First report of the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne morocciensis infecting peach in Southern Brazil.

The peach tree (Prunus persica) is the third most cultivated temperate fruit species in Brazil. In August 2017, peach seedling plants showing symptoms of stunting and multiple galls in the roots were detected in the municipality of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Samples of peach roots were collected and they were subsequently processed to obtain eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2), to determine the number of nematodes per gram of roots and to proceed with morphological studies. Additionally, individual females were extracted from the peach roots and submitted to Meloidogyne species identification by electrophoresis using α-esterase (Est) and malate dehydrogenase (Mdh) phenotypes and perineal pattern. The nematode population density in the samples was 283 eggs + J2s per gram of fresh roots. The polymorphism analysis revealed the A3N1 phenotype, typical to Meloidogyne morocciensis. Perineal patterns of females showed oval squared shapes, with moderately high to high dorsal arches, streaks widely separated, generally continuous, sometimes broken; the phasmids were separate by 29.3 µm (25.43-31.94 µm), similar to M. arenaria and M. incognita, as observed by Hammah and Hirschmann (1990). The second-stage juveniles had the following morphometric characters: L = 389.3 ± 3.8 (377.5-425.1) µm, stylet = 13.9 ± 0.2 (12.7-14.9) µm, DGO = 3.6 ± 0.1 (3.3-4.2) µm, tail length 47.5 ± 0.6 (45.3-48.9) µm, hyaline tail terminus = 14.1 ± 0.3 (12.5-17.0) µm, a = 25.6 ± 0.4 (23.8-28.8) µm and c = 8.6 ± 0.1 (8.0-9.3). The known SCAR marker obtained for M. arenaria is the same as that amplified for M. morocciensis. Under greenhouse conditions, peach plants seedlings inoculated with 1,000 eggs (Pi) with M. morocciensis were evaluated 28 days after inoculation compared to non-inoculated plants. The inoculated peach plants showed a mean of 338 galls per root system, and a nematode reproduction factor of 10.3. Besides this plants exhibited a reduction in fresh weight of shoots and roots compared to the non-inoculated plants. These results confirm M. morocciensis pathogenicity on P. persica.The peach tree (Prunus persica) is the third most cultivated temperate fruit species in Brazil. In August 2017, peach seedling plants showing symptoms of stunting and multiple galls in the roots were detected in the municipality of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Samples of peach roots were collected and they were subsequently processed to obtain eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2), to determine the number of nematodes per gram of roots and to proceed with morphological studies. Additionally, individual females were extracted from the peach roots and submitted to Meloidogyne species identification by electrophoresis using α-esterase (Est) and malate dehydrogenase (Mdh) phenotypes and perineal pattern. The nematode population density in the samples was 283 eggs + J2s per gram of fresh roots. The polymorphism analysis revealed the A3N1 phenotype, typical to Meloidogyne morocciensis. Perineal patterns of females showed oval squared shapes, with moderately high to high dorsal arches, streaks widely separated, generally continuous, sometimes broken; the phasmids were separate by 29.3 µm (25.43-31.94 µm), similar to M. arenaria and M. incognita, as observed by Hammah and Hirschmann (1990). The second-stage juveniles had the following morphometric characters: L = 389.3 ± 3.8 (377.5-425.1) µm, stylet = 13.9 ± 0.2 (12.7-14.9) µm, DGO = 3.6 ± 0.1 (3.3-4.2) µm, tail length 47.5 ± 0.6 (45.3-48.9) µm, hyaline tail terminus = 14.1 ± 0.3 (12.5-17.0) µm, a = 25.6 ± 0.4 (23.8-28.8) µm and c = 8.6 ± 0.1 (8.0-9.3). The known SCAR marker obtained for M. arenaria is the same as that amplified for M. morocciensis. Under greenhouse conditions, peach plants seedlings inoculated with 1,000 eggs (Pi) with M. morocciensis were evaluated 28 days after inoculation compared to non-inoculated plants. The inoculated peach plants showed a mean of 338 galls per root system, and a nematode reproduction factor of 10.3. Besides this plants exhibited a reduction in fresh weight of shoots and roots compared to the non-inoculated plants. These results confirm M. morocciensis pathogenicity on P. persica.

Surgical revascularization of posterior coronary arteries without cardiopulmonary bypass.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the results observed during the early postoperative period in patients who had the posterior coronary arteries revascularized without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), in regard to the following parameters: age, sex, bypass grafts types, morbidity and mortality. METHODS: From January 1995 to June 1998, 673 patients underwent myocardial revascularization (MR). Of this total, 607 (90.20%) MR procedures were performed without CPB. The posterior coronary arteries (PCA) were revascularized in 298 (44.27%) patients, 280 (93.95%) without CPB. The age of the patients ranged from 37 to 88 years (mean, 61 years). The male gender predominated, with 198 men (70.7%). The revascularization of the posterior coronary arteries had the following distribution: diagonalis artery (31 patients, 10%); marginal branches of the circumflex artery (243 patients, 78.7%); posterior ventricular artery (4 patients, 1.3%); and posterior descending artery (31 patients, 10%). RESULTS: Procedure-related complications without death occurred in 7 cases, giving a morbidity of 2.5%. There were 11 deaths in the early postoperative period (mortality of 3.9%). CONCLUSION: Similarly to the anterior coronary arteries, the posterior coronary arteries may benefit from myocardial revascularization without CPB.

Total agenesis of the left pericardium.

This is the report of a 46-year-old patient with the preoperative diagnosis of an atrial septal defect (ASD) of the ostium secudum type. After sternectomy, partial agenesis of the left pericardium was diagnosed. It is our opinion that, if the radiographic picture is suggestive of this entity, a clinical search for cardiopulmonary anomalies should be performed, because the majority of these associated anomalies can and should be surgically corrected.

Depletion of heart norepinephrine in experimental acute myocarditis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi.

The norepinephrine content of the heart was reduced to undetectable values in rats inoculated with Trypanosoma cruzi. This fact indicates a massive involvement of the cardiac postganglionic sympathetic fibres in acute Chagas disease.