Verticillium longisporum phospholipase VlsPLA is a virulence factor that targets host nuclei and modulates plant immunity.

Phospholipase A (PLA ) is a lipolytic enzyme that hydrolyses phospholipids in the cell membrane. In the present study, we investigated the role of secreted PLA (VlsPLA ) in Verticillium longisporum, a fungal phytopathogen that mostly infects plants belonging to the Brassicaceae family, causing severe annual yield loss worldwide. Expression of the VlsPLA gene, which encodes active PLA , is highly induced during the interaction of the fungus with the host plant Brassica napus.

Taxol and β-tubulins from endophytic fungi isolated from the Himalayan Yew, Zucc.

Paclitaxel, better known as the anticancer drug Taxol, has been isolated from several plant species and has been shown to be produced by fungi, actinomycetes, and even bacteria isolated from marine macroalgae. Given its cytostatic effect, studies conducted in the 1990's showed that paclitaxel was toxic to many pathogenic fungi and oomycetes. Further studies led to the idea that the differences in paclitaxel sensitivity exhibited by different fungi were due to differences in the β-tubulin protein sequence.

Investigating the role of a putative endolysin-like candidate effector protein in Verticillium longisporum virulence.

Verticillium is a genus of ascomycete fungi that encompasses several plant pathogenic species, and cause severe annual yield losses on many economically important crops worldwide. One of the most important species in this genus, is V. longisporum, which causes disease mainly on plants in the Brassicaceae family.

Transformation and gene-disruption in the apple-pathogen, Neonectria ditissima.

Background: Apple production in Sweden and elsewhere is being threatened by the fungus, Neonectria ditissima, which causes a disease known as European canker. The disease can cause extensive damage and the removal of diseased wood and heavily infected trees can be laborious and expensive. Currently, there is no way to eradicate the fungus from infected trees and our knowledge of the infection process is limited.

Oral Findings in Patients With COVID-19.

The aim of this study was to describe oral lesions in a group of patients with COVID-19. We recruited 55 patients, 25 women (45.5%) and 30 men (54.

[Oral Findings in Patients With COVID-19].

The aim of this study was to describe oral lesions in a group of patients with COVID-19. We recruited 55 patients, 25 women (45.5%) and 30 men (54.

The Role of Glycoside Hydrolases in Phytopathogenic Fungi and Oomycetes Virulence.

Phytopathogenic fungi need to secrete different hydrolytic enzymes to break down complex polysaccharides in the plant cell wall in order to enter the host and develop the disease. Fungi produce various types of cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) during infection. Most of the characterized CWDEs belong to glycoside hydrolases (GHs).

sp. strain , an endophytic fungus isolated from Zucc., produces taxol and other bioactive metabolites.

Unlabelled: The current study focuses on the isolation and in vitro characterization of bioactive metabolites produced by endophytic fungi isolated from the Himalayan yew ( Zucc.). The endophytic fungi were isolated on artificial media from inner tissues of bark and needles.

LysM Proteins Regulate Fungal Development and Contribute to Hyphal Protection and Biocontrol Traits in .

Lysin motif (LysM) modules are approximately 50 amino acids long and bind to peptidoglycan, chitin and its derivatives. Certain LysM proteins in plant pathogenic and entomopathogenic fungi are shown to scavenge chitin oligosaccharides and thereby dampen host defense reactions. Other LysM proteins can protect the fungal cell wall against hydrolytic enzymes.

Blood pressure level increase with altitude in three argentinean indigenous communities.

Objective: To compare blood pressure (BP) levels in three groups of Argentinean Indigenous schoolchildren from similar ethnic backgrounds but living at three different altitudes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study compared 185 (83 females) children aged 5-14 years from San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC), 3750 m above sea level; 46 (23 females) from Cobres, 3450 m; and 167 (83 females) from Chicoana (CH), 1400 m. Anthropometric and BP measurements were performed.

Preferences, use of and satisfaction with mental health services among a sample of Puerto Rican cancer patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the preferences, the use, satisfaction of mental health services (MHS) among a sample of Puerto Rican patients with cancer undergoing oncology treatment.

Methods: A convenience sample of 120 patients diagnosed with cancer was recruited. Self-report questionnaires assessed socio-demographic and background questions, and the Mental Health Service Preference, Utilization and Satisfaction Questionnaire (MHSPUS).

The epidemiology of mandibular fractures in Caracas, Venezuela: Incidence and its combination patterns.

Background/aim: As reported in the literature by several authors, there is a great variation between countries in terms of etiology and patterns of mandibular fractures. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of mandibular fractures at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, "Dr. Domingo Luciani" Hospital, Venezuela, during the period January 2010 to March 2013.

When a Common Language Is Not Enough: Transcreating Cancer 101 for Communities in Puerto Rico.

In Puerto Rico (PR), cancer is the leading cause of death. Previous research has identified the need for cancer education in PR. Using culturally adapted cancer curricula to train local health educators may effectively increase cancer education and reduce health disparities.

Developing Sustainable Cancer Education Programs: Training Public Health Students to Deliver Cancer 101 in Puerto Rico.

The use of promotores to educate Hispanic communities about different health topics has been proven successful, albeit with limitations in program sustainability. The goal of this study was to develop a sustainable train-the-trainer model to train graduate public health (PH) students to disseminate cancer education among communities in Puerto Rico (PR). Graduate students (n = 32) from Ponce Health Sciences University's (PHSU) PH program participated in a 2-day Cáncer 101 training, where they learned how to deliver nine cancer modules to the community.

Molecular identification of Coccidioides immitis in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from a Colombian patient.

Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii are the etiologic agents of coccidioidomycosis, an endemic fungal disease of the Americas. In Colombia, this mycosis is uncommon, and only five cases, two of them imported, have been documented.

Building a long distance training program to enhance clinical cancer research capacity in Puerto Rico.

Barriers persist in the development and delivery of effective cancer therapies to under-represented minority populations. In Puerto Rico, cancer is the second leading cause of death, yet cancer research awareness and training opportunities remain somewhat limited on the island. These limitations hinder progress toward decreasing the cancer health disparities that exist within the Puerto Rican population.

Zearalenone detoxification by zearalenone hydrolase is important for the antagonistic ability of Clonostachys rosea against mycotoxigenic Fusarium graminearum.

The fungus Clonostachys rosea is antagonistic against plant pathogens, including Fusarium graminearum, which produces the oestrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA). ZEA inhibits other fungi, and C. rosea can detoxify ZEA through the enzyme zearalenone lactonohydrolase (ZHD101).

Distribution and evolution of het gene homologs in the basidiomycota.

In filamentous fungi a system known as somatic incompatibility (SI) governs self/non-self recognition. SI is controlled by a regulatory signaling network involving proteins encoded at the het (heterokaryon incompatible) loci. Despite the wide occurrence of SI, the molecular identity and structure of only a small number of het genes and their products have been characterized in the model fungi Neurospora crassa and Podospora anserina.

Quantitative proton nuclear magnetic resonance evaluation and total assignment of the capsular polysaccharide Neisseria meningitidis serogroup X.

Neisseria meningitidis constitutes the main cause of meningococcal disease in infants. Serogroups A, B, C, W135, Y, and X have the higher incidence in young children and teenagers. The use of polyvalent conjugate carbohydrate-based vaccines has decreased the meningococcal infection around the world.

Insight into trade-off between wood decay and parasitism from the genome of a fungal forest pathogen.

Parasitism and saprotrophic wood decay are two fungal strategies fundamental for succession and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. An opportunity to assess the trade-off between these strategies is provided by the forest pathogen and wood decayer Heterobasidion annosum sensu lato. We report the annotated genome sequence and transcript profiling, as well as the quantitative trait loci mapping, of one member of the species complex: H.

Lowest safe hematocrit level on cardiopulmonary bypass in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Unlabelled: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common cardiothoracic surgical procedure performed in the United States. The majority of patients undergoing CABG are placed on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) to support the circulation. CPB hemodilutes the patient imposing extremes in the hemostatic system, requiring careful assessment of pre-surgical hematologic values.

Perspectives of San Juan healthcare practitioners on the detection deficit in oral premalignant and early cancers in Puerto Rico: a qualitative research study.

Background: In Puerto Rico, relative to the United States, a disparity exists in detecting oral precancers and early cancers. To identify factors leading to the deficit in early detection, we obtained the perspectives of San Juan healthcare practitioners whose practice could be involved in the detection of such oral lesions.

Methods: Key informant (KI) interviews were conducted with ten clinicians practicing in or around San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Identification and characterization of a pyridoxal reductase involved in the vitamin B6 salvage pathway in Arabidopsis.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal phosphate) is an essential cofactor in enzymatic reactions involved in numerous cellular processes and also plays a role in oxidative stress responses. In plants, the pathway for de novo synthesis of pyridoxal phosphate has been well characterized, however only two enzymes, pyridoxal (pyridoxine, pyridoxamine) kinase (SOS4) and pyridoxamine (pyridoxine) 5' phosphate oxidase (PDX3), have been identified in the salvage pathway that interconverts between the six vitamin B6 vitamers. A putative pyridoxal reductase (PLR1) was identified in Arabidopsis based on sequence homology with the protein in yeast.

Synthesis, structural characterization and antibacterial activity of novel 7beta-{[3-(substituted phenyl)-2-propenoyl]amino}-3-[(2,5-dihydro-6-hydroxy-2-methyl)-5-oxo-cis-triazin-3-yl]-thiomethyl-cefalosporins.

A series of 3-[(2,5-dihydro-6-hydroxy-2-methyl)-5-oxo-cis-triazin-3-yl]-thiomethyl-cefalosporins with various 3-phenyl-2-propenoyl substituted groups at the 7beta-position were synthesized, structurally characterized and evaluated for antibacterial activity in vitro. To prepare these derivatives by the Vilsmeier's reagent method, it was necessary to carefully control the reaction conditions in order to avoid the formation of the biologically inactive alpha epimer. The NMR studies showed that the 3-phenyl-2-propenoyl moiety has little effect on chemical shifts of cephem nucleus protons and carbon atoms.