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Interleukin (IL)-1β is one of the major pathogenic regulators during the pathological development of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). However, effective treatment options for IDD are limited. Suramin is used to treat African sleeping sickness. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacological effects of suramin on mitigating IDD and to characterize the underlying mechanism.

Porcine nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were treated with vehicle, 10 ng/ml IL-1β, 10 μM suramin, or 10 μM suramin plus IL-1β. The expression levels of catabolic and anabolic proteins, proinflammatory cytokines, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and nuclear factor (NF)-κB-related signalling molecules were assessed by Western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and immunofluorescence analysis. Flow cytometry was applied to detect apoptotic cells. The ex vivo effects of suramin were examined using IDD organ culture and differentiation was analyzed by Safranin O-Fast green and Alcian blue staibiting apoptosis and inflammatory responses in the NP cells. Cite this article Bone Joint Res 2021;10(8)498-513.

Palliative care (PC) clinicians are well trained to address physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients who have a serious illness. However, one area that is often overlooked is intimacy and sexuality.

To explore patient concerns regarding intimacy as it relates to illness, family reactions, physician conversations, and coping strategies and challenges.

Eligible subjects (at least 18 years old, capacitated, receiving PC consultation at the lead author's institution) participated in semi-structured interviews between November and December 2017. Transcripts were open-coded and analyzed using Dedoose 3.5.35 software. A constant comparative method was used to identify patterns in the data.

21 interviews were analyzed and several themes emerged. Participants described the effect of physical and mental/emotional changes on their relationships. Family relationships, romantic relationships, and sexuality were prominent in patients' experiences of intimacy and how it changed as the illness progresseure research should further explore these issues across diverse patient populations.

During a pandemic, persons might experience worry because of threats (real or perceived), or as part of stress-related reactions. We aimed to provide insight into Americans' worry about food during COVID-19.

Online survey data from June 2020 (n = 4,053 U.S. adults; 62.7% response rate) was used to assess 2 outcomes worry about food availability (FA); food safety (FS). Adults with missing information about FA and FS were excluded from analysis (final n = 3,652).

We used descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to examine characteristics associated with the outcomes and estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) for associations between sociodemographic variables and outcomes.

58.3% of respondents reported worry about FA; 57.5% about FS, with higher odds of worry for FA and FS (versus referents) in lower income households (FA aOR = 1.76 95%CI [1.30, 2.39]; FS 1.84[1.35, 2.51]); unemployed (1.54[1.05, 2.28]; 1.90[1.26,2.81]); non-Hispanic Black (1.55[1.14,2.12]); 2.25[1.65,3.07]); Hispanic (1.39[1.06,1.82]; 1.94[1.46,2.56]).

Findings highlight the importance of strategies to reduce consumer worry about FA and FS and negative food behaviors, and the need for continued access to hunger safety net programs, which could have positive effects on nutrition security.

Findings highlight the importance of strategies to reduce consumer worry about FA and FS and negative food behaviors, and the need for continued access to hunger safety net programs, which could have positive effects on nutrition security.The early-ripening pear (i.e., Asian pear; Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm. f.) Nak.) cultivar 'Cuiguan' is an important fruit crop in southern China. In July 2020, an unknown fruit rot was observed on pear, which were harvested from an orchard in Xiajiang County of Jiangxi Province (27.62° N, 115.33° E), during storage in postharvest lab of Jiangxi Agricultural University. The incidence of this disease was 15% of 1000 post-harvest pear fruit (P. pyrifolia cv 'Cuiguan') after 10 d in storage room (20°C, 90% relative humidity). Initial symptoms were small brown nearly circular (diameter 10-20 mm) lesions with water-soaked edges on the fruit surface. The lesions expanded as concentric circles, and a gray-white mold developed in the center of the lesions. Ten fruits with typical symptoms were collected and surface-sterilized with 75% ethanol for 30 s. Small fragments (5×5 mm) at the junction of diseased and healthy tissues were disinfected with 1% sodium hypochlorite for 2 min, washed with sterile water 3 times, transferr than the wounded inoculated pears, while the control fruit remained healthy. A fungus with similar morphology to M. fructicola was re-isolated from the inoculated fruits, and thus, Koch's postulates were fulfilled. To our knowledge, M. fructicola has been reported to cause brown rot of pear fruit in northern China (Zhu et al. 2016), but this is the first report of M. fructicola causing rot on P. pyrifolia in southern China. As an emerging rot disease in this region, and based on its economic importance in other pear growing regions, its presence is of concern the 'Cuiguan' pear fruit industry.From August to November 2020, reduced emergence and damping-off of soybean seedlings were observed in two fields (Benzhou and Wandan) in Taiwan. Disease incidence was approximately 40% in Benzhou by field scouting. The roots of damping-off seedlings were brown. Affected seedlings could be easily pulled out from the soil and the lesions on the roots/stem were generally dry and sunken. These symptoms suggested the possibility of Rhizoctonia infection. Soil surrounding symptomatic seedlings were collected to bait the potential pathogen and symptomatic plants were used for pathogen isolation. The diseased tissues were washed with tap water and surface-disinfected with 1% bleach before placing on the Dexon selection medium at 26°C for 2 days (Ko and Hora 1971). Hyphae were transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA), and a brown colony with brown and irregular-shaped sclerotia grew from 90 out of 99 isolates. The hyphae exhibited typical characteristics of Rhizoctonia solani, including a constriction and a septum nee causal pathogen as R. solani AG-7. R. solani AG-7 was first reported on radishes in Japan (Homma et al., 1983), first found on carnation in Taiwan (Lo et al., 1990), and in field soils of various crops but not soybean (Chuang, 1997). It was suggested that Rhizoctonia diseases of soybean may be present in Taiwan, but molecular confirmation was lacking (Anonymus, 1979). As R. solani AG-7 causes diseases of soybean in the US and Japan (Baird et al., 1996), the importance of AG-7 as an endemic pathogen of soybean in Taiwan should be recognized and its prevalence determined as a first step to managing this disease.Gastrodia elata, a traditional and important medicinal plant in China, it is used to numerous medical reasons. It is widely planted in Shaxi, Guizhou Province, China. G. elata grown in Guizhou is of high quality and an important source of income for the region. However, a root rot disease has been reported on G. elata in Guizhou in recent years, with an incidence rate of approximately 25%; this disease has markedly affected the plant growth and development. It causes what is referred to as a "rotten nest" and "empty nest", significantly reducing the yield and medicinal value of G. elata. Eighty diseased G. elata samples were collected from August to December 2020 in Shaxi. Tissue dissection was used to isolate the pathogen on an ultra-clean workbench. In short, thew surface of G. elata was wiped with 75% alcohol for 30 s and then rinsed three to four times with sterile water. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ABT-263.html After the surface had dried, the skin from an infected area of the plant was cut into a net shape using a sterile scalpel. Eighty diseanegative control, and the pathogenicity assay was repeated three times. Following inoculation, plants were kept under high relative humidity in the dark at 25 °C for 7 days. Symptoms similar to the original outbreak were observed on all inoculated plants. In contrast, the negative control plants were healthy and unaffected. The SX13 was re-isolated successfully from the diseased tissues and verified based on morphology and sequencing as described above. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. solani causing root rot disease on G. elata in China. These findings provide a basis for further research on the management of this disease.Leaf spot and stem canker caused by Sphaerulina vaccinii is associated with premature defoliation in lowbush blueberry resulting in reduced yields. In this study, we investigated the impact of free water, relative humidity (RH), temperature, light, and plant age on leaf infection under controlled conditions. On potato dextrose agar, germination of conidia was usually polar. Growth was minimal at 5 and 10°C, increased at 15 and 20°C, was maximal at 25°C and decreased at 30°C. Percentage of germinated conidia on inoculated blueberry leaves incubated in dark controlled-humidity chambers for 3 days (25°C) was 86.0, 90.5, 81.3 and 28.3% in free water, 100, 97.5 or 95% relative humidity (RH), respectively. Germination did not occur at 90 or 85% RH. Infection of inoculated plants, however, was not favored by free water, but rather by high RH (>95%) and a 14-h photoperiod (180 µmol/m2/s). Infection failed in continuous darkness, continuous light or continuous darkness followed by 4, 8 or 12 h of light. Light and scan 2.7 times more susceptible than 8-week-old leaves.In recent years there has been a significant investment in education on the management of neuromuscular blockade and increased availability of sugammadex in anaesthetic practice. This survey aimed to examine contemporary practice of Australian and New Zealand anaesthetists in managing neuromuscular blockade and its reversal. A web-based, voluntary survey was distributed to a cohort of 1000 Fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. We received 229 completed responses (survey response rate of 23%). Seventy-one percent (95% confidence interval (CI) 64% to 76%) of the survey respondents thought that 5% or fewer of the patients in their hospital display clinically significant postoperative paralysis. Only 35% (95% CI 18% to 29%) thought that quantitative neuromuscular twitch monitors should be used to monitor neuromuscular block, and the dose and time given for reversal agents was often inconsistent with published recommendations. Sugammadex was the preferred reversal agent for 78% (95% CI 72% to 83%) of survey respondents, but they indicated that cost remains a significant barrier to its widespread uptake. Despite the low response rate, this survey identified that some reported practices in Australia and New Zealand deviate from guidelines and current recommendations in the management of neuromuscular blockade. If the respondents are representative of the broader anaesthetic community, there appears be a greater preference for sugammadex over neostigmine for reversal of neuromuscular blockade.