Tomato severe rugose virus: Another Begomovirus Causing Leaf Deformation and Mosaic Symptoms on Potato in Brazil.

Over the past 10 years, Tomato yellow vein streak virus (ToYVSV) has been a major begomovirus in the main solanaceous crop region of Campinas, São Paulo, which includes counties of Sumaré, Monte Mor, Elias Fausto, and Indaiatuba. The top leaves of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum) having deforming mosaic symptoms (dms), which includes a yellow mosaic or mottling on distorted and deformed leaflets, were associated with this geminivirus (4). Recently, a table potato crop (cv. Agata) from Sumaré, with a record of a few or no white flies (Bemisia tabaci), during the winter season of June to September 2006 had 5 to 7% dms, suggestive of seed potato tuber borne virus infection. Double-antibody sandwich (DAS)-ELISA for Potato virus Y (PVY), Potato leaf roll virus (PLRV), Potato virus X (PVX), and Potato virus S (PVS) (SASA kits and protocols, Edinburgh, Scotland) gave negative results for four field collected potato plants showing dms. Bioassays (mechanical transmission from potato leaf extracts in phosphate buffered saline, 1:5 w/v) with test plants of Nicotiana tabaccum cvs. Turkish and TNN, Gomphrena globosa, Chenopodium quinoa, Datura metel, Solanum tuberosum, and a Physalis sp. were all negative. Inoculated D. stramonium developed symptoms resembling ToYVSV infection including vein clearing and mild mottling on new leaves 2 to 3 weeks postinoculation. Using primers PAC1v1978/PAV1c715 for begomovirus detection (3), the predicted PCR amplified fragment of 1,320 bp was obtained from leaf DNA extracted from all four of the dms field potato plants, as well as the inoculated and symptomatic D. stramoniium test plants. Sequence analysis indicated 100% nt identity among the 1.3-kb PCR fragments obtained from potato and D. stramonium infected plants. Sequences of 96 cloned amplicons (pGEM-T Easy Kit; Promega, Madison, WI) from symptomatic plants in the Sumaré potato field were 98 to 99% identical to Tomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV). BLAST analysis of a consensus sequence (Sequencher 3.1; Gene Codes Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI) revealed more than 95 and 99% identity with ToSRV isolates from Uberlandia (Accession No. AY029750) and Goias (Accession No. DQ207749), respectively. The DNA-based phylogenetic dendrogram confirmed the highest similarity with ToSRV and the lowest similarity with ToYVSV (72%), which was located in another cluster. These results indicate that ToSRV was the causal agent producing dms in potato plants from Sumaré. Therefore, similarly to ToYVSV (4), potato dms can be caused by ToSRV. Preliminary tests revealed that ToSRV was transmitted via seed tubers. Thus, it is of concern for seed potato certification in Brazil, especially in the major seed-potato-producing state of Santa Catarina where an outbreak of ToSRV was recently reported in tomato crops (1). Although ToSRV has been identified in other solanaceous crops in Brazil, especially tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and sweet pepper (Capsicum annum) (2), to our knowledge, this is the first report of ToSRV in potato in Brazil. Reference: (1) A. T. M. Lima et al. Fitopatol. Bras. 31:224, 2006. (2) D. N. Nozaki et al. Summa Phytopathol. 33:93, 2007. (3) M. R. Rojas et al. Plant Dis. 77:340, 1993. (4) J. A. C. Souza-Dias et al. CultivarHF 5(26):22, 2004.

[Partial ventriculectomy in a child--the Batista technique]. / Ventriculectomia parcial em criança--técnica de Batista.

We present the case of a two and a half year old child with idiopatic dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage congestive heart failure (NYHA III-IV) who underwent "partial ventriculectomy". The operation was performed under normothermic cardiopulmorary bypass and normothermic oxygenated blood cardioplegia and consisted of removal of a large wedge of muscle from the lateral wall of the left ventricle beginning at the apex and extending between the papillary muscles, ending proximal to the mitral annulus. Pre-operative the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) was 13% by echocardiography and 20% by radionuclide ventriculography. Postoperative avaliation showed improvement of EF to 50% and 30%, respectively. The child was in functional class I (NYHA) on discharge from hospital (16th postoperative day).

Ventriculectomia parcial em criança: técnica de Batista / Partial ventriculectomy in a child: the Batista Operation

Criança com dois anos e seis meses de idade, apresentando cardiomiopatia dilatada idiopática, classe funcional III-IV (New York Heart Association - NYHA) e indicaçäo de transplante cardíaco, foi submetida à ventriculectomia radioisotópica (Gated Blood Pool) revelaram fraçäo de ejeçäo de ventrículo esquerdo (FEVE) de 13 'por cento' e 20 'por cento', respectivamente. Após a cirurgia, que consistiu na remoçäo de uma parte do músculo da parede lateral do ventrículo esquerdo, a FEVE foi para 50 'por cento' pelo ECO e 30 'por cento' pela ventriculografia radioisotópica. A criança recebeu alta hospitalar no 16§ pós-operatório em classe funcional I (NYHA).

Adverse reaction to pomegranate ingestion.

We present a non-atopic 85-year-old woman, with a late-onset recidivant tongue angio-edema due to pomegranate intake, as proven by a double blind oral challenge test. This is the first case ever reported about adverse reaction to pomegranate. We have been unable to demonstrate an IgE-mediated mechanism (prick test, histamine release test and RAST with pomegranate were all negative). We emphasize the importance of clinical history and oral challenge test in the diagnosis of food allergy.

[Metastatic Crohn disease of the scrotum]. / Enfermedad metastásica de Crohn en escroto.

We report herein a rare case of metastatic Crohn's disease involving the penile and scrotal skin in a 56-year old man. We review the literature about this rare entity and describe its clinicopathological characteristics.