Preliminary outcomes of the Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal: A snapshot

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer screening remains an essential preventive tool worldwide. First line high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HrHPV) genotyping became gold standard for cervical cancer screening, and has been adopted by several countries, including Portugal. Herein, we aimed to assess the early outcomes of the regional Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal.

METHODS

The analysis of a representative set of cases evaluated during a one-month period (January 2020), with adequate follow-up was performed. Descriptive analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Overall, 7278 samples were received, of which 15.2% were HrHPV positive, most of these disclosing a negative result in subsequent liquid-based cytology. Nearly half of the HrHPV-positive women were referred to colposcopy. Within this group, HPV16/18+ cases depicted the higher frequency of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) or worse, compared with abnormal cytology or persistent HrHPV infection. Among women with non-HPV16/18 HrHPV infection and negative cytology, which are eligible for repeat sampling in one year, 65% were re-tested. Importantly, nearly half of these cleared HrHPV infection. Furthermore, referral to colposcopy due to HPV16/18 infection and/or abnormal cytology results were associated with > 40% risk for HSIL or worse lesion.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study confirmed the reliability and effectiveness of first line HrHPV genotyping in the Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal. Nonetheless, it also raised concerns about excessive referral to colposcopy, with the inherent human and financial costs. Thus, further improvement and optimization are key to ensure the sustainability of the program.

Enhancing host-pathogen phenotyping dynamics: early detection of tomato bacterial diseases using hyperspectral point measurement and predictive modeling

Early diagnosis of plant diseases is needed to promote sustainable plant protection strategies. Applied predictive modeling over hyperspectral spectroscopy (HS) data can be an effective, fast, cost-effective approach for improving plant disease diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the potential of HS point-of-measurement (POM) data for in-situ, non-destructive diagnosis of tomato bacterial speck caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst), and bacterial spot, caused by Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xeu), on leaves (cv. cherry). Bacterial artificial infection was performed on tomato plants at the same phenological stage. A sensing system composed by a hyperspectral spectrometer, a transmission optical fiber bundle with a slitted probe and a white light source were used for spectral data acquisition, allowing the assessment of 3478 spectral points. An applied predictive classification model was developed, consisting of a normalizing pre-processing strategy allied with a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) for reducing data dimensionality and a supervised machine learning algorithm (Support Vector Machine - SVM) for the classification task. The predicted model achieved classification accuracies of 100% and 74% for Pst and Xeu test set assessments, respectively, before symptom appearance. Model predictions were coherent with host-pathogen interactions mentioned in the literature (e.g., changes in photosynthetic pigment levels, production of bacterial-specific molecules, and activation of plants' defense mechanisms). Furthermore, these results were coherent with visual phenotyping inspection and PCR results. The reported outcomes support the application of spectral point measurements acquired in-vivo for plant disease diagnosis, aiming for more precise and eco-friendly phytosanitary approaches.

Eucalyptus globulus Leaf Aqueous Extract Differentially Inhibits the Growth of Three Bacterial Tomato Pathogens

As available tools for crop disease management are scarce, new, effective, and eco-friendly solutions are needed. So, this study aimed at assessing the antibacterial activity of a dried leaf Eucalyptus globulus Labill. aqueous extract (DLE) against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst), Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xeu), and Clavibacter michiganensis michiganensis (Cmm). For this, the inhibitory activity of different concentrations of DLE (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120, 135, and 250 g L^-1) was monitored against the type strains of Pst, Xeu, and Cmm through the obtention of their growth curves. After 48 h, results showed that the pathogen growth was strongly inhibited by DLE, with Xeu the most susceptible species (15 g L^-1 MIC and IC₅₀), followed by Pst (30 g L^-1 MIC and IC₅₀), and Cmm (45 and 35 g L^-1 MIC and IC₅₀, respectively). Additionally, using the resazurin assay, it was possible to verify that DLE considerably impaired cell viability by more than 86%, 85%, and 69% after Pst, Xeu, and Cmm were incubated with DLE concentrations equal to or higher than their MIC, respectively. However, only the treatment with DLE at 120 g L^-1 did not induce any hypersensitive response in all pathogens when treated bacterial suspensions were infiltrated onto tobacco leaves. Overall, DLE can represent a great strategy for the prophylactic treatment of tomato-associated bacterial diseases or reduce the application of environmentally toxic approaches.

The effects of body size and training environment on the physical performance of adolescent basketball players: the INEX study

BACKGROUND

Although adolescent basketballers differ in body size, shape, and composition, less is known about how these factors interact during physical development.

AIM

We used ontogenetic allometry to identify the optimal body size and shape characteristics associated with physical performance in adolescent basketball players, and investigated the effects of training experience, training volume, maturity status, and club characteristics on physical performance development.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Two hundred and sixty-four male basketballers, from five age-cohorts (11-15 years of age), were followed consecutively over three years. Three physical performance components, anthropometrics, training information, and biological maturation were assessed bi-annually. Longitudinal multiplicative allometric models were developed.

RESULTS

Players with a physique that had a dominant ectomorphic component performed better in all physical performance components. When adjusting for confounders other than size, the development of running speed was independent of body size. Players advanced in maturation were physically fitter. Training data had no significant effect on developmental trajectories of running speed or lower body explosive strength. Club characteristics had no significant association with any physical performance trajectories.

CONCLUSION

Leaner players have advantages in physical performance and individual characteristics play an important role, over and beyond club structure, in developing physical performance.

Impact of high-risk Human Papillomavirus genotyping in cervical disease in the Northern region of Portugal: Real-world data from regional cervical cancer screening program

Cervical cancer prevention is based on primary prevention with vaccines against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and secondary prevention by screening with High-Risk-HPV (Hr-HPV) detection. Since 2017, cervical cancer screening in women aged 25-60 years has been performed in Portugal using Hr-HPV detection, followed by cytology in Hr-HPV-positive cases. Herein we report the prevalence of Hr-HPV genotypes and cytological abnormalities among 462 401 women (mean age: 43.73 ± 10.79; median age: 45; range: 24-66 years) that participated in the Regional Cervical Cancer Screening Program of the Northern Region of Portugal, performed between August 2016 and December 2021. Overall, we describe a prevalence rate of 12.50% for Hr-HPV varying from 20.76% at age 25% to 8.32% at age 64. The five most common Hr-HPV genotypes identified were HPV-68 (16.09%), HPV-31 (15.30%), HPV-51 (12.96%), HPV-16 (11.06%), and HPV-39 (11.01%). The prevalence of Hr-HPV included in the nonavalent vaccine (HPV-9valent) was 55.00% ranging from 47.78% to 59.18% across different age groups. Considering positive Hr-HPV cases, 65.68% had a Negative for Intraepithelial Lesion or Malignancy (NILM) cytology, 20.83% atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), 8.85% Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL), 1.65% High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL), 2.85% ASC-H, 0.09% Atypical Glandular Cells, 0.02% Adenocarcinomas, and 0.02% Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Our analysis revealed that HPV-9val genotypes were responsible for 52.13% NILM, 59.21% ASC-US, 55.06% LSIL, 90.14% HSIL, 83.50% ASC-H, and 100.00% SCC. Furthermore, multiple Hr-HPV infections (risk ratio [RR] = 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34-1.58), HPV-16/18 (RR = 5.16; 95% CI 4.75-5.93), or HPV-9val genotypes (RR = 5.23; 95% CI 4.68-5.85) were associated with a significant risk of developing >  HSIL (p < 0.001). To date, this is the largest study on Hr-HPV genotyping in cervical cancer screening that includes data from a complete cycle of the screening program. Our findings suggest a high prevalence of HPV-9valent genotypes and a significant association with an increased risk of developing > HSIL. This constitutes important data for health authorities, which may help define the future of vaccination and cervical cancer screening strategies.

Kiwi Plant Canker Diagnosis Using Hyperspectral Signal Processing and Machine Learning: Detecting Symptoms Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) has been responsible for numerous epidemics of bacterial canker of kiwi (BCK), resulting in high losses in kiwi production worldwide. Current diagnostic approaches for this disease usually depend on visible signs of the infection (disease symptoms) to be present. Since these symptoms frequently manifest themselves in the middle to late stages of the infection process, the effectiveness of phytosanitary measures can be compromised. Hyperspectral spectroscopy has the potential to be an effective, non-invasive, rapid, cost-effective, high-throughput approach for improving BCK diagnostics. This study aimed to investigate the potential of hyperspectral UV-VIS reflectance for in-situ, non-destructive discrimination of bacterial canker on kiwi leaves. Spectral reflectance (325-1075 nm) of twenty plants were obtained with a handheld spectroradiometer in two commercial kiwi orchards located in Portugal, for 15 weeks, totaling 504 spectral measurements. Several modeling approaches based on continuous hyperspectral data or specific wavelengths, chosen by different feature selection algorithms, were tested to discriminate BCK on leaves. Spectral separability of asymptomatic and symptomatic leaves was observed in all multi-variate and machine learning models, including the FDA, GLM, PLS, and SVM methods. The combination of a stepwise forward variable selection approach using a support vector machine algorithm with a radial kernel and class weights was selected as the final model. Its overall accuracy was 85%, with a 0.70 kappa score and 0.84 F-measure. These results were coherent with leaves classified as asymptomatic or symptomatic by visual inspection. Overall, the findings herein reported support the implementation of spectral point measurements acquired in situ for crop disease diagnosis.

Variability within a clonal population of Erwinia amylovora disclosed by phenotypic analysis

Background

Fire blight is a destructive disease of pome trees, caused by Erwinia amylovora, leading to high losses of chain-of-values fruits. Major outbreaks were registered between 2010 and 2017 in Portugal, and the first molecular epidemiological characterization of those isolates disclosed a clonal population with different levels of virulence and susceptibility to antimicrobial peptides.

Methods

This work aimed to further disclose the genetic characterization and unveil the phenotypic diversity of this E. amylovora population, resorting to MLSA, growth kinetics, biochemical characterization, and antibiotic susceptibility.

Results

While MLSA further confirmed the genetic clonality of those isolates, several phenotypic differences were recorded regarding their growth, carbon sources preferences, and chemical susceptibility to several antibiotics, disclosing a heterogeneous population. Principal component analysis regarding the phenotypic traits allows to separate the strains Ea 630 and Ea 680 from the remaining.

Discussion

Regardless the genetic clonality of these E. amylovora strains isolated from fire blight outbreaks, the phenotypic characterization evidenced a population diversity beyond the genotype clonality inferred by MLSA and CRISPR, suggesting that distinct sources or environmental adaptations of this pathogen may have occurred.

Conclusion

Attending the characteristic clonality of E. amylovora species, the data gathered here emphasizes the importance of phenotypic assessment of E. amylovora isolates to better understand their epidemiological behavior, namely by improving source tracking, make risk assessment analysis, and determine strain-specific environmental adaptations, that might ultimately lead to prevent new outbreaks.

Distinct phenotypic behaviours within a clonal population of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae

Bacterial canker of the kiwifruit caused by the etiological agent Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae is the most severe disease in kiwifruit production. Since 2008 a hypervirulent Psa biovar 3 has spread rapidly worldwide. Different genomic and phenotypic approaches have been used to understand the origin of the dissemination and geographical evolution of populations associated with this pandemic. This study aimed to characterize the genetic and phenotypic diversity of 22 Psa isolates collected in different regions of Portugal between 2013 and 2017. Genotypic and phenotypic characterization was based on Multi-Locus Sequence Analysis (MLSA), motility, IAA production, Biolog GEN III, and copper sensitivity. No polymorphisms were detected for the concatenated sequence (1950 bp) of the housekeeping genes gltA, gapA, gyrB, and rpoD. Results support the analysed Portuguese Psa isolates (2013–2017) belonging to Psa3, and MLSA indicates high genetic clonality and stability of these populations. The phenotypic analysis through Biolog revealed a heterogeneous pattern in the Psa collection and its position in the Pseudomonas complex. This heterogeneity reflects a genomic diversity that may reflect distinct adaptive trends associated with the environmental conditions and widespread. The Portuguese Psa collection showed no resistance to copper. This information is relevant to kiwi producers that predominantly use Cu-treatments to control kiwifruit bacterial canker.

Management of Emotional Dysregulation in Adult ADHD

Introduction

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by impairing symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity. Although Emotional Dysregulation (ED) is not current criteria for ADHD, several clinical, imaging and genetic studies have been suggesting its inclusion. ED seems to impair social and occupational capacities, leading to poor quality life. In this regard, managing this situation is fundamental.

Objectives

ED in ADHD review and its management, including pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches.

Methods

Non-systematic review through literature using databases as Pubmed and UpToDate. Keywords used: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Emotional Dysregulation, management, pharmacotherapy.

Results

Literature refers to ADHD drugs, such as psychostimulants and atomoxetine, as the first line managing ED. However, some studies demonstrated that ADHD drugs have lower efficacy while treating emotional symptoms, when compared to attention or hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom control. Other medications, such as antidepressants or mood stabilizers, are not considered due to low efficacy and side effects (such as irritability or suicidality behaviour worsening). Regarding non pharmacological approaches, there have been results with cognitive behavioral treatment, and management techniques for anger, frustration and communication skills.

Conclusions

Although the majority of studies demonstrate psychostimulants and atomoxetine role, there is an important lack of information regarding management of ADHD emotional dysregulation. It is a multifactorial condition, and, as such, non pharmacological and pharmacological management are needed to address this issue. More research is necessary, in order to improve patients’ quality of life.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Capgras and Fregoli delusions - a case report

Introduction

Capgras and Fregoli delusions are psychotic complex conditions that integrate a larger group of Delusional Misidentification Syndromes (DMS), where the patient misidentifies people, places or objects.

Objectives

Review of the literature and exposure of a case report of a first psychotic episode with DMS.

Methods

Case report and a nonsystematic review through databases. With the keywords: Capgras; Fregoli; DMS.

Results

This case presents a caucasian male, 34-year-old, with no personal or family history of psychiatric pathology. He was taken to the emergency service, due to behavior disorder with verbal aggressiveness to his mother. During the psychiatric emergency he was restless, with accelerated speech and presented Capgras and Fregoli delusion. He believed that his mother had been replaced by an imposter and that the doctor was actually his childhood friend disguised, all with the intention of harming him. The patient was hospitalized, analytical and brain scan show no abnormally. Improvement in symptoms was been seen when a long-term injectable antipsychotic was started. The diagnosis was Bipolar type I disorder.

Conclusions

DSM are more frequent than previously considered, they often occur in association with psychiatric or neurological disorders. Case reports like this one helps to clarify the association between DMS and psychiatric disorders. Given the high incidence of DMS, it is essential to recognize them, carry out an early treatment and be alert to other psychopathological or neurological symptoms that may coexist.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Gender Dysphoria and Mental Health

Introduction

Gender dysphoria is characterized by a mismatch between the biological sex and gender identity of a person, frequently associated to distress or discomfort. Many transgender people will seek professional help to obtain a congruence between the gender identity and the body.

Objectives

Brief review of the literature in the field of mental health and gender dysphoria.

Methods

Review of the literature, through research in the PubMed database, using the following keywords: “gender dysphoria”, “mental health”, “psychiatric disorders”.

Results

Although the true prevalence of gender dysphoria (GD) is unknown, several studies indicated that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in this population is elevated. In comparison with the general population, persons with GD have higher rates of depressive symptoms (64.5%), suicidality (42.9%), substance use disorders (40.2%), general distress (33.8%), anxiety (25.9%), discrimination, and stigma, that contribute to mental health problems. Even though, we cannot reach firm conclusions due to the lack of controlled studies exploring psychiatric disorders on GD people versus controls. An interdisciplinary approach to the health and well-being of this population is highly recommended. Social support, community connectedness, and effective coping strategies appear beneficial.

Conclusions

Individuals with GD have higher rates of psychiatric disorders and social stressors. Healthcare professionals should have a basic understanding on GD. Management should be individualized and may involve a multidisciplinary team. It would be important to have access to more controlled studies in order to achieve a better characterization of the prevalence of mental health disorders in this population.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Prenatal Exposure to SARS-Cov-2 and Schizophrenia Development: What to Expect?

Introduction

Schizophrenia is a complex and multifactorial psychiatric condition characterized by thought, speech, perception and behaviour disorders, and social and occupational impairment. It has been related that viral prenatal infection may contribute to schizophrenia development. As such, there are some hypotheses regarding SARS-Cov-2 prenatal infection and its potential relation with “future” offspring schizophrenia.

Objectives

Literature review of schizophrenia development and relation with viral infections, and data research of COVID-19 neurotropic effects.

Methods

Non-systematic review through literature using databases as Pubmed and UpToDate. Keywords used: schizophrenia, prenatal, viral infection, COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2.

Results

Several studies had shown a relationship between prenatal viral infections, such as Influenza, and development of schizophrenia in the offspring. It relates with viral neurotropism mechanisms and inflammatory processes in the fetal neurology system. Regarding SARS-Cov-2, it is early to assume a relation between prenatal COVID-19 and offspring schizophrenia development. However, literature describes psychiatric manifestations post COVID, such as psychotic and manic episodes. As such, a SARS-Cov-2 neurotropic effect is demonstrated.

Conclusions

Schizophrenia has a multifactorial etiology. Since prenatal viral infections may interfere and contribute to schizophrenia development, it is logical to assume prenatal SARS-Cov-2 infection may also contribute. It may be relevant to investigate whether these offspring will manifest schizophrenia symptoms.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Colorectal Screening Program in Northern Portugal: First Findings

INTRODUCTION

In Portugal, a colorectal cancer screening program based on faecal immunochemical test followed by colonoscopy was shown to be cost-effective for individuals between 50 and 74 years old. We report the first findings of the implementation of a population-based program In Northern Portugal.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In the pilot phase, eligible subjects were allocated either to a direct mailing invitation or to primary care centers. In the first year of program implementation, we assessed the uptake rate, the faecal immunochemical test -positivity rate, the diagnostic yield of advanced neoplasia, and the quality parameters for post-faecal immunochemical test + colonoscopy.

RESULTS

We invited 100 501 eligible subjects (49% male with a median age of 55 years). Of these, 5228 participated in the pilot phase and 95 273 participated in the first year of the program. In the first year of the program, the adherence was 29%, with a positivity rate of 5% and a 60% compliance to colonoscopy. The faecal immunochemical test-detection rate of advanced neoplasia was 0.35/1000 subjects, and the positive predictive value at post- faecal immunochemical test + colonoscopy was 44% and 2% for advanced adenoma and invasive cancer, respectively. No major adverse events were reported after colonoscopy.

DISCUSSION

The suboptimal adherence to faecal immunochemical test and post-faecal immunochemical test + colonoscopy remains the most urgent step to be addressed.

CONCLUSION

A centralized invitation system based on direct mailing was feasible and both colonoscopy quality and diagnostic yield were adequate antecipating the success of the programme.

Performance of DNA methylation-based biomarkers in the cervical cancer screening program of northern Portugal: A feasibility study

Cervical cancer remains a health concern. Effective screening programs are critical to reduce the incidence and mortality. High-risk HPV (hr-HPV) testing as primary screening tool discloses high sensitivity but suboptimal specificity. Adequate triage tests to reduce unnecessary colposcopy referrals and overdiagnosis/overtreatment are crucial. Hence, we aimed to validate a panel of DNA methylation-based markers as triage test for women hr-HPV+ in the population-based Regional Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal. Firstly, CADM1, MAL, FAM19A4 and hsa-miR124-2 promoter methylation levels were assessed by multiplex QMSP in a testing set of 402 FFPE tissue samples (159 normal samples and 243 cervical lesions, including 39 low-grade intraepithelial squamous lesions [LSIL], 59 high-grade intraepithelial squamous lesions [HSIL] and 145 cancerous lesions). Then, preliminary validation was performed in 125 hr-HPV+ cervical scrapes (including 59 normal samples, 30 LSIL, 34 HSIL and 2 cancerous lesions). Higher MAL^me , FAM19A4^me and hsa-miR124-2^me methylation levels were disclosed in histological HSIL or worse (HSIL+) in testing set. Individually, markers depicted over 86% specificity for HSIL+ detection. In validation set, all these genes significantly differed between histological HSIL+ and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or less. In combination, these markers reached 74% specificity and 61% sensitivity for identification of histological HSIL+. We concluded that host gene methylation might constitute a useful referral triage tool of hr-HPV+ women enrolled in the Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal.

Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis and pv. corylina: Brothers or distant relatives? Genetic clues, epidemiology, and insights for disease management

BACKGROUND

The species Xanthomonas arboricola comprises up to nine pathovars, two of which affect nut crops: pv. juglandis, the causal agent of walnut bacterial blight, brown apical necrosis, and the vertical oozing canker of Persian (English) walnut; and pv. corylina, the causal agent of the bacterial blight of hazelnut. Both pathovars share a complex population structure, represented by different clusters and several clades. Here we describe our current understanding of symptomatology, population dynamics, epidemiology, and disease control.

TAXONOMIC STATUS

Bacteria; Phylum Proteobacteria; Class Gammaproteobacteria; Order Lysobacterales (earlier synonym of Xanthomonadales); Family Lysobacteraceae (earlier synonym of Xanthomonadaceae); Genus Xanthomonas; Species X. arboricola; Pathovars: pv. juglandis and pv. corylina.

HOST RANGE AND SYMPTOMS

The host range of each pathovar is not limited to a single species, but each infects mainly one plant species: Juglans regia (X. arboricola pv. juglandis) and Corylus avellana (X. arboricola. pv. corylina). Walnut bacterial blight is characterized by lesions on leaves and fruits, and cankers on twigs, branches, and trunks; brown apical necrosis symptoms consist of apical necrosis originating at the stigmatic end of the fruit. A peculiar symptom, the vertical oozing canker developing along the trunk, is elicited by a particular genetic lineage of the bacterium. Symptoms of hazelnut bacterial blight are visible on leaves and fruits as necrotic lesions, and on woody parts as cankers. A remarkable difference is that affected walnuts drop abundantly, whereas hazelnuts with symptoms do not.

DISTRIBUTION

Bacterial blight of walnut has a worldwide distribution, wherever Persian (English) walnut is cultivated; the bacterial blight of hazelnut has a more limited distribution, although disease outbreaks are currently more frequently reported. X. arboricola pv. juglandis is regulated almost nowhere, whereas X. arboricola pv. corylina is regulated in most European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) countries.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONTROL

For both pathogens infected nursery material is the main pathway for their introduction and spread into newly cultivated areas; additionally, infected nursery material is the source of primary inoculum. X. arboricola pv. juglandis is also disseminated through pollen. Disease control is achieved through the phytosanitary certification of nursery material (hazelnut), although approved certification schemes are not currently available. Once the disease is present in walnut/hazelnut groves, copper compounds are widely used, mostly in association with dithiocarbamates; where allowed, antibiotics (preferably kasugamycin) are sprayed. The emergence of strains highly resistant to copper currently represents the major threat for effective management of the bacterial blight of walnut. USEFUL WEBSITES: https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/XANTJU, https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/XANTCY, https://www.euroxanth.eu, http://www.xanthomonas.org.

Evaluation of Three Antimicrobial Peptides Mixtures to Control the Phytopathogen Responsible for Fire Blight Disease

Fire blight is a severe bacterial plant disease that affects important chain-of-value fruit trees such as pear and apple trees. This disease is caused by Erwinia amylovora, a quarantine phytopathogenic bacterium, which, although highly distributed worldwide, still lacks efficient control measures. The green revolution paradigm demands sustainable agriculture practices, for which antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently caught much attention. The goal of this work was to disclose the bioactivity of three peptides mixtures (BP100:RW-BP100, BP100:CA-M, and RW-BP100:CA-M), against three strains of E. amylovora representing distinct genotypes and virulence (LMG 2024, Ea 630 and Ea 680). The three AMPs' mixtures were assayed at eight different equimolar concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 6 μM (1:1). Results showed MIC and MBC values between 2.5 and 4 μM for every AMP mixture and strain. Regarding cell viability, flow cytometry and alamarBlue reduction, showed high reduction (>25%) of viable cells after 30 min of AMP exposure, depending on the peptide mixture and strain assayed. Hypersensitive response in tobacco plants showed that the most efficient AMPs mixtures and concentrations caused low to no reaction of the plant. Altogether, the AMPs mixtures studied are better treatment solutions to control fire blight disease than the same AMPs applied individually.

Modelling the dynamics of change in the technical skills of young basketball players: The INEX study

Although technical skills are a prerequisite for success in basketball, little is known about how they develop over time. In this study, we model the trajectories of technical skill development in young basketball players and investigate the effects of training experience, training volume, body composition, maturity status, physical performance, and club characteristics on skill development. A total of 264 male basketballers from five age-cohorts (11 to 15 years of age) were followed consecutively over three years using a mixed-longitudinal design. Technical skills, training experience and volume, basic anthropometrics, body composition, biological maturation and physical performance were assessed bi-annually. A multilevel hierarchical linear model was used for trajectory analysis. Non-linear trends (p < 0.01) were observed in speed shot shooting, control dribble, defensive movement, slalom sprint, and slalom dribble. Being more experienced and physically fitter had a significant (p < 0.05) positive effect on technical skill development; greater fat-free mass negatively affected skills demanding quick running and rapid changes of direction with or without the ball (p < 0.05). Training volume and biological age did not explain differences in technical skill development (p > 0.05). Moreover, belonging to different clubs had no significant influence on the technical skills trajectories of players. Our findings highlight the important role that individual differences play, over and beyond club structure, in developing skills. Findings improve our understanding on how technical skills develop during adolescence through training, growth, and biological maturation.

How particle-particle and liquid-particle interactions govern the fate of evaporating liquid marbles

Liquid marbles refer to droplets that are covered with a layer of non-wetting particles. They are observed in nature and have practical significance. These squishy objects bounce, coalesce, break, inflate, and deflate while the liquid does not touch the substrate underneath. Despite the considerable cross-disciplinary interest and value of the research on liquid marbles, a unified framework for describing the mechanics of deflating liquid marbles-as the liquid evaporates-is unavailable. For instance, analytical approaches for modeling the evaporation of liquid marbles exploit empirical parameters that are not based on liquid-particle and particle-particle interactions. Here, we have combined complementary experiments and theory to fill this gap. To unentangle the contributions of particle size, roughness, friction, and chemical make-up, we investigated the evaporation of liquid marbles formed with particles of sizes varying over 7 nm-300 μm and chemical compositions ranging from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic. We demonstrate that the potential final states of evaporating liquid marbles are characterized by one of the following: (I) constant surface area, (II) particle ejection, or (III) multilayering. Based on these insights, we developed an evaporation model for liquid marbles that takes into account their time-dependent shape evolution. The model fits are in excellent agreement with our experimental results. Furthermore, this model and the general framework can provide mechanistic insights into extant literature on the evaporation of liquid marbles. Altogether, these findings advance our fundamental understanding of liquid marbles and should contribute to the rational development of technologies.

Positive and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine in Portugal

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread rapidly around the world and Portugal is no exception. Positive and negative effects are extremely important in individual's life experiences and in particular in the context of the quarantine, in which it is important to maintain the balance between favorable and unfavorable situations. The purpose of this paper is to study in depth the intensity of the affect during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal and to validate a scale of positive and negative affect in the context of quarantine and confinement.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used is of a quantitative nature, based on a questionnaire survey to measure the intensity of the affects and to analyze some sociodemographic variables. The sample consists of 726 individuals of age 18 years or older, who were in Portugal during the quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings

The results show that respondents were concerned, anxious, well-disposed and impatient. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis applied to affects produced a latent structure with two factors: negative affect and positive affect. The affect scale has adequate convergent and discriminant validity and good internal consistency, with negative affect being experienced by individuals with greater intensity compared to positive affect.

Originality/value

It is hoped that this study contributes to an increase in the scientific knowledge in the field of the affects in the context of delicate situations such as the pandemic COVID-19 so that health professionals can intervene to improve individual’s well-being. This is an important way to provide better health policy that considers in more depth individual wellbeing and emotions during times of crisis. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also stated that highlight the importance of understanding emotional states of individuals during crisis events.

Trends in Molecular Diagnosis and Diversity Studies for Phytosanitary Regulated Xanthomonas

Bacteria in the genus Xanthomonas infect a wide range of crops and wild plants, with most species responsible for plant diseases that have a global economic and environmental impact on the seed, plant, and food trade. Infections by Xanthomonas spp. cause a wide variety of non-specific symptoms, making their identification difficult. The coexistence of phylogenetically close strains, but drastically different in their phenotype, poses an added challenge to diagnosis. Data on future climate change scenarios predict an increase in the severity of epidemics and a geographical expansion of pathogens, increasing pressure on plant health services. In this context, the effectiveness of integrated disease management strategies strongly depends on the availability of rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic methods. The accumulation of genomic information in recent years has facilitated the identification of new DNA markers, a cornerstone for the development of more sensitive and specific methods. Nevertheless, the challenges that the taxonomic complexity of this genus represents in terms of diagnosis together with the fact that within the same bacterial species, groups of strains may interact with distinct host species demonstrate that there is still a long way to go. In this review, we describe and discuss the current molecular-based methods for the diagnosis and detection of regulated Xanthomonas, taxonomic and diversity studies in Xanthomonas and genomic approaches for molecular diagnosis.

CRISPR genotyping as complementary tool for epidemiological surveillance of Erwinia amylovora outbreaks

Fire blight is a destructive plant disease caused by Erwinia amylovora affecting pome fruit trees, and responsible for large yield declines, long phytosanitary confinements, and high economic losses. In Portugal, the first major fire blight outbreaks occurred in 2010 and 2011, and although later considered eradicated, the emergence of other outbreaks in recent years stressed the need to characterize the E. amylovora populations associated with these outbreaks. In this regard, CRISPR genotyping, assessment of three virulence markers, and semi-quantitative virulence bioassays, were carried out to determine the genotype, and assess the virulence of thirty-six E. amylovora isolates associated with outbreaks occurring between 2010 and 2017 and affecting apple and pear orchards located in the country central-west, known as the main producing region of pome fruits in Portugal. The data gathered reveal that 35 E. amylovora isolates belong to one of the widely-distributed CRISPR genotypes (5-24-38 / D-a-α) regardless the host species, year and region. Ea 680 was the single isolate revealing a new CRISPR genotype due to a novel CR2 spacer located closer to the leader sequence and therefore thought to be recently acquired. Regarding pathogenicity, although dot-blot hybridization assays showed the presence of key virulence factors, namely hrpL (T3SS), hrpN (T3E) and amsG from the amylovoran biosynthesis operon in all E. amylovora isolates studied, pathogenicity bioassays on immature pear slices allowed to distinguish four virulence levels, with most of the isolates revealing an intermediate to severe virulence phenotype. Regardless the clonal population structure of the E. amylovora associated to the outbreaks occurring in Portugal between 2010 and 2017, the different virulence phenotypes, suggests that E. amylovora may have been introduced at different instances into the country. This is the first study regarding E. amylovora in Portugal, and it discloses a novel CRISPR genotype for this bacterium.

Tracking Technical Skill Development in Young Basketball Players: The INEX Study

This study investigated developmental stability, or tracking, in the development of technical skills in youth male basketball players and retrospectively profiled stable and unstable tracking patterns over time. A total of 97 basketball players were tracked bi-annually over 3 consecutive years. Players were divided into two age-categories according to their age at baseline: under-12; and under-14. Technical skills were assessed using the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance test battery. Anthropometric, body composition, biological maturation and physical performance data were collected. Cohen's kappa (κ) was used to estimate tracking. With the exception of defensive movement in the under-12 age-category, tracking was low in all skill tests for both under-12 (0.22 ≤ κ ≤ 0.33) and -14 (0.20 ≤ κ ≤ 0.26) groupings. The overall technical skill showed moderate tracking for under-12 players (κ = 0.47) and low tracking for under-14 players (κ = 0.26). At baseline, players who were consistently more skilled or became more skillful (in the under-12 age-category) over time had a better growth-motor performance profile and most of them were selected to be members of regional teams. In conclusion, tracking of individual skill trajectories was low-to-moderate. Moreover, a better growth-motor performance profile seems crucial to maintain high levels of skill performance over time. It is recommended that basketball coaches track the developmental trajectories of their players to better understand the erratic nature of skill development and help design more effective practice regimes.

Comparative Genomics of Xanthomonas euroxanthea and Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis Strains Isolated from a Single Walnut Host Tree

The recent report of distinct Xanthomonas lineages of Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis and Xanthomonas euroxanthea within the same walnut tree revealed that this consortium of walnut-associated Xanthomonas includes both pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains. As the implications of this co-colonization are still poorly understood, in order to unveil niche-specific adaptations, the genomes of three X. euroxanthea strains (CPBF 367, CPBF 424^T, and CPBF 426) and of an X. arboricola pv. juglandis strain (CPBF 427) isolated from a single walnut tree in Loures (Portugal) were sequenced with two different technologies, Illumina and Nanopore, to provide consistent single scaffold chromosomal sequences. General genomic features showed that CPBF 427 has a genome similar to other X. arboricola pv. juglandis strains, regarding its size, number, and content of CDSs, while X. euroxanthea strains show a reduction regarding these features comparatively to X. arboricola pv. juglandis strains. Whole genome comparisons revealed remarkable genomic differences between X. arboricola pv. juglandis and X. euroxanthea strains, which translates into different pathogenicity and virulence features, namely regarding type 3 secretion system and its effectors and other secretory systems, chemotaxis-related proteins, and extracellular enzymes. Altogether, the distinct genomic repertoire of X. euroxanthea may be particularly useful to address pathogenicity emergence and evolution in walnut-associated Xanthomonas.

A Synergic Potential of Antimicrobial Peptides against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is the pathogenic agent responsible for the bacterial canker of kiwifruit (BCK) leading to major losses in kiwifruit productions. No effective treatments and measures have yet been found to control this disease. Despite antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) having been successfully used for the control of several pathogenic bacteria, few studies have focused on the use of AMPs against Psa. In this study, the potential of six AMPs (BP100, RW-BP100, CA-M, 3.1, D4E1, and Dhvar-5) to control Psa was investigated. The minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC) were determined and membrane damaging capacity was evaluated by flow cytometry analysis. Among the tested AMPs, the higher inhibitory and bactericidal capacity was observed for BP100 and CA-M with MIC of 3.4 and 3.4-6.2 µM, respectively and MBC 3.4-10 µM for both. Flow cytometry assays suggested a faster membrane permeation for peptide 3.1, in comparison with the other AMPs studied. Peptide mixtures were also tested, disclosing the high efficiency of BP100:3.1 at low concentration to reduce Psa viability. These results highlight the potential interest of AMP mixtures against Psa, and 3.1 as an antimicrobial molecule that can improve other treatments in synergic action.