Influence of Sorghum Cultivar, Nitrogen Fertilization, and Insecticides on Infestations of the Sugarcane Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the Southern United States.

The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari Zehntner, is an economically damaging pest of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.), across the southern United States. Field experiments investigated impacts of sorghum cultivar, nitrogen fertilization, and insecticides on M. sacchari infestations and sorghum yields in Louisiana and South Carolina in 2017 and 2018. In South Carolina, M. sacchari densities in unprotected plots peaked on 30-31 July of both years before declining by early- to mid-August. In Louisiana, infestations peaked on 26 and 12 July for 2017 and 2018, respectively, and declined by mid-August. Nitrogen fertilization influenced M. sacchari densities in Louisiana in 2018 with the highest-level infestations recorded from plots that received high N rates. Densities of M. sacchari on susceptible sorghum cultivar, DKS 38-88, were 1.5- to 2.3-fold greater than on DKS 37-07 in both years in Louisiana and in 2018 in South Carolina. Nitrogen fertilization was associated with improved sorghum yields in Louisiana experiments. Sorghum yields across experiments were 2- to 4-fold greater in plots protected with multiple insecticide applications than in unprotected plots. Yield from plots with insecticides sprayed once at currently used action thresholds differed from unprotected plots only in the 2018 Louisiana experiment. Results from these experiments indicate insecticidal protection of susceptible sorghum cultivars remains critical throughout much of the southern United States. Further research is needed to develop integrated management programs that incorporate fertilization manipulation, cultivar resistance, and insecticidal control.

Minimizing antibody cross-reactivity in multiplex detection of biomarkers in paper-based point-of-care assays.

Highly multiplexed immunoassays could allow convenient screening of hundreds or thousands of protein biomarkers simultaneously in a clinical sample such as serum or plasma, potentially allowing improved diagnostic accuracy and clinical management of many conditions such as autoimmune disorders, infections, and several cancers. Currently, antibody microarray-based tests are limited in part due to cross reactivity from detection antibody reagents. Here we present a strategy that reduces the cross-reactivity between nanoparticle-bound reporter antibodies through the application of ultrasound energy. By this concept, it was possible to achieve a sensitivity 10(3)-fold (5 pg mL(-1)) lower than when no ultrasound was applied (50 ng mL(-1)) for the simultaneous detection of three different antigens. The detection limits and variability achieved with this technique rival those obtained with other types of multiplex sandwich assays.

Orbital Epithelioid Sarcoma: A Case Report.

Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare but often aggressive malignancy of soft tissue that usually occurs in young adults as a superficial lesion in the distal upper limbs. To date, there are only 4 case reports of epithelioid sarcoma primarily occurring in the orbit. Two of these patients were treated with primary exenteration only one of whom was alive 3 years after diagnosis. Radical surgical excision is thus the first treatment of choice for primary orbital epithelioid sarcoma. The authors present a patient with primary orbital epithelioid sarcoma who refused exenteration. Surgical debulking followed by local brachytherapy was performed. The patient remains tumor free 5 years after diagnosis. The literature remains limited regarding treatment options for primary orbital epithelioid sarcoma. However, based on reported cases and this case, the authors conclude that surgical excision combined with local iridium radiation therapy is an acceptable treatment when treating primary orbital epithelioid sarcoma.

Immediate neonatal outcome of adolescent pregnant mother at Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital.

Pregnancy in teenage period of life is often associated with maternal complications as well as preterm delivery, low birth weight babies and small for date babies. The purpose of this study was to know the immediate outcome of neonates delivered by adolescent pregnant mother at Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital (NMCTH), Attarkhel, Kathmandu. A retrospective comparative study was carried out in 350 adolescent pregnant mother who had delivered newborn at NMCTH from April 2005 to February 2009. Data were obtained from the case record register from Archive. Prevalence of adolescent pregnancy was 11.1%. Majority of adolescent mother were aged between 17-19 years, belonging to Mongolian ethnicity, Hindu by belief and residing within Kathmandu Valley. More than 90.0% mothers were primigravida and 85.4% had complete antenatal check up (ANC). Normal vaginal delivery was the predominant mode of delivery in both group (84.6% vs 80.0%), followed by lower section caesarean section (LSCS) (14.0% vs 18.8%) and instrumental delivery (1.1% Vs 1.2%). In newborn, male outnumbered female (59.7% vs 40.3%). A reasonable number of preterm (10.9% Vs 6.3% p = 0.029), low birth weight (12.3% vs 9.1% P = 0.259) and small for gestational age babies (7.4% vs 5.1% p = 0.318)) and birth asphyxia (10.3% Vs 5.1% p = 0.009%) were found in this study. These newborns are often associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is imperative to prevent teenage pregnancy by providing adequate access to health facilities and raising awareness about the sex and reproductive health amongst this population.

Profile of neonates born to adolescent mothers at Nepal medical college teaching hospital.

Pregnancy in adolescence is often associated with maternal complications as well as preterm delivery, low birth weight babies and small for date babies. A retrospective study was carried out in 350 adolescent women who delivered child at Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital (NMCTH), Attarkhel, Kathmandu from April 2005 to February 2009. Data were obtained from the case record register. Prevalence of pregnancy in adolescence was 11.1%. Majority of adolescent mother were aged between 17-19 years, belonging to Mongolian ethnicity, Hindu by belief and residing within Kathmandu Valley. More than 90.0% mothers were primigravida and 85.4% had complete antenatal check up (ANC). Normal vaginal delivery was the predominant mode of delivery (84.6%), followed by lower section caesarean section (LSCS) (14.0%) and instrumental delivery (1.1%). In newborn, male outnumbered female (59.7% versus 40.3%). A reasonable number of preterm (10.9%), low birth weight (12.3%), small for gestational age babies (7.4%) and neonates with birth asphyxia (10.3%) were noted. These newborns are often associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is imperative to prevent teenage pregnancy by providing adequate access to health facilities and raising awareness about the sex and reproductive health amongst this population.

Overview of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia at Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital.

This study was done to assess the prevalence of neonatal jaundice, underlying risk factors and efficacy of phototherapy, which would be of value in identifying and implementing strategies to prevent morbidity and mortality from this condition. A retrospective study was carried out in 86 neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit at Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital, Attarkhel, Kathmandu from May, 2005 to April 2008. All of the newborns who developed hyperbilirubinemia and required phototherapy and/or exchange blood transfusion (EBT) were included in this study. Case records were evaluated for details of maternal and babies birth history and clinical examinations. The initiation of phototherapy and/or EBT were done by using standard guidelines. Out of total of 820 NICU admissions, 86 (10.5%) had significant hyperbilirubinemia. Amongst them 59.3% were male and 40.7% female. Septicemia, prematurity and ABO incompatibility were observed in 33.7%, 23.2% and 13.9% cases respectively. Phototherapy was required in 95.5% and EBT in 4.6% cases. In our study, septicemia, prematurity and ABO incompatibility were found to be the most common risk factors of neonatal jaundice. The data showed, phototherapy as an effective procedure in management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Use of hormonal contraception in adolescents: skeletal health issues.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize the current literature regarding the effects of hormonal contraceptives on adolescents' bone health. RECENT FINDINGS: Use of progestin-only pills, implant and progestin-releasing intrauterine device is associated with low systemic progestin levels that do not appear to impact ovarian estradiol production or bone mineral density (BMD). In contrast, higher systemic progestin levels associated with the use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and combination oral contraceptives suppress ovarian estradiol production and reduce acquisition of BMD in teenagers and young adult women who use injectable and oral contraceptives. Although BMD is a predictor of the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women, the clinical implications of BMD changes in teenagers and young women are unknown. Following the hypoestrogenemia associated with the use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate or lactation, BMD deficits have been found to completely reverse. Although BMD data following combination oral contraceptive use in adolescents is sparse, observations suggest that rapid and complete reversibility of BMD deficits is likely. SUMMARY: Although more data on skeletal health outcomes following the use of oral and injectable contraceptives would be welcomed, theoretic concerns regarding the impact of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and combination oral contraceptive use on adolescent and young women should not restrict the initiation or continuation of these important contraceptive methods.

Long-acting contraceptives in adolescents.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To help clinicians guide adolescent patients to sound choices regarding long-acting contraceptives. The safety, side effects and non-contraceptive benefits of injectable, implantable and intrauterine contraception are detailed. RECENT FINDINGS: The use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive injections has been associated with declines in teenage pregnancies in the United States. Although the US Food and Drug Administration has placed a black box warning concerning skeletal health and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, data in adolescents confirm that declines in bone mineral density with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate are fully reversible. Concerns regarding skeletal health should not restrict the initiation or continuation of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate in adolescents. A highly effective, convenient, and easy to insert/remove single rod progestin-only contraceptive implant (Implanon) is now available in the United States. Although not widely used in adolescents, intrauterine devices offer selected adolescents convenient, highly effective, safe birth control. Use of the progestin-releasing intrauterine device (Mirena) is also associated with important non-contraceptive benefits. SUMMARY: The efficacy and convenience associated with long-acting contraceptives make them indispensable for adolescent patients. This review will help clinicians guide teenage patients towards sound contraceptive choices and the successful long-term use of injectable, implantable and intrauterine methods of birth control.

Polysaccharides from extremophilic microorganisms.

Several marine thermophilic strains were analyzed for exopolysaccharide production. The screening process revealed that a significant number of thermophilic microorganisms were able to produce biopolymers, and some of them also revealed interesting chemical compositions. We have identified four new polysaccharides from thermophilic marine bacteria, with complex primary structures and with different repetitive units: a galacto-mannane type from strain number 4004 and mannane type for the other strains. The thermophilic Bacillus thermantarcticus produces two exocellular polysaccharides (EPS 1, EPS 2) that give the colonies a typical mucous character. The exopolysaccharide fraction was produced with all substrates assayed, although a higher yield 400 mg liter(-1) was obtained with mannose as carbon and energy source. NMR spectra confirmed that EPS 1 was a heteropolysaccharide of which the repeating unit was constituted by four different alpha-D-mannoses and three different beta-D-glucoses. It seems to be close to some xantan polymers. EPS 2 was a mannan. Four different alpha-D-mannoses were found as the repeating unit. Production and chemical studies of biopolymers produced by halophilic archaea, Haloarcula species were also reported.

Production of exopolysaccharides from a thermophilic microorganism isolated from a marine hot spring in flegrean areas.

A thermophilic strain isolated from sea sand at Maronti, near Sant' Angelo (Ischia), is described. The organism grows well at an optimal temperature of 60 degrees C at pH 7.0. The thermophilic bacterium, named strain 4004, produces an exocellular polysaccharide (EPS) in yields of 90 mg/l. The EPS fraction was produced with all substrates tested, although a higher yield was obtained with sucrose or trehalose as sole carbon source. During growth, the EPS content was proportional to the biomass. Three fractions (EPS1, EPS2, EPS3) were obtained after purification. Quantitative monosaccharide analysis of the EPSs revealed the presence of mannose:glucose:galactose in a relative ratio of 0.5:1.0:0.3 in EPS1, mannose:glucose:galactose in a relative ratio of 1.0:0.3:trace in EPS2, and galactose:mannose:glucosamine:arabinose in a relative ratio of 1.0:0.8:0.4:0.2 in EPS3. The average molecular mass of EPS3 was determined to be 1x10(6) Da. From comparison of the chemical shift values in (1)H and (13)C spectra, we conclude that EPS3 presents a pentasaccharide repeating unit.

Purification and characterization of thermostable xylose(glucose) isomerase from Bacillus thermoantarcticus.

Xylose isomerase produced by Bacillus thermoantarcticus was purified 73-fold to homogeneity and its biochemical properties were determined. It was a homotetramer with a native molecular mass of 200 kDa and a subunit molecular mass of 47 kDa, with an isoelectric point at 4.8. The enzyme had a K(m) of 33 mM for xylose and also accepted D-glucose as substrate. Arrhenius plots of the enzyme activity of xylose isomerase were linear up to a temperature of 85 degrees C. Its optimum pH was around 7.0, and it had 80% of its maximum activity at pH 6.0. This enzyme required divalent cations for its activity and thermal stability. Mn(2+), Co(2+) or Mg(2+) were of comparable efficiency for xylose isomerase reaction, while Mg(2+) was necessary for glucose isomerase reaction.

Accumulation of osmoprotectants and lipid pattern modulation in response to growth conditions by Halomonas pantelleriense.

The effects of salinity, growth temperature, pH and composition of the medium on the accumulation of intracellular organic solutes, by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in Halomonas pantelleriense were examined. The modulation of lipid pattern in different growth conditions was also reported. H. pantelleriense accumulated glycine betaine, ectoine, hydroxyectoine and glutamate. The type of osmoprotectant and the relative proportion depended on growth conditions. The main lipids identified by NMR studies were 1,2 diacylglycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine (PEA), 1,2 diacylglycero-3-phosphoryl-glycerol (PG) and cardiolipin, (DPG). The predominant fatty acids were C16:0 and C18:1, minor fatty acids were C16:1 and C18:0. The relative percentage of polar lipids and fatty acids were affected by growth conditions.

A thermophilic Bacillus isolated from an Eolian shallow hydrothermal vent, able to produce exopolysaccharides.

A thermophilic aerobic microorganism, able to produce two exocellular polysaccharides (EPS1 and EPS2), was isolated from a shallow hydrothermal vent at Vulcano island (Eolian Islands, Italy). EPS1 and EPS2 were based on mannose and glucose although in a different ratio. EPS2 possessed a trisaccharide repeating unit with a manno-pyranoside configuration. New isolate phenotype was studied by physiological and morphological observations, including biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility tests (134). Previous analyses carried out on 87 field isolates and 8 thermophilic reference bacilli displayed low phenotypic similarity level (S(SM) = 65%) with Bacillus thermodenitrificans DSM 465. Optimal growth occurs at 65 degrees C and pH 7.0. Oxidase and catalase are negative. The guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) content of DNA is 52.7%. Genotypic investigations demonstrated the diversity of the isolate with fifteen selected thermophilic Bacillus spp. when we compared the restriction patterns of the amplified 16S rDNA. The membrane lipids are based on fatty acids mainly belonging to the iso-family.

Lipid profile: a useful chemotaxonomic marker for classification of a new cyanobacterium in Spirulina genus.

The morphological, physiological and genetic characteristics of an isolate cyanobacterium from hard sand of the lake Venere in the Pantelleria island (Italy) were described. The isolate with a small-size coiled helix shape, growing optimally at pH 9.2-9.5 at 30 degrees C under continuous illumination and aeration, possessed a 61.5 mol% of Guanine + Cytosine content of DNA. The lipid profile showed the presence of mono-, di-glycosyl, sulphoquinovolosyl and phosphatidyl (MGDG, DGDG, SQDG and PG). The fatty acid profile was also studied, characterized by the absence of gamma-linolenic acid and the presence of saturated and monounsaturated C16 and C18. The latter was also present as a dienoic component. The fatty acid composition was affected by growth temperature by increasing the degree of desaturation at a lower temperature and the biosynthesis of shorter acyl chains. The effects of growth conditions other than temperature, physical, nutritional and chemical on lipid composition were also studied. The overall features of the cyanobacterium isolated from Pantelleria clustered it into Spirulina genus.

Chemical Composition of Two Exopolysaccharides from Bacillus thermoantarcticus.

The thermophilic bacterium Bacillus thermoantarcticus produces two exocellular polysaccharides (EPS 1 and EPS 2), which can be obtained from the supernatant of liquid cultures by cold-ethanol precipitation, in yields as high as 400 mg liter(sup-1). The EPS fraction was produced with all substrates tested, although a higher yield was obtained with mannose as the carbon and energy source. The EPS content was proportional to the total biomass. On a weight basis, EPS 1 and EPS 2 represented about 27 and 71%, respectively, of the total carbohydrate fraction. EPS 1 is a sulfate heteropolysaccharide containing mannose and glucose in a relative molar proportion of 1.0 and 0.7, respectively. EPS 2 is a sulfate homopolysaccharide containing mannose as the major component. The absolute configurations of hexoses were shown to be d for both EPSs. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra confirmed the presence of (alpha)-d-mannose and (beta)-d-glucose in EPS 1 and only (alpha)-d-mannose in EPS 2. In addition, (sup1)H nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and chemical analysis indicated the presence of pyruvic acid in EPS 2.

Perfil lipídico en recién nacidos normales de ambos sexos / Serum lipid profile in healthy newborn infants of both sex

Este estudio se diseñó con el objeto de determinar la concentración y distribución de lípidos séricos en recién nacidos sanos en nuestro medio, teniendo en consideración que en Chile, como sucede en la mayoría de los países desarrollados, las enfermedades cardiovasculares constituyen la primera causa de mortalidad general y su prevención debe comenzar en la niñez. Se obtuvo muestra de sangre de cordón de 220 recién nacidos de ambos sexos, inmediatamente después del parto. Los resultados obtenidos fueron, niños/niñas/total de la muestra: colesterol total= 57,2/63,4/60,4; C-HDL= 24,5/29,5/26,8; C-LDL= 27,2/29,2/28,3; triglicéridos= 24,4/21,8/23,9 mg/dl. Hubo diferencias significativas entre los sexos, p<0,001 en las concentraciones séricas de colesterol total, C-HDL, p<0,001 y triglicéridos, p<0,01. Considerando todos los recién nacidos estudiados, los perceptiles p5/p50/p95 de las concentraciones fueron: colesterol total= 37,4/57,2/85,1; C-HDL=15,0/20,8/34,0; C-LDL= 10,0/15,7/28,8 y triglicéridos= 10,0/20,7/48,0 mg/dl, similares a las de otros países y significativamente menores que las de niños y adultos. Se observó una correlación alta entre los valores de colesterol total y C-HDL, r=0,701 y entre aquél y C-LDL, r=0,775. Al considerar como límites normales valores de colesterol <95 y triglicéridos <65 mg/dl, encontramos que 0,9 por ciento de la muestra presenta alterado su nivel de los primeros y 1,8 por ciento de los segundos

The glycolipid of Halobacterium trapanicum.

The structural elucidation of the polar lipids in Halobacterium trapanicum is reported with particular emphasis on a new sulfated disaccharide derivative of 2,3-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycerol. The full structural designation of this glycolipid is 2,3-di-O-phytanyl-1-O- (mannopyranosyl-(2-sulfate)-alpha-D-1-2-glucopyranosyl-alpha-D)-sn-glyce rol. The value of glycolipid structures in the taxonomy of halophilic Archaea is also discussed.

Determination of hydride transfer stereospecificity of NADH-dependent alcohol-aldehyde/ketone oxidoreductase from Sulfolobus solfataricus.

This paper describes the determination of stereospecificity of hydride transfer reaction of an alcohol dehydrogenase isolated from the archaebacterium Sulfolobus solfataricus. The 1H-NMR and EI-MS data indicate that the enzyme transfers the pro-R hydrogen from coenzyme to substrate and is therefore an A-specific dehydrogenase.

Asymmetric reduction of ketones with resting cells of Sulfolobus solfataricus.

The method of resting cells has been of interest in the development of biocatalysts applied to organic reactions.This article deals with the use of resting cells of a thermophilic archaebacterium Sulfolobus solfataricus, in the asymmetric reduction of acyclic, cyclic, and aromatic ketones. The system allows the continuous regeneration of endogenous coenzyme with the coupled substrate approach. The results indicate that the direction of hydride attack was equatorial on the re face of the carbonyl group of substrates producing (S)-alcohols with a good optical yield. A convenient system for the reuse of resting cells has been set out to synthesize (S)-alcohols on a preparative scale.