and then developed a novel prognostic score (mCLIF-OFs) by weighting TSH. Thirdly, we estimated and validated the high performance of the novel mCLIF-OFs from aspects of calibration, discrimination, and clinical net benefit. Those findings would facilitate early assessment of prognosis of HBV-ACLF and provide a novel tool to manage the life-threatening disease.

Abstract

Background

To weighted the prognostic value of thyroid hormones in catastrophic ACLF.

Methods

A retrospective cohort (n=635) and two prospective cohorts (n=353, and 198) were enrolled in this study. The performance of novel developed prognostic score was assessed from aspects of reliability, discrimination, and clinical net benefit.

Results

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was identified as most potential prognostic predictor for HBV-ACLF among thyroid hormones. The novel score (mCLIF-OFs) was developed with weighted TSH and other scored organs in CLIF-OFs using the retrospective cohort (n=635). The predicted risk and observed probabilities of death were comparable across the deciles of mCLIF-OFs (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ² =4.28, p=0.83; Brier scaled=11.9). The C-index of mCLIF-OFs (0.885 [0.883-0.887]) for 30-day mortality was significantly higher than that of the CLIF-OFs, CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C ACLFs, MELD, and Child-Pugh (all p<0.001). The absolute improvements of prediction error rates of the mCLIF-OFs comparing to the above five scores were from 19.0% to 61.1%. After the analysis of probability density function (PDF), the mCLIF-OFs showed the least overlapping coefficients (27.9%) among above prognostic scores. Additionally, the mCLIF-OFs also show greater net benefit than above five prognostic scores over a wide range of risk threshold of death. Similar results were validated in two prospective ACLF cohorts with HBV and non-HBV etiologies.

Conclusions

Weighted TSH portended the outcome of ACLF patients, which may be treated as “damaged organ” of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. The novel mCLIF-OFs is a reliable prognostic score with better discrimination power and clinical net benefit than CLIF-OFs, CLIF-SOFAs, CLIF-C ACLFs, MELD, and Child-Pugh.

Effects of household composition on infant feeding and mother–infant health in northern Kenya

Posted on 28 September 2023 by nA. Vankayalapati, nG. Wamwere‐Njoroge, nM. Fujitan

Abstract

Background

Households with alloparents, individuals other than the mother who care for an infant, can shift members' roles and affect mother–infant health.

Aims

To investigate how household composition relates to infant feeding and infectious disease risk in mother–infant dyads, the team utilized data from breastfeeding dyads (n 208) surveyed during a prolonged drought and food scarcity in northern Kenya.

Methods

Households were classified by the presence/absence of potential alloparents, distinguishing non-siblings and siblings of the infant. Regression models for breastfeeding frequency, complementary feeding status, and recent infections (n 83) evaluated these outcomes' associations with household type while accounting for food insecurity, adjusted for infant age, infant sex, and maternal age.

Results

Household type was unassociated with breastfeeding frequency, but the presence of non-sibling alloparents interacted with food insecurity, predicting increasing breastfeeding frequency as food insecurity intensified among dyads living with non-sibling alloparents. Households with non-sibling alloparents were also inversely associated with complementary feeding but had no association with infection. Households with siblings were inversely associated with (protective against) infant and maternal infection.

Conclusion

Further research is needed to understand the interactive influence of household social and food ecologies on mother–infant diet and health under diverse cultural rules and norms for alloparenting.

Development and validation of machine learning model for predicting treatment responders in patients with primary biliary cholangitis

Posted on 27 September 2023 by

Abstract

Aims

Ursodeoxycholic acid is the first-line treatment for primary biliary cholangitis, and treatment response is one of the factors predicting the outcome. To prescribe alternative therapies, clinicians might need additional information before deciphering the treatment response to ursodeoxycholic acid, contributing to a better patient prognosis. In this study, we developed and validated machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict treatment responses using pretreatment data.

Methods

This multicenter cohort study included collecting datasets from two data samples. Data 1 included 245 patients from 18 hospitals for ML development, and was divided into (i) training and (ii) development sets. Data 2 (iii: test set) included 51 patients from our hospital for validation. An extreme gradient boosted tree predicted the treatment response in the ML model. The area under the curve was used to evaluate the efficacy of the algorithm.

Results

Data 1 showed that patients complying with the Paris II treatment response had significantly lower serum alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin levels than those who did not respond. Three factors, total bilirubin, total protein, and alanine aminotransferase levels were selected as essential variables for prediction. Data 2 showed that patients complying with the Paris II criteria had significantly high prothrombin time and low total bilirubin levels. The area under the curve of extreme gradient boosted tree was good for (ii) (0.811) and (iii) (0.856).

Conclusions

We demonstrated the efficacy of ML in predicting the treatment response for patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Early identification of cases requiring additional treatment with our novel ML model may improve prognosis.

Cost‐effectiveness analysis of hepatitis E vaccination strategies among patients with chronic hepatitis B in China

Posted on 27 September 2023 by

The cost-effectiveness of hepatitis E vaccination for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is unclear. We developed a decision tree–Markov model to assess the cost-effectiveness of three hepatitis E vaccination strategies among these patients. We found that the disease burden in CHB patients superinfected with hepatitis E virus is relatively heavy in China, and the screening-based hepatitis E vaccination strategy for CHB patients is the most cost-effective option.

Abstract

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis E vaccination strategies in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods

Based on the societal perspective, the cost-effectiveness of three hepatitis E vaccination strategies—vaccination without screening, screening-based vaccination, and no vaccination—among CHB patients was evaluated using a decision tree–Markov model, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. Values for treatment costs and health utilities were estimated from a prior investigation on disease burden, and values for transition probabilities and vaccination-related costs were obtained from previous studies and government agencies. Sensitivity analyses were undertaken for assessing model uncertainties.

Results

It was estimated that CHB patients superinfected with hepatitis E virus (HEV) incurred significantly longer disease course, higher economic burden, and more health loss compared to those with HEV infection alone (all p < 0.05). The ICERs of vaccination without screening and screening-based vaccination compared to no vaccination were 41,843.01 yuan/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and 29,147.32 yuan/QALY, respectively, both lower than China's per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018. The screening-based vaccination reduced the cost and gained more QALYs than vaccination without screening. One-way sensitivity analyses revealed that vaccine price, vaccine protection rate, and decay rate of vaccine protection had the greatest impact on the cost-effectiveness analysis. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses confirmed the base-case results, and if the willingness-to-pay value reached per-capita GDP, the probability that screening-based vaccination would be cost-effective was approaching 100%.

Conclusions

The disease burden in CHB patients superinfected with HEV is relatively heavy in China, and the screening-based hepatitis E vaccination strategy for CHB patients is the most cost-effective option.