Spirodecosporaceae fam. nov. (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) and two new species of Spirodecospora.

The genus Spirodecospora has been placed in Xylariaceae based on morphological similarities. Spirodecospora spp., found on bamboo in Japan, were taxonomically and phylogenetically studied using molecular data for first time. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were based on the DNA sequence data of three regions: the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the large subunit (LSU) of rDNA, and the second largest RNA polymerase II subunit (rpb2) gene. Results showed that Spirodecospora formed an independent lineage from other known families in Xylariales. The new family Spirodecosporaceae is introduced in this study to accommodate this lineage based on the phylogenetic evidence and morphological differences from the other known families. Spirodecospora is characterised by having deeply immersed ascomata with a cylindrical ostiolar neck, unitunicate, cylindrical asci with I+, wedge-shaped apical ring, and broadly ellipsoidal to fusoid, aseptate, brown, verruculose ascospores with spirally or almost straight linear ornamentation. Based on morphological observations and molecular phylogenetic analyses, S. melnikii and two new species of Spirodecospora, S. paramelnikii and S. paulospiralis, are described and illustrated. A key to the four accepted species of Spirodecospora is provided. Citation: Sugita R, Hirayama K, Shirouzu T, Tanaka K (2022). Spirodecosporaceae fam. nov. (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) and two new species of Spirodecospora. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 10: 217-229. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2022.10.09.

Revision of Cerinomyces (Dacrymycetes, Basidiomycota) with notes on morphologically and historically related taxa.

Cerinomyces (Dacrymycetes, Basidiomycota) is a genus traditionally defined by corticioid basidiocarps, in contrast to the rest of the class, which is characterized by gelatinous ones. In the traditional circumscription the genus is polyphyletic, and the monotypic family Cerinomycetaceae is paraphyletic. Aiming for a more concise delimitation, we revise Cerinomyces s.l. with a novel phylogeny based on sequences of nrDNA (SSU, ITS, LSU) and protein-coding genes (RPB1, RPB2, TEF1-α). We establish that monophyletic Cerinomyces s.s. is best characterized not by the corticioid morphology, but by a combination of traits: hyphal clamps, predominantly aseptate thin-walled basidiospores, and low content of carotenoid pigments. In our updated definition, Cerinomyces s.s. encompasses five well-supported phylogenetic clades divided into two morphological groups: (i-iii) taxa with arid corticioid basidiocarps, including the generic type C. pallidus; and (iv-v) newly introduced members with gelatinous basidiocarps, like Dacrymyces enatus and D. tortus. The remaining corticioid species of Cerinomyces s.l. are morphologically distinct and belong to the Dacrymycetaceae: our analysis places the carotenoid-rich Cerinomyces canadensis close to Femsjonia, and we transfer the clamps-lacking C. grandinioides group to Dacrymyces. In addition, we address genera related to Cerinomyces s.l. historically and morphologically, such as Ceracea, Dacryonaema and Unilacryma. Overall, we describe twenty-four new species and propose nine new combinations in both Cerinomycetaceae and Dacrymycetaceae.

Graft Immunocomplex Capture Fluorescence Analysis Can Detect Intragraft Anti-Major Histocompatibility Complex Antibodies in Mice Cardiac Transplant.

BACKGROUND: Immunocomplex capture fluorescence analysis has recently been applied as a method for detection of intragraft donor-specific anti-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antibodies (DSA) in humans. Although intragraft DSA in humans is an intense topic of investigation, there is no report to assess intragraft DSA in murine organ transplantation. METHODS: A model of presensitized mouse cardiac transplantation by donor splenocytes was used. To capture mouse MHC, anti-MHC class I/II antibodies were immobilized on Luminex beads. The MHC/DSA complexes were captured by the Luminex beads followed by detection of phycoerythrin-conjugated antimouse IgG antibodies where DSA had already reacted with the allograft in vivo. RESULTS: Luminex beads were capable of detecting class I DSA in the cardiac allograft, though results for class II DSA were negative. Immunohistochemical investigation revealed that cardiac allografts had abundant MHC class I expression but only minor expression of MHC class II. Furthermore, MHC/class II DSA complexes were successfully detected in splenocytes and serum from a presensitized recipient. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggested that graft immunocomplex capture fluorescence analysis can be also applied in murine cardiac transplantation. This novel application in mice would accelerate our comprehension of DSA through mechanistic studies.

Phylogenetic relationships of eight new Dacrymycetes collected from New Zealand.

Dacrymycetes, sister to Agaricomycetes, is a noteworthy lineage for studying the evolution of wood-decaying basidiomycetes; however, its species diversity and phylogeny are largely unknown. Species of Dacrymycetes previously used in molecular phylogenetic analyses are mainly derived from the Northern Hemisphere, thus insufficient knowledge exists concerning the Southern Hemisphere lineages. In this study, we investigated the species diversity of Dacrymycetes in New Zealand. We found 11 previously described species, and eight new species which were described here: Calocera pedicellata, Dacrymyces longistipitatus, D. pachysporus, D. stenosporus, D. parastenosporus, D. cylindricus, D. citrinus, and D. cyrtosporus. These eight newly described species and seven of the known ones, namely, Calocera fusca, C. cf. guepinioides, C. lutea, Dacrymyces flabelliformis, D. intermedius, D. subantarcticensis, and Heterotextus miltinus, have rarely or never been recorded from the Northern Hemisphere. In a molecular-based phylogeny, these New Zealand strains were scattered throughout the Dacrymycetaceae clade. Sequences obtained from specimens morphologically matching C. guepinioides were separated into three distant clades. Because no obvious morphological differences could be discerned between the specimens in each clade and no sequence exists from the type specimen, a C. guepinioides s.str. clade could not be determined. This survey of dacrymycetous species in the Southern Hemisphere has increased taxon sampling for phylogenetic analyses that can serve as a basis for the construction of a stable classification of Dacrymycetes.

Revision of the Massarineae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes).

We here taxonomically revise the suborder Massarineae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota). Sequences of SSU and LSU nrDNA and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tef1) are newly obtained from 106 Massarineae taxa that are phylogenetically analysed along with published sequences of 131 taxa in this suborder retrieved from GenBank. We recognise 12 families and five unknown lineages in the Massarineae. Among the nine families previously known, the monophyletic status of the Dictyosporiaceae, Didymosphaeriaceae, Latoruaceae, Macrodiplodiopsidaceae, Massarinaceae, Morosphaeriaceae, and Trematosphaeriaceae was strongly supported with bootstrap support values above 96 %, while the clades of the Bambusicolaceae and the Lentitheciaceae are moderately supported. Two new families, Parabambusicolaceae and Sulcatisporaceae, are proposed. The Parabambusicolaceae is erected to accommodate Aquastroma and Parabambusicola genera nova, as well as two unnamed Monodictys species. The Parabambusicolaceae is characterised by depressed globose to hemispherical ascomata with or without surrounding stromatic tissue, and multi-septate, clavate to fusiform, hyaline ascospores. The Sulcatisporaceae is established for Magnicamarosporium and Sulcatispora genera nova and Neobambusicola. The Sulcatisporaceae is characterised by subglobose ascomata with a short ostiolar neck, trabeculate pseudoparaphyses, clavate asci, broadly fusiform ascospores, and ellipsoid to subglobose conidia with or without striate ornamentation. The genus Periconia and its relatives are segregated from the Massarinaceae and placed in a resurrected family, the Periconiaceae. We have summarised the morphological and ecological features, and clarified the accepted members of each family. Ten new genera, 22 new species, and seven new combinations are described and illustrated. The complete ITS sequences of nrDNA are also provided for all new taxa for use as barcode markers.

A class-wide phylogenetic assessment of Dothideomycetes.

We present a comprehensive phylogeny derived from 5 genes, nucSSU, nucLSU rDNA, TEF1, RPB1 and RPB2, for 356 isolates and 41 families (six newly described in this volume) in Dothideomycetes. All currently accepted orders in the class are represented for the first time in addition to numerous previously unplaced lineages. Subclass Pleosporomycetidae is expanded to include the aquatic order Jahnulales. An ancestral reconstruction of basic nutritional modes supports numerous transitions from saprobic life histories to plant associated and lichenised modes and a transition from terrestrial to aquatic habitats are confirmed. Finally, a genomic comparison of 6 dothideomycete genomes with other fungi finds a high level of unique protein associated with the class, supporting its delineation as a separate taxon.

Molecular taxonomy of bambusicolous fungi: Tetraplosphaeriaceae, a new pleosporalean family with Tetraploa-like anamorphs.

A new pleosporalean family Tetraplosphaeriaceae is established to accommodate five new genera; 1) Tetraplosphaeria with small ascomata and anamorphs belonging to Tetraploa s. str., 2) Triplosphaeria characterised by hemispherical ascomata with rim-like side walls and anamorphs similar to Tetraploa but with three conidial setose appendages, 3) Polyplosphaeria with large ascomata surrounded by brown hyphae and anamorphs producing globose conidia with several setose appendages, 4) Pseudotetraploa, an anamorphic genus, having obpyriform conidia with pseudosepta and four to eight setose appendages, and 5) Quadricrura, an anamorphic genus, having globose conidia with one or two long setose appendages at the apex and four to five short setose appendages at the base. Fifteen new taxa in these genera mostly collected from bamboo are described and illustrated. They are linked by their Tetraploa s. l. anamorphs. To infer phylogenetic placement in the Pleosporales, analyses based on a combined dataset of small- and large-subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (SSU+LSU nrDNA) was carried out. Tetraplosphaeriaceae, however, is basal to the main pleosporalean clade and therefore its relationship with other existing families was not completely resolved. To evaluate the validity of each taxon and to clarify the phylogenetic relationships within this family, further analyses using sequences from ITS-5.8S nrDNA (ITS), transcription elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF), and beta-tubulin (BT), were also conducted. Monophyly of the family and that of each genus were strongly supported by analyses based on a combined dataset of the three regions (ITS+TEF+BT). Our results also suggest that Tetraplosphaeria (anamorph: Tetraploa s. str.) is an ancestral lineage within this family. Taxonomic placement of the bambusicolous fungi in Astrosphaeriella, Kalmusia, Katumotoa, Massarina, Ophiosphaerella, Phaeosphaeria, Roussoella, Roussoellopsis, and Versicolorisporium, are also discussed based on the SSU+LSU phylogeny.

Taxonomic study of the Japanese Dacrymycetes.

The class Dacrymycetes is a rather small group of brown-rot wood-decaying jelly fungi characterised by forked basidia and an orange to yellow gelatinous to cartilaginous fruit body. In Japan, dacrymycetous fungi had not been investigated for a long time, justifying a taxonomic re-examination. In the present study we attempted an investigation of the dacrymycetous fungal flora of Japan, and recognised 28 taxonomic entities, including five new taxa, i.e. Dacrymyces ancyleus, D. aureosporus, D. pinacearum, D. subarcticus and Dacryopinax sphenocarpa, and nine new records. Due to the present survey, the total number of dacrymycetous species recorded from Japan increased from 28 to 42. Of the newly described species, Dacrymyces ancyleus is characterised by recurved, cylindrical basidiocarps and hyphae with clamp connections. Dacrymyces aureosporus resembles D. chrysospermus, but differs in wall thickness of its marginal hyphae. Dacrymyces pinacearum and D. subarcticus represent new coelomycetous anamorphic species. Dacryopinax sphenocarpa has sharp, spathulate basidiocarps, and hyphae with clamp connections. Descriptions, illustrations and photographs of fruit bodies are presented with some taxonomic notes. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted to verify the species identification, and the remaining problems in Dacrymycetes taxonomy are discussed based on these data.

Intracranial penetrating injuries via the optic canal.

Two cases of intracranial penetration of a plastic or wooden chopstick via the optic canal are described. CT scans showed the chopsticks as linear hypodense structures in the suprasellar cistern contiguous with the optic canal. In one case, MR imaging was performed, which clearly depicted the foreign body and adjacent brain structures. Although they are extremely rare, transorbital intracranial penetrating injuries via the optic canal require physicians' awareness.

Completely thrombosed giant fusiform aneurysm in a young patient--case report.

A completely thrombosed giant fusiform aneurysm of the peripheral anterior cerebral artery occurred in a 16-year-old female, with a familial and personal history of vascular headache for 4 or 5 years. She was admitted in a drowsy state with severe headache. Computed tomography revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage as a mottled and ring-like high-density area in the left paramedian frontal lobe not enhanced postcontrast. Left carotid angiography demonstrated an avascular mass and a 5 cm defect in the A3 portion of the anterior cerebral artery. The rupture of the giant fusiform aneurysm was confirmed intraoperatively.

High-risk dural arteriovenous fistulae of the transverse and sigmoid sinuses.

Dural arteriovenous fistulae of the transverse and sigmoid sinuses are highly variable in symptomatology and prognosis. However, we have identified a subgroup of patients who have a high risk of hemorrhage and dementia due to severe venous overload caused by high arterial flow into the fistulae and by occlusive changes of the transverse and sigmoid sinuses. Three representative cases selected from 31 patients with dural arteriovenous fistulae of the transverse and sigmoid sinuses are presented, and 45 reported similar cases are reviewed to discuss pathophysiology and problems encountered during treatment.

[Postoperative tension pneumocephalus--report of 3 cases].

Three cases of tension pneumocephalus are reported and pathogenesis, clinical features and management of this complication is discussed. Case 1: A 12-year-old female underwent a craniotomy for a suprasellar tumor following V-P shunting. At that time, Mayfield's pin fixing head holder was used and a CSF leak from a puncture wound caused by the head holder was noted postoperatively. Although she showed uneventful recovery from the anesthesia, several hours after surgery, she developed general convulsions and deteriorated. CT scan revealed a huge bifrontal accumulation of air compressing the entire brain postero-caudally. No active measures were taken to treat the intracranial air and a follow-up CT scan revealed a hemorrhagic infarction in the right occipital lobe possibly caused by transtentorial herniation. The patient remained in a vegetative state until her death three years later. Case 2: A 55-year-old man had a pansinectomy for sinusitis. Seven days later he developed CSF rhinorrhea and a severe headache. A CT scan revealed air in the subarachnoid space as well as in the ventricles. After repeated spinal taps, he became stuporous. An emergency repair of the CSF leak was performed. Intraoperatively, the accumulation of air was noted in the subarachnoid space under extreme tension. He made a full recovery. Case 3: A 69-year-old woman underwent a neck clipping for a ruptured anterior communicating aneurysm 2 days after the onset. Shortly before the craniotomy, a continuous spinal drainage system was installed. Postoperatively she did not recover from the anesthesia and a CT scan showed an accumulation of air in the bifrontal subdural space compressing the brain posteriorly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)