First demonstration of OFDM ECDMA for low cost optical access networks

We demonstrate for the first time to the best of our knowledge an analogue orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based electrical code division multiplexing access (ECDMA) passive optical network (PON) for next generation access applications. Advantages of the system include low cost, high capacity, and enhanced spectral efficiency. A proof-of-principle 16 QAM OFDM ECDMA PON downlink experiment is used to show the transmission of an aggregate data rate of 24.8  Gb/s within an eight-user system. Transmission is achieved over 25 km of single-mode telecommunications fiber (SMF) with negligible dispersion and crosstalk penalties.

Co-culture of annulus fibrosus cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

To investigate the effect on cell proliferation and extracellular matrix expression of annulus fibrosus (AF) cells when co-cultured with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Primary isolated rabbit BMSCs and AF cells were cultured and harvested cells were placed into a 15-mL centrifugal tube co-culture system in a ratio of 2:1 (A group), 1:1 (B group), and 1:2 (C group). Cell proliferation was evaluated using cell counting kit-8, and mRNA of collagen II and mucopolysaccharide was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on Days 7, 14, and 21. The cell count, synthesized collagen II and mucopolysaccharide increased in a time-dependent manner, with a peak at Day 21. Cells in Group B proliferated faster and synthesized more collagen II and mucopolysaccharide than groups A and C, where the difference was significant. AF cells and BMSCs in the ratio of 1:1, cultured using the centrifugal tube three-dimensional co-culture system showed that BMSCs can promote AF cell proliferation and extracellular matrix synthesis.

The effect of nifedipine on retinal venous pressure of glaucoma patients with the Flammer-Syndrome

PURPOSE

The purpose was to measure the retinal venous pressure (RVP) in both eyes of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients before and 3 weeks after treatment with low-dosed Nifedipine.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 20 POAG patients who were treated with Nifedipine (5 mg daily) and 20 untreated control POAG patients. In both the treated and untreated control group, a distinction was made between those patients who had the Flammer-Syndrome (FS) and those who did not. The RVP was measured in all patients bilaterally at baseline and 3 weeks later by means of contact lens ophthalmodynamometry and the RVP measurements of the treated POAG patients were compared to the RVPs of the untreated POAG controls. Ophthalmodynamometry is done by applying an increasing force on the eye via a contact lens. The minimum force required to induce a venous pulsation is called the ophthalmodynamometric force (ODF). The RVP is defined and calculated as the sum of ODF and intraocular pressure (IOP) [RVP = ODF + IOP].

RESULTS

The RVP decreased significantly after 3 weeks in both eyes of patients treated with low-dosed Nifedipine compared to the untreated group (mean decrease of 12.5 mmHg (SD 12.5), P < 0.001). A larger response to therapy was found in patients with the FS compared to patients lacking the FS (mean decrease of 16.07 vs. 7.28 mmHg, confidence Interval (CI): 5.2 to 9.3 vs. 12.3 to 19.7; P < 0.001). No significant differences were accounted for in the IOP's of the patients after treatment. In the untreated control group, no significant differences were accounted for either in the RVP or the IOP after 3 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with low-dosed Nifedipine decreases RVP in both eyes of glaucoma patients, particularly in those with the Flammer-Syndrome. This effect may be due to the partial inhibition of Endothelin-1 (ET-1) by Nifedipine.

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci for Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

The parasitoid wasp Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani) is a common pupal parasitoid of many fly pests that is distributed worldwide. This organism can be used for biological control in orchards or livestock farms. Identifying polymorphic microsatellite loci would be useful for analyzing the population genetic structure of the parasitoid. In the current study, based on a modified biotin-capture method, 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized for the insect, 7 of which did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The allelic number per locus varied from 3-7 (N = 30). The expected and observed heterozygosities of 10 loci ranged from 0.369-0.775 and from 0.300-0.867, respectively.

Household transmissibility of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, China, February to May 2013 and October 2013 to March 2014

To study human-to-human transmissibility of the avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in China, household contact information was collected for 125 index cases during the spring wave (February to May 2013), and for 187 index cases during the winter wave (October 2013 to March 2014). Using a statistical model, we found evidence for human-to-human transmission, but such transmission is not sustainable. Under plausible assumptions about the natural history of disease and the relative transmission frequencies in settings other than household, we estimate the household secondary attack rate (SAR) among humans to be 1.4% (95% CI: 0.8 to 2.3), and the basic reproductive number R0 to be 0.08 (95% CI: 0.05 to 0.13). The estimates range from 1.3% to 2.2% for SAR and from 0.07 to 0.12 for R0 with reasonable changes in the assumptions. There was no significant change in the human-to-human transmissibility of the virus between the two waves, although a minor increase was observed in the winter wave. No sex or age difference in the risk of infection from a human source was found. Human-to-human transmissibility of H7N9 continues to be limited, but it needs to be closely monitored for potential increase via genetic reassortment or mutation.

Emerging photon technologies for probing ultrafast molecular dynamics

The understanding of physical and chemical changes at an atomic spatial scale and on the time scale of atomic motion is essential for a broad range of scientific fields. A new class of femtosecond, intense, short wavelength lasers, the free electron lasers, has opened up new opportunities to investigate dynamics in many areas of science. For chemical dynamics to advance however, a rigorous, quantitative understanding of dynamical effects due to intense X-ray exposure is also required. We illustrate this point by reporting here an experimental and theoretical investigation of the interaction of C(60) molecules with intense X-ray pulses, in the multiphoton regime. We also describe the potential of new available instrumentation and explore their potential impact in physical, chemical and biological sciences when they are coupled with emerging photon technologies.

Effects of partial or total replacement of maize with alternative feed source on digestibility, growth performance, blood metabolites and economics in limousin crossbred cattle

Increasing cost and scarcity of maize has stimulated the use of alternative feed sources (AFS) in the diets of cattle. In this study, we investigated the effects of partial or total replacement of maize on nutrient digestibility, growth performance, blood metabolites, and economics in Limousin crossbred feedlot cattle. Forty-five Limousin×Luxi crossbred bulls were randomly assigned to the three treatment groups, orthodox diet (OD; 45.0% maize), partial replacement diet (PRD; 15% maize, 67% AFS), total replacement diet (TRD; 0% maize, 100% AFS). The growth feeding trial lasted for 98 days. Dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) were recorded. The digestion trial was carried out after the end of the growth trial. Total faeces and feed samples were measured daily. Digestibilities of dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were calculated. After the feeding trial, blood metabolites were measured in 12 animals from each group. Initial and final body weights did not differ significantly among treatment groups (p>0.05). The ADG and DMI were 1.72 and 8.66, 1.60 and 9.10, and 1.40 and 9.11 kg/d for OD, PRD, and TRD, respectively. The PRD and TRD exhibited lower ADG (p<0.01) and higher DMI (p<0.01) than OD. The DMI (%body weight) was comparable between groups (p>0.5). Feed efficiency of PRD and TRD were lower than OD (p<0.01). The DM digestibility decreased with reduced level of maize (p = 0.10), OM digestibility was higher in OD (p<0.05), and CP, NDF and ADF digestibilities were similar for all groups (p>0.05). Blood urea nitrogen (mg/dL) in PRD and TRD was higher than OD (p<0.01), while other blood parameters did not differ significantly. Feed costs ($/head/d) were 1.49, 0.98, and 0.72 for OD, PRD, and TRD, respectively (p<0.01). Feed costs per kg gain ($) were significantly lower for PRD (0.63) and TRD (0.54) than OD (0.89; p<0.01). Overall profit ($/head) and daily profit ($/head/d) did not differ significantly between treatments (p>0.05), although TRD showed the highest economic benefits overall (p<0.01). While a traditional diet maximized the growth rate, partial or total replacement of dietary maize with AFS proved economically feasible due to their lower costs and comparable nutrient digestibilities of DM, CP, NDF, and ADF. Partial replacement may prove economically competitive in the current situation of China.

Femtosecond X-ray-induced explosion of C60 at extreme intensity

Understanding molecular femtosecond dynamics under intense X-ray exposure is critical to progress in biomolecular imaging and matter under extreme conditions. Imaging viruses and proteins at an atomic spatial scale and on the time scale of atomic motion requires rigorous, quantitative understanding of dynamical effects of intense X-ray exposure. Here we present an experimental and theoretical study of C60 molecules interacting with intense X-ray pulses from a free-electron laser, revealing the influence of processes not previously reported. Our work illustrates the successful use of classical mechanics to describe all moving particles in C60, an approach that scales well to larger systems, for example, biomolecules. Comparisons of the model with experimental data on C60 ion fragmentation show excellent agreement under a variety of laser conditions. The results indicate that this modelling is applicable for X-ray interactions with any extended system, even at higher X-ray dose rates expected with future light sources.

Huge critical current density and tailored superconducting anisotropy in SmFeAsO₀.₈F₀.₁₅ by low-density columnar-defect incorporation

Iron-based superconductors could be useful for electricity distribution and superconducting magnet applications because of their relatively high critical current densities and upper critical fields. SmFeAsO₀.₈F₀.₁₅ is of particular interest as it has the highest transition temperature among these materials. Here we show that by introducing a low density of correlated nano-scale defects into this material by heavy-ion irradiation, we can increase its critical current density to up to 2 × 10⁷ A cm⁻² at 5 K--the highest ever reported for an iron-based superconductor--without reducing its critical temperature of 50 K. We also observe a notable reduction in the thermodynamic superconducting anisotropy, from 8 to 4 upon irradiation. We develop a model based on anisotropic electron scattering that predicts that the superconducting anisotropy can be tailored via correlated defects in semimetallic, fully gapped type II superconductors.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 pathways in inflammatory airway diseases

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) has been reported being involved in the remodeling and immunosuppression processes of inflammatory airway diseases; understanding the regulation of TGF-β1 is therefore a key to unravel the pathomechanisms of these diseases. This review briefly summarizes the current knowledge on the influencing factors for driving TGF-β1 and its regulatory pathways in inflammatory airway diseases and discusses possible therapeutic approaches to TGF-β1 control. The factors include smoking and oxidative stress, prostaglandins (PGs), leukotrienes (LTs), bradykinin (BK), and microRNAs (miRs). Based on the summary, new innovative treatment strategies may be developed for inflammatory airway diseases with an impaired expression of TGF-β1.

Autophagic program is regulated by miR-325

Autophagy is required for the maintenance of cardiomyocytes homeostasis. However, the abnormal autophagy could lead to the development of heart failure. Autophagy is enhanced during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion; it remains to elucidate the molecular regulation of autophagy. We report here that miR-325, ARC and E2F1 constitute an axis that regulates autophagy. Our results showed that miR-325 expression is upregulated upon anoxia/reoxygenation and ischemia/reperfusion. Cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of the miR-325 potentiates autophagic responses and myocardial infarct sizes, whereas knockdown of miR-325 inhibited autophagy and cell death. We searched for the downstream mediator of miR-325 and identified that ARC is a target of miR-325. ARC transgenic mice could attenuate autophagy and myocardial infarction sizes upon pressure-overload-induced heart failure, whereas ARC null mice exhibited an increased autophagic accumulation in the heart. The suppression of ARC by miR-325 led to its inability to repress autophagic program. In exploring the molecular mechanism by which miR-325 expression is regulated, our results revealed that the transcription factor E2F1 contributed to promote miR-325 expression. E2F1 null mice demonstrated reduced autophagy and myocardial infarction sizes upon ischemia/reperfusion. Our present study reveals a novel autophagic regulating model that is composed of E2F1, miR-325 and ARC. Modulation of their levels may provide a new approach for tackling cardiac failure.

Abstract P4-07-19: MicroRNA miR-24 enhances tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in breast cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding single-stranded RNA molecules, which are produced from endogenous transcripts of short stem-loop structures. Through binding to the 3’-untranslated region (3’UTR) of different target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), microRNAs can repress the translation of the target mRNAs. Recent studies have shown that miR-24 can inhibit apoptosis of cancer cells and cardiomyocytes, and can accelerate cell proliferation. Up-regulation of miR-24 has been observed in oral carcinoma and is one of the most abundant miRNAs in cervical cancer. However, the role of miR-24 in breast cancer cell angiogenesis and metastasis is not clear.

We analyzed microRNA miR-24 levels in patients with breast carcinoma and found that miR-24 was higher in breast carcinoma samples than in breast benign tissues. We generated constructs expressing miR-24 and studied its functions using both in vitro and in vivo techniques. We found that the ectopic expression of miR-24 promoted breast cancer angiogenesis and metastasis.

Cell migration assays indicated that expression of miR-24 promoted migration of MT-1 cells and 4T1 cells. We examined proliferation of MT-1 cells and 4T1 cells transfected with miR-24 or the control vector. The experiments showed that the miR-24 transfected cells had high rates of proliferation than the vector-transfected cells. In vivo experiments indicated that the expression of miR-24 enhanced tumor growth, metastasis to lung tissues, and decreased overall mouse survival. Tumor sections were also probed with anti-CD34 antibody to examine angiogenesis. We found that miR-24 expression increased tumor-associated vascularization. We further performed tumor metastatic assays. DNA was isolated from lung tissues and subjected to PCR to indicate metastasis of the cancer cells. Typical metastatic lesions in the lungs are shown.

In the miR-24 expressing cells and tumors, expression of the phosphatases PTPN9 and PTPRF were repressed. We confirmed that miR-24 could directly target both PTPN9 and PTPRF. Consistent with this, we found that the levels of PTPN9 and PTPRF were lower in the patients with metastatic breast carcinoma. Ectopic expression of PTPN9 and PTPRF decreased cell migration, and tumor metastasis.

Our study demonstrates that miR-24 is highly expressed in human breast carcinoma. This finding suggests a role of miR-24 in breast cancer development/progression. Our results suggest that miR-24 plays a key role in breast cancer angiogenesis and metastasis. miR-24 could potentially be a target for cancer intervention.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P4-07-19.

ALDH1 is an independent prognostic factor for patients with stages II-III rectal cancer after receiving radiochemotherapy

Background:

About one in five patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (RC) suffers recurrence or distant metastasis after neoadjuvant therapy. We investigated how cancer stem cell markers change after neoadjuvant therapy and how these markers relate to recurrence.

Methods:

Pretreatment biopsies and postoperative specimens were taken from 64 patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma who received preoperative radiochemotherapy (RCT) between sampling. Samples were tested immunohistochemically for CD44, LGR5, ALDH1 and CD166; scores were dichotomised as high or low. The median follow-up period was 36 months.

Results:

High expression of CD44, LGR5, ALDH and CD166 was found in 38%, 5%, 48% and 10%, respectively, before RCT and 86%, 33%, 71% and 52%, respectively, after RCT. CD44 (P=0.001), LGR5 (P=0.049) and CD166 (P=0.003) were significantly upregulated after RCT. Whereas no recurrence was seen during the follow-up in the low ALDH group, 40% of the high ALDH group suffered recurrence. In multivariate COX analysis, postoperative ALDH1 independently predicted poor prognosis in patients with RC who received RCT (P=0.0095).

Conclusion:

Preoperative RCT upregulates expression of stem cell markers in patients with RC. High post-treatment ALDH1 expression predicts poor prognosis for these patients after neoadjuvant therapy.

Regulation different network analysis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA)

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic synovitis that progresses to destruction of cartilage and bone.

AIM

The purpose of this study was to employ microarray analysis combined with bioinformatics techniques to evaluate differential gene expression in BM-derived mononuclear cells obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) to study the pathogenesis of this disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gene expression profiles in BM-derived mononuclear cells from 9 RA and 10 OA patients were obtained from GEO.

RESULTS

The bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells showed 2581 up-regulated and 649 down-regulated genes in RA patients relative to the OA group: Our analysis indicated that several differentially expressed genes might play crucial roles in RA development, including SP1, RARA, ETS1, ETS2, FOS and ESR1.

CONCLUSIONS

Further analysis predicted these genes might be involved in RA through cancer related pathways and immunity related pathways. Furthermore, these genes may serve as novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of RA.

Dynamics of hollow atom formation in intense x-ray pulses probed by partial covariance mapping

When exposed to ultraintense x-radiation sources such as free electron lasers (FELs) the innermost electronic shell can efficiently be emptied, creating a transient hollow atom or molecule. Understanding the femtosecond dynamics of such systems is fundamental to achieving atomic resolution in flash diffraction imaging of noncrystallized complex biological samples. We demonstrate the capacity of a correlation method called "partial covariance mapping" to probe the electron dynamics of neon atoms exposed to intense 8 fs pulses of 1062 eV photons. A complete picture of ionization processes competing in hollow atom formation and decay is visualized with unprecedented ease and the map reveals hitherto unobserved nonlinear sequences of photoionization and Auger events. The technique is particularly well suited to the high counting rate inherent in FEL experiments.

Branch Blight of Loquat Caused by Pestalotiopsis sydowiana in China

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a subtropical tree with sour and sweet fruit and its leaf derivatives are often used to treat cough and asthma with phlegm. In 2011, a severe stem and leaf disease, with 30∼60% incidence, was observed in a local loquat cultivar "Ninghaibai" in Ninghai, Zhejiang Province, China. Infected plants exhibited brown spots on the stem and leaves, which became blackish brown to grayish white with some little sporadic black acervuli (137.9 to 189.3 μm in diameter). Leaf symptoms showed large necrotic lesions (more than 20 mm) that frequently, but not exclusively, appeared along the leaf margin or dorsal surface. Necrotic spots were water-soaked, irregularly shaped, and bordered by a tan halo. Fungal isolates were obtained by placing sterilized symptomatic tissue onto acidified potato sucrose agar (PSA) medium and consistently yielded white fungal colonies that produced acervuli (385.6 to 485.4 μm in diameter) containing black, slimy spore masses at 25°C for 7 days. Conidia (20.9 to 29.8 × 7.1 to 14.5 μm) were 5-celled and spindle shaped, and basal cells of the conidia were hyaline, while the other three middle cells were heterochrome. The upper two middle cells were darker than the lower one. The apical cell typically had 2 to 3 apical appendages, was 12.0 to 33.1 μm in length, and the basal appendage was 3.3 to 7.8 μm long. Based on these morphological features, the fungus was identified as Pestalotiopsis sydowiana (2). This characterization was further confirmed by PCR amplification and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA of fungus with primers ITS1: 5'-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3' and ITS4: 5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3' (3). A representative sequence was deposited in NCBI GenBank (Accession No. JX478272). This sequence showed 99% homology with previously deposited sequences of P. sydowiana (HQ248207.1 and FJ478105.1) from Colombia and China. Pathogenicity tests were conducted by inoculating 1-year-old seedlings and detached stems from healthy field trees of cv. Ninghaibai loquat with sclertium (20 × 5 mm) or conidial suspension (10⁶ conidia ml^-1). Control seedlings were only encircled the PSA blocks or sprayed with water. Both inoculated and control plants were covered with plastic bags at about 80% relative humidity and kept in a greenhouse at 20 to 30°C for 48 h. Detached stems were incubated to prevent desiccation in a humid chamber at 100% relative humidity and 25°C for 10 days. Four days after inoculation, lesions appeared on sclertium-inoculated seedlings or detached stems, approximately 10 days earlier than those on conidial suspension-inoculated seedlings or detached stems. Symptom observed on artificially inoculated seedlings or detached stems were similar to that observed in naturally infected plants. The control plants remained healthy. P. sydowiana was reisolated from the lesions of the infected stems and leaves but not from control leaves. It had been reported that other species of Pestalotiopsis, such as P. eriobotrifolia and P. eriobotryae-japonica, can only infect leaves of loquat (1); however, to our knowledge, this is the first report that P. sydowiana cause branch blight disease on loquat in China. References: (1) G. G. Chen et al. Acta Agric. Univ. Zhejiangensis 16:153, 1990. (2) Q. X. Ge et al. Flora Fungorum Sinicorum: Pestalotiopsis, p. 185, Science Press, Beijing, 2009. (3) T. J. White, et al. PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications, p. 315, Academic Press, San Diego, 1990.

Multiphoton ionization as a clock to reveal molecular dynamics with intense short x-ray free electron laser pulses

We investigate molecular dynamics of multiple ionization in N2 through multiple core-level photoabsorption and subsequent Auger decay processes induced by intense, short x-ray free electron laser pulses. The timing dynamics of the photoabsorption and dissociation processes is mapped onto the kinetic energy of the fragments. Measurements of the latter allow us to map out the average internuclear separation for every molecular photoionization sequence step and obtain the average time interval between the photoabsorption events. Using multiphoton ionization as a tool of the multiple-pulse pump-probe scheme, we demonstrate the modification of the ionization dynamics as we vary the x-ray laser pulse duration.

Catalyst-free growth of millimeter-long topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ nanoribbons and the observation of the π-Berry phase

We report the growth of single-crystalline Bi(2)Se(3) nanoribbons with lengths up to several millimeters via a catalyst-free physical vapor deposition method. Scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that the nanoribbons grow along the (112̅0) direction. We obtain a detailed characterization of the electronic structure of the Bi(2)Se(3) nanoribbons from measurements of Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) quantum oscillations. Angular dependent magneto-transport measurements reveal a dominant two-dimensional contribution originating from surface states. The catalyst-free synthesis yields high-purity nanocrystals enabling the observation of a large number of SdH oscillation periods and allowing for an accurate determination of the π-Berry phase, one of the key features of Dirac fermions in topological insulators. The long-length nanoribbons open the possibility for fabricating multiple nanoelectronic devices on a single nanoribbon.

Mitochondrial bioenergetic deficits in the hippocampi of rats with chronic ischemia-induced vascular dementia

Vascular dementia (VD), defined as a loss of memory and cognitive function resulting from vascular lesions in the brain, is the second-most-common cause of dementia in the elderly, after Alzheimer's disease. In recent years, research has focused on the pathogenesis of VD, and mitochondrial bioenergetic deficits have been suggested to contribute to VD onset. To further investigate the role of mitochondria in VD, we used a rat model of VD, which involved permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (with a 1-week interval between artery occlusion to avoid an abrupt reduction in cerebral blood flow) leading to chronic cerebral hypoperfusion. Prior to occlusion, male Wistar rats underwent 7 days of Morris water maze training. Only animals that could swim and passed the Morris water maze test were chosen for the study. After 5 days of Morris water maze training, mitochondria from the hippocampi of rats, which were randomly selected from animals that could complete the Morris water maze test, were isolated for functional assessment. Mitochondria isolated from the hippocampi of rats from the ischemia group had decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase protein levels, and increased oxidative stress, as manifested by increased hydrogen peroxide production. The ischemia group mitochondria also exhibited decreased respiration coupled to decreased expression and activity of the electron transport chain complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase). These results indicate that the mitochondrial oxidative metabolism is inhibited in the hippocampi of rats following chronic ischemia-induced VD. As the mitochondrial oxidative metabolism deficits, namely mitochondrial bioenergetic deficits directly affect the functions of neurons, it may contribute to VD onset.

Occurrence of Phoma macdonaldii, the Causal Agent of Sunflower Black Stem Disease, in Sunflower Fields in China

Phoma macdonaldii Boerma is the pathogen of sunflower black stem disease, causing dark black, oval to long lesions on stems of sunflower plants. Infection during early growth stages can reduce yield by 10 to 30% (3). This fungal disease is distributed mainly in North and South America and Europe. In China, the first case was reported in Xinjiang in 2008 (1), and was believed to be introduced as a result of hybrid sunflower seeds being imported from abroad. The Chinese government included this fungus into its quarantine pests list in 2010 (2). Since China imports a great number of sunflower seeds to grow in its Northern provinces from epidemic areas such as the United States, Argentina, and France, monitoring the disease occurrence in planting areas became crucial. During 2010 and 2011 growing seasons, surveys were conducted in 37 commercial farms or individual households in 12 counties of five areas (Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Hebei, and Beijing). A total of 185 suspicious samples of sunflower black stem disease were collected and all were found from imported hybrid seed fields. The presence of P. macdonaldii was confirmed as following: 4 mm² tissue pieces cut from lesion margins were disinfected with 1% NaOCl, plated on APDA (acid potato dextrose agar, 4.5 to 5.0 pH adjusted with lactic acid), and incubated at 25°C with 12L:12D photoperiod. After 3 days of incubation, colonies were opalescent or ivory in color, and fluffy or flocculent in appearance. After 4 to 6 days, a large number of spherical or oblate black-brown pycnidia were formed separately or in clusters with thin wall and papillate ostiole in diameter of 135 to 324 μm (average 178 μm). A light pink or opalescent gelatinous substance (pycnidiospores) exuded from the ostiole. Pycnidiospores were single celled, oval or kidney-shaped and hyaline both with and without oil balls, and 1.5 to 3.0 μm × 3.0 to 6.5 μm (average 2.0 × 4.7 μm). Sequences of ITS1-5.8S- ITS2 rDNA fragment of all isolates (GenBank Accession No. JQ979487, JQ979488) were identical and had 100% homology with P. macdonaldii isolates from Xinjiang (HM003206) and Australia (DQ351823, DQ351825) and 99% homology with isolates from the former Yugoslavia (DQ351821, DQ351822) in GenBank. Pathogenicity studies of the isolate were performed by injecting 10 × 10⁶/ml spore suspension into the hypocotyl of four true leaves of sunflower seedlings with a syringe. Sterile water was injected as control. After being inoculated in a plastic bag in the shade at room temperature for 48 h, the plastic bag was removed and the seedlings were grown under natural light. Symptoms of black stem disease were observed in all P. macdonaldii inoculated seedlings and the fungus was reisolated from the lesions for confirmation. The current survey found that 105 of 185 suspicious samples were P. macdonaldii positive and were all from four counties in Xinjiang, suggesting that the disease has not spread to other areas since its introduction. The monitoring of sunflower black stem disease is continuing, as is the research for measuring P. macdonaldii adaptability in China and the development of rapid molecular detection technology. References: (1) W. M. Chen et al. J. Yunnan Agric. Univ. 23:609, 2008. (2) J. Luo et al. Australas. Plant Pathol. 40:504, 2011. (3) E. Miric et al. Aust. J. Agr. Res. 50:325, 1999.

Epidemic trend of measles in Shandong Province, China, 1963-2005

OBJECTIVES

Although measles is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease and the measles vaccine is safe and effective, it still poses a serious threat to the health of children and susceptible populations in China every year. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of measles in Shandong Province, China, including its spatial distribution pattern, in order to have a precise prediction of measles epidemics for better public health strategic planning and resource allocation.

STUDY DESIGN

Longitudinal data study.

METHODS

This study was based on the surveillance data set of measles from all 17 regions (cities) in Shandong Province between 1963 and 2005. Geographical Information Systems and piecewise exponential smoothing of logarithmic transformed data were applied with consideration of the spatial and temporal features of the data. The parameters of epidemic peaks were estimated by filtering off the drifting long-term trends.

RESULTS

Measles presented in almost all regions in Shandong Province with different spatial distribution over the 43-year study period. The incidence of measles was very high in the pre-vaccination period, with an average incidence of 617.61/100,000 population in 1963. With the implementation of vaccination, the average incidence of measles decreased to 3.63/100,000 population in 2005, the periodicity died out and the trend remained at a stable low level. Outbreaks have been reported recently.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified the effects of different strategies on the incidence of measles observed in Shandong, China, and will provide valuable information to assist local and national public health policy making. There are still some challenges to improve vaccination coverage and efficacy in order to eliminate measles in China. Strengthening surveillance will be essential in the framework of the anticipated global elimination campaign for measles.