This study was executed to investigate the potential of agar-agar, a nontoxic and non-degradable

gelling agent, as a promising coating agent to improve and protect banana fruit

against fungal postharvest diseases i.e., crown, finger, neck and flower end rots which are

caused by fungal isolates of Colletotrichum musae and Fusarium moniliforme. Coated-ba-nana

fruit samples with different concentrations of agar-agar suspension particularly at

2.0 g · l−1 exhibited a significant reduction in incidence and severity of postharvest diseases

compared to untreated fruit. Banana fruits dipped in agar suspension at 2.0 g · l−1 for 5, 10

and 15 min showed significant reduction in disease incidence and severity. Moreover,

application of agar suspension as a coating agent at 2.0 g · l−1 significantly decreased

weight loss (%), firmness loss (%), and soluble solid concentration of banana fruit for

15 days at 25 ± 2°C. Scanning electron microscopy observation confirmed that the fruit

coated with agar colloid at 2.0 g · l−1 had significantly fewer cracks and showed smoother

surfaces than untreated fruit. This explains the quality improvement in agar-coated fruit

compared to uncoated fruit. Overall, agar colloid, a safe coating agent, could be used to

protect banana fruit against postharvest rot diseases and extend fruit storage life during

ripening and storage.

The antifungal effect of twenty powdered spice plants and their extracts at concentrations of 2, 4, 8 and 1, 3, 6%, respectively was evaluated in relation to the radial mycelial growth of various soilborne fungi causing damping-off disease. The spice powder or extract were added to the culture medium PDA to obtain the proposed concentrations. Concentration of 8% of powdered spices and 6% of their extracts were able to cause complete growth inhibition of major tested fungi. High significant inhibitory effect on radial fungal growth was observed for different concentrations of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannil), garlic (Allium sativum) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Meanwhile, fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), marjoram (Origanum majorana) and chamomile (Matricaria hamomilla) showed a low inhibitory effect on tested fungi. Moderate inhibitory effect was observed with the other tested spices. In the greenhouse, efficacy of spice plants as powder or their extracts in addition to the fungicide Rizolex-T used as seed dressings against faba bean damping-off incidence was evaluated in pot experiment using soil artificially infested with the disease agents (Fusarium solani and Rhizoctonia solani). Spice extracts showed superior reducing effect on damping-off disease incidence at pre-emergence growth stage to that of powder treatments and Rizolex-T as well, while an opposite effect was observed at post-emergence growth stage. Carnation and cinnamon spices showed the highest protecting effect against disease incidence when applied as powder or extracts. It is interesting to note that spice plants as powder or extracts gave a similar effect to the fungicide Rhizolex-T in reducing damping-off incidence either at pre- or post-emergence stages of faba bean growth. Promising applicable technique could be suggested in the light of the results obtained. The use of spice plants as powder or extract for seed dressing might be considered as safe, cheep and easily applied method for controlling soilborne plant pathogens considering the avoidance of environmental pollution and the side effect of pesticide application.

Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element present in the lithosphere, and it constitutes one of the major inorganic nutrient elements of many plants. Although Si is a nonessential nutrient element, its beneficial role in stimulating the growth and development of many plant species has been generally recognized. Silicon is known to effectively reduce disease severity in many plant pathosystems. The key mechanisms of Si-mediated increased plant disease resistance involve improving mechanical properties of cell walls, activating multiple signaling pathways leading to the expression of defense responsive genes and producing antimicrobial compounds. This article highlights the importance and applicability of Si fertilizers in integrated disease management for crops.

Bollworms comprise the most harmful and economically relevant species of lepidopteran. Helicoverpa gelotopoeon (D.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is native to America and affects many crops. Tobacco is an industrial crop in which methods of pest control rely mainly on the application of insecticides. To develop new eco-friendly strategies against insect pests it is very important to overcome the side effects of insecticides. The utilization of fungal entomopathogens as endophytes is a new perspective that may accomplish good results. The present study aimed to evaluate the ability of endophytic Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill. to affect H. gelotopoeon life parameters and feeding behavior on tobacco plants. Beauveria bassiana LPSC 1215 as an endophyte did not reduce the amount of vegetal material consumed by H. gelotopoeon larvae but affected the life cycle period of the plague, particularly the larval and adult stages. Also, egg fertility was affected since adults laid eggs that were not able to hatch. The results of this investigation provide new information on endophytic entomopathogen potential to be incorporated in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.

A robust and highly imperceptible audio watermarking technique is presented to secure the electronic patient record of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) affected patient. The proposed DCT-SVD based watermarking technique introduces minimal changes in speech such that the accuracy in classification of PD affected person’s speech and healthy person’s speech is retained. To achieve high imperceptibility the voiced part of the speech is considered for embedding the watermark. It is shown that the proposed watermarking technique is robust to common signal processing attacks. The practicability of the proposed technique is tested: by creating an android application to record & watermark the speech signal. The classification of PD affected speech is done using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier in cloud server.

The aim of the study was to choose and validate the tool(s) to predict the number of hospitalized patients by testing three predictive algorithms: a linear regression model, Auto-Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) model, and Generalized Auto-Regressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model. The study used data from the collection of data on infl ammatory bowel diseases (IBD) from the public database of the National Health Fund for the years 2009–2017, data recalculation taking into account the population of provinces and the country in particular years, and prediction making for the number of patients who would require hospitalization in 2017. Th e anticipated numbers were compared with real data and percentage prediction errors were calculated. Results of prediction for 2017 indicated the number of hospitalizations for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) at 17 and 16 respectively per 100,000 persons and 72 per 100,000 persons for all IBD cases. Th e actual outcomes were 21 for both CD and UC (81% and 75% accuracy of prediction, respectively), and 99 for all IBD cases (73% accuracy). The prediction results do not diff er signifi cantly from the actual outcome, this means that the prediction tool (in the form of a linear regression) actually gives good results. Our study showed that the newly developed tool may be used to predict with good enough accuracy the number of patients hospitalized due to IBD in order to organize appropriate therapeutic resources.

Knowledge of having a deadly disease usually causes severe psychological problems, depression, or even PTSD. Can this be avoided? Can one find something positive in a tragic situation?

Senecavirus A (SVA) the only member of the Senecavirus genus within the Picornaviridae family, is an emerging pathogen causing swine idiopathic vesicular disease and epidemic transient neonatal losses. Here, SVA strain (CH-HNKZ-2017) was isolated from a swine farm exhibiting vesicular disease in Henan Province of Central China. A phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequence indicated that CH-HNKZ-2017 was closely related to US-15-40381IA, indica- ting that a new SVA isolate had emerged in China.

The aim of this study was to determine if reticulorumen ph, temperature and cow activity registered before calving can serve as indicators of diseases after calving.

The cows were selected according to those fitting the profile of having had two or more lactations (on average 2.9±0.13 lactations), from 60 to 0 days before and the first 30 days after calving, and being clinically healthy. The clinical examination (identification of diseases after calving) was performed from 60 days before calving to 60 days after calving. Diseases after calving were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms specific to these diseases. The pH and temperature of the contents of the cow reticulorumens and cow activity were measured using specific smaX-tec boluses manufactured for animal care.

We found that the highest pH and temperature before calving can serve as biomarkers of healthy cows after calving. The lowest reticulum temperature before calving can serve as an indicator of MF after calving. A positive correlation of reticulum pH and temperature before calving can serve as biomarkers of PR. Decreasing cow activity before calving can serve as an indicator of diseases after calving. For calving prognosis, temperature of the reticulorumen can be used; it decreased 6–7 days before calving.

The article deals with the issue of illness and suffering in Carmelite sermons of the 17th–18th centuries. The question of the origin of suffering is considered along with the role of God’s mercy and justice in the preaching discourse about the rightness and purposefulness of suffering of the human being. In addition, an analysis of the views of preachers about topics related to passing away and the attitude they advocate in the face of death is included.

Fusarium avenaceum, F. oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizoctonia solani, Mucor sp., Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp. were the most often isolated species from fiber seeds. The antagonistic action of Trichoderma lignorum T 13–82 in relation to seed contaminants was evaluated. The use of Trichodermin-BL, based on that antagonist, applied as pre-sowing seed treatment and on growing plants decrease diseases incidence. The application of Trichodermin-BL improved a set of biometrical and physiological parameters during crop vegetation, increased the yield and raised flax fiber quality.

A survey was conducted in February of 2004 on the outbreak of stem rot and wilt disease of pepper at the Kitabawa/Danzakara and Ajiwa irrigation sites in Northern Nigeria. Laboratory investigations revealed that it was elicited by Phytophthora capsici Leon. The disease caused severe loss in yield and USD 1 700.00 to USD 3 200.00 loss in revenue/ha. The disease was probably further aggravated by the presence of Fusarium sp. as well as ecto- and endoparasitic nematodes. Reasons for outbreak were elucidated and solutions proffered.

Oxidative stress (OxS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease (CD). The aim of this study was to examine whether nonenzymatic antioxidants are associated with active CD, by using the FRAP and GSH assay in plasma. Additionally, we measured bilirubin and albumin levels as two individual components of the plasma antioxidant system. A total of 55 patients with established CD, 30 with active CD and 25 with inactive disease, and 25 healthy individuals were prospectively enrolled in this study. We evaluated CD activity index, BMI and blood morphology, platelet count, serum CRP level, and bochemical parameters of OxS: ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), reduced glutathione (GSH) in plasma and bilirubin and albumin levels in serum. Plasma FRAP and GSH concentrations were decreased in both CD groups compared to controls and negatively correlated with CDAI values (FRAP: r = –0.572, p = 0.003; GSH: r = –0.761, p = 0.001), CRP and platelet count. Bilirubin and albumin levels were lower in the serum of active CD patients than inactive CD patients and controls and negatively correlated with the CD activity index (r = –0328, p = 0.036, r = –0.518, p = 0.002) and CRP (r = –0.433, p = 0.002). The decreased FRAP and GSH levels in plasma and bilirubin and albumin levels in serum of patients with active CD compared to inactive CD and controls underlines the importance of OxS in the pathophysiology and activity of CD.

I n t r o d u c t i o n: Interactions between oral microbiota and systemic diseases have been suggested. We aimed to examine the composition of oral microbiota with reference to antioxidative defense and its correlation with clinical state in Crohn’s disease (CD) in comparison to ulcerative colitis (UC).

Ma t e r i a l s a n d Me t h o d s: Smears were taken from the buccal and tongue mucosa of patients with CD, UC and controls, and cultured with classical microbiology methods. Bacterial colonies were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) with a time-of-flight analyzer (TOF). Blood morphology and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed in the hospital laboratory. Antioxidative defense potential (FRAP) was determined using spectrophotometry in saliva and serum.

R e s u l t s: Oral microbiota in CD patients were characterized by lower diversity in terms of the isolated bacteria species compared to UC and this correlated with reduced FRAP in the oral cavity and intensified systemic infl ammation. Oral microbiota composition in CD did not depend on the applied treatment. In CD patients, a negative correlation was observed between the FRAP value in saliva and serum and the CRP value in serum. Individual differences in the composition of oral microbiota suggest that different bacteria species may be involved in the induction of oxidative stress associated with a weakening of antioxidative defense in the oral cavity, manifested by ongoing systemic inflammation.

C o n c l u s i o n s: Analysis of both the state of the microbiota and antioxidative defense of the oral cavity, as well as their referencing to systemic inflammation may potentially prove helpful in routine diagnostic applications and in aiding a better understanding of CD and UC pathogenesis associated with oral microbiota.

Lyme disease is an emerging problem in Poland. Analysis has been undertaken of the medical documentation of 86 patients hospitalized in the Infectious Diseases Department, University Hospital in Cracow in 2013–2016, suspected of Lyme arthritis. It has especially considered medical history including potential exposure to the infection, detailed characteristics of the symptoms, diagnostic challenges and results of the treatment. Only some patients had a history of erythema migrans and not all of them recalled tick-bite. The majority of the patients had affected large joints, especially knee joints, and polyarthritis was rarely observed. Symptoms were resolved completely or partially after antibiotic treatment in most patients. The diagnosis of Lyme arthritis in areas endemic for Lyme disease is still a diagnostic challenge in patients with other rheumatic diseases, including osteoarthritis.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), an important food crop in the world, is susceptible to many fungal pathogens including Alternaria solani and Fusarium oxysporum causing Fusarium wilt and early blight diseases. Mycoparasitic fungi like Trichoderma encode chitinases, cell wall degrading enzymes, with high antifungal activity against a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi. In this study, a binary vector harboring endochitinase gene of ~1,000 bp was constructed and used to transform potato nodes through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Out of several primary transformants, two transgenic potato lines were verified for transgene insertion and integration by Southern blot. In a pot experiment for Fusarium resistance, the transgenic potato lines didn’t show any symptoms of disease, instead they remained healthy post infection. The transgenic potato lines exhibited 1.5 fold higher mRNA expression of endochitinase at 7 days as compared to 0 day post fungus inoculation. It was evident that the mRNA expression decreased over days of inoculation but was still higher than at 0 day and remained stable upto 30 days post inoculation. Similarly, for A. solani infection assay, the mRNA expression of the endochitinase gene was 3 fold higher 7 days post inoculation compared to expression at 0 day. Although the expression decreased by1.2 fold during subsequent days post infection, it remained stable for 30 days, suggesting that protection in transgenic potato plants against fungal pathogens was achieved through an increase in endochitinase transcript.