Search

Downy blight, caused by Peronophythora litchii, is an important disease of lychee (litchi) plants in China. The in vitro sensitivities of various asexual stages of P. litchii to the three carboxylic acid amide (CAA) fungicides dimethomorph, flumorph and pyrimorph were studied with four single-sporangium isolates. None of the three fungicides affected zoospore discharge from sporangia, but they strongly inhibited mycelial growth (mean EC50 values of 0·075, 0·258 and 0·115 mg L−1, respectively); sporangial production (mean EC50 values of 0·085, 0·315 and 0·150 mg L−1, respectively); germination of cystospores (mean EC50 values of 0·140, 0·150 and 0·645 mg L−1, respectively); and germination of sporangia (mean EC50 values of 0·203, 0·5 and 0·743 mg L−1, respectively). As mycelial growth was the most sensitive stage to dimethomorph and pyrimorph, it was chosen to test baseline sensitivities to the three fungicides. In 2007, from 131 isolates collected in Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, 127, 116 and 113 isolates were used to establish baseline sensitivity for dimethomorph, flumorph and pyrimorph respectively. Isolates from different provinces exhibited similar baseline sensitivity to the same fungicide. Baseline sensitivities to dimethomorph, flumorph and pyrimorph were distributed as unimodal curves, with mean EC50 values of 0·082 (± 0·01), 0·282 (± 0·047), and 0·115 (± 0·032) mg L−1, respectively. This information will serve as a baseline for tracking future changes in sensitivities of P. litchii populations to these three CAA fungicides.

To determine in Type 1 diabetes patients if levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), an anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant factor, are increased in individuals with complications and positively related to vascular and renal dysfunction, body mass index, glycated haemoglobin, lipids, inflammation and oxidative stress.Serum PEDF levels were measured by ELISA in a cross-sectional study of 123 Type 1 diabetic patients (71 without and 52 with microvascular complications) and 31 non-diabetic control subjects. PEDF associations with complication status, pulse-wave analysis and biochemical results were explored.PEDF levels [geometric mean (95% CI)] were increased in patients with complications 8.2 (7.0-9.6) microg/ml, vs. complication-free patients [5.3 (4.7-6.0) microg/ml, P0.001] and control subjects [5.3 (4.6-6.1) microg/ml, P0.001; anova between three groups, P0.001], but did not differ significantly between control subjects and complication-free patients (P0.05). In diabetes, PEDF levels correlated (all P0.001) with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.317), pulse pressure (r = 0.337), small artery elasticity (r = -0.269), glycated haemoglobin (r = 0.245), body mass index (r = 0.362), renal dysfunction [including serum creatinine (r = 0.491), cystatin C (r = 0.500)], triglycerides (r = 0.367), and inflammation [including log(e)C-reactive protein (CRP; r = 0.329), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (r = 0.363)]. Age, blood urea nitrogen, systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure and log(e)CRP correlated with PEDF levels in control subjects (all P0.04). PEDF levels were not significantly correlated with measures of oxidative stress: isoprostanes, oxidized low-density lipoprotein or paraoxonase-1 activity. On stepwise linear regression analysis (all subjects), independent determinants of PEDF levels were renal function, triglycerides, inflammation, small artery elasticity and age (r(2) = 0.427).In Type 1 diabetes, serum PEDF levels are associated with microvascular complications, poor vascular health, hyperglycaemia, adiposity and inflammation.

Novel shape- and structural-controlled superparamagnetic nanostructures composed of self-supported spherical and rod-like CoFe2O4 colloidal nanocrystals have been prepared by thermolysis of a stoichiometric Co2+Fe23+−oleate complex in organic solution with periodic injection of hexane for controlling the nucleation, assembly, and growth of the nuclei.