Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Strain PMB05 Intensifies Plant Immune Responses to Confer Resistance Against Bacterial Wilt of Tomato.

Tomato is an economic crop worldwide. Many limiting factors reduce the production of tomato, with bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum being the most destructive disease. Our previous study showed that the disease resistance to bacterial soft rot is enhanced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain PMB05. This enhanced resistance is associated with the intensification of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI). To determine whether the PTI-intensifying Bacillus spp. strains are able to confer disease resistance to bacterial wilt, their effects on PTI signals triggered by PAMP from R. solanacearum and on the occurrence of bacterial wilt were assayed. Before assay, a gene that encodes harpin from R. solanacearum, PopW, was applied as a PAMP. Results revealed that the B. amyloliquefaciens strain PMB05 was the one strain among 9 Bacillus rhizobacterial strains which could significantly intensify the PopW-induced hypersensitive response (HR) on Arabidopsis leaves. Moreover, we observed that the signals of PopW-induced reactive oxygen species generation and callose deposition were increased, confirming that the PTI was intensified by PMB05. The intensification of the PopW-triggered HR by PMB05 in Arabidopsis was reduced upon treatment with inhibitors in PTI pathways. Furthermore, the application of Bacillus spp. strains on tomato plants showed that only the use of PMB05 resulted in significantly increased resistance to bacterial wilt. Moreover, the PTI signals were also intensified in the tomato leaves. Taken together, we demonstrated that PMB05 is a PTI-intensifying bacterium that confers resistance to tomato bacterial wilt. Screening of plant immunity intensifying rhizobacteria is a possible strategy to control tomato bacterial wilt.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

[Detection of peak expiratory flow in healthy children in Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE: To establish reference values of peak expiratory flow (PEF) for children in Xinjiang. METHODS: A total of 3520 healthy children (1705 males and 1815 females) aged from 7 to 16 years were enrolled in this study. PEF was measured using MicroPeak Peak Flow Meter. Children's age, sex, height and weight were recorded. Impact factors for PEF were investigated by multiple stepwise regression analysis. RESULTS: PEF values increased with the increase of age, height and weight and correlated significantly with age, height, weight and sex. The regression equation between sex and height and PEF was obtained, i.e, PEF (y)=-342.98+3.94 x Height (x1) + 26.30 x Sex (x2). CONCLUSIONS: PEF values can be calculated according to children's height and sex.

Combination of topical EMLA with local injection of lidocaine: superior pain relief after Ferguson hemorrhoidectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a combination of topical anesthetic (EMLA) and local injection with lidocaine is better than lidocaine alone for pain relief after Ferguson hemorrhoidectomy. METHODS: Sixty patients scheduled for hemorrhoidectomy were randomized into 2 groups: (1) control group (CG, n=30) received neomycin ointment (5 g), and (2) EMLA group (EG, n=30) received EMLA (5 g), both agents applied topically after surgery. Before the surgical incision was made, lidocaine (10 mL of a 1% solution) was locally injected into all 60 patients. After surgery, analgesics were provided when necessary. The visual analog scale score was recorded at 4 time points: (1) upon arrival in the postanesthesia room, (2) 2 hours after arriving in the postanesthesia room, (3) between 9 and 10 PM on the first postoperative evening, and (4) on the first postoperative morning. The frequency of meperidine requests, 1-time catheterizations for urinary retention, and patient satisfaction with postoperative pain management, were also recorded. RESULTS: The median visual analog scale scores and cumulative dosages of meperidine were significantly lower in the EG than the CG (P<0.05). Patient satisfaction with postoperative pain control was also significantly higher in the EG than the CG (P<0.01). No systemic complications occurred. DISCUSSION: EMLA is considered a breakthrough in cutaneous analgesia, capable of reducing pain in many cutaneous procedures. Because Ferguson hemorrhoidectomy has been performed for years with ongoing concerns over postoperative pain, we felt that using EMLA could lower postoperative pain intensity and the number of requests for additional medication.

p53 is an independent pre-treatment markers for long-term survival in stage II and III colorectal cancers: an analysis of interaction between genetic markers and fluorouracil-based adjuvant therapy.

One hundred and thirty-eight stage II and III colorectal cancer patients were included to evaluate the prognostic significance of genetic markers (including mutations of the p53, K-ras genes, and microsatellite instability) on the response to 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based post-operative adjuvant therapies (PAT). When stratified by PAT and adjusting for other prognostic variables, presence of p53 mutation was associated with a poor outcome (hazard ratio (HR)=3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-11.0) among patients without PAT. Our data confirmed that p53 mutation is an independent pre-treatment factor in stage II and III colorectal cancer after curative resection.