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The beech leaf-mining weevil, Orchestes fagi L. ( Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Rhamphini), a pest of European beech, Fagus sylvatica L. ( Fagaceae), was recently discovered infesting American beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., in Nova Scotia, Canada. Adult O. fagi feed on both young and mature leaves of beech as well as on other species (e.g., raspberry, Rubus spp.), but oviposition and larval feeding are restricted to beech. Females oviposit in young developing beech leaves at the time of bud burst. We characterized volatiles emitted from buds, leaves, and sapwood of American beech and examined their potential as attractants alone or when combined with other weevil pheromones for O. fagi. We predicted that adults would be attracted to volatiles emitted from beech leaves, especially those emitted from bursting beech buds. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry ( GC/ MS) analyses of volatiles collected from buds at pre- and post-budburst identified two diterpene hydrocarbons, 9-geranyl- p-cymene ( 1) and 9-geranyl-α-terpinene ( 2a), that were emitted in large amounts at the time of bud burst. Compound 1 significantly increased mean catch of males and total O. fagi (but not females) on sticky traps compared with unbaited controls. Y-tube bioassays confirmed attraction of male O. fagi to bursting beech buds and compound 1. Attraction of male O. fagi to 1, emitted in large quantities from American beech, is likely adaptive because both oviposition and mating of O. fagi coincide with budburst. Our data suggest that traps baited with 1 may be useful for monitoring the spread of O. fagi in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse reactions to plasma transfusion are well documented. One of the most serious hazards of transfusion, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), has nearly as high an incidence of mortality and major morbidity as that reported for the transfusion of incorrect blood components. The specific mechanisms of plasma component-induced adverse reactions remain unclear, but a major contribution may be related to the presence of alloantibodies. In this study, a laboratory analysis was undertaken to determine the presence of HLA antibodies in leucodepleted single-donor-derived fresh frozen plasma (FFP). A comparison was made with a pooled plasma product that has undergone solvent detergent treatment. In total, 58 plasma samples from single-donor units of leucodepleted FFP were tested along with samples from 12 units (three for each ABO blood group) of the pooled plasma (Octaplas®; Octapharma Ltd, Coventry, UK), for the presence of HLA antibodies. HLA-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods were used to screen for their presence, and complement-dependent cytotoxicity and flow cytometry analyses were used to further define their presence, specificity and class[immunoglobulin G (IgG)/IgM]. In the study groups, HLA antibodies were found to be present in five of the single-donor units (9%) while the pooled plasma samples tested negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive impairment is a frequent and serious problem in patients with various forms of severe mental illnesses (SMI), including schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP). Recent research suggests genetic links to several cognitive phenotypes in both SMI and in the general population. Our goal in this study was to identify potential genomic signatures of cognitive functioning in veterans with severe mental illness and compare them to previous findings for cognition across different populations. Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) Study #572 evaluated cognitive and functional capacity measures among SZ and BP patients. In conjunction with the VA Million Veteran Program, 3,959 European American (1,095 SZ, 2,864 BP) and 2,601 African American (1,095 SZ, 2,864 BP) patients were genotyped using a custom Affymetrix Axiom Biobank array. We performed a genome-wide association study of global cognitive functioning, constructed polygenic scores for SZ and cognition in the general population, and examined genetic correlations with 2,626 UK Biobank traits. Although no single locus attained genome-wide significance, observed allelic effects were strongly consistent with previous studies. We observed robust associations between global cognitive functioning and polygenic scores for cognitive performance, intelligence, and SZ risk. We also identified significant genetic correlations with several cognition-related traits in UK Biobank. In a diverse cohort of U.S. veterans with SZ or BP, we demonstrate broad overlap of common genetic effects on cognition in the general population, and find that greater polygenic loading for SZ risk is associated with poorer cognitive performance., (Published 2019. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Given the prominence of cognitive impairments and disability associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, substantial interest has arisen in identifying determinants of the diseases and their features. Genetic variation has been linked to skills that underlie disability ("functional capacity" or FC), highlighting need for understanding of these relationships. We describe the design and methods of a large, multisite, observational study focusing on the genetics of functional disability in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, presenting initial data on recruitment, and characterization of the sample. Known as Veterans Affairs (VA) Cooperative Studies Program (CSP)#572, this study is recruiting, diagnosing, and assessing U.S. Veterans with either schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder. Assessments include neuropsychological (NP) testing, FC, suicidality, and co-morbid conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A sample of "psychiatrically healthy" Veterans from another project serves as a comparison group. An interim total of 8,140 participants (42.1% schizophrenia) have been recruited and assessed as of September 30, 2013, with 9 months of enrollment remaining and with a target sample size of 9,500. Veterans with schizophrenia were more likely to never have married, whereas lifetime PTSD and suicidality were more common in the bipolar veterans. Performance on the FC measures and NP tests was consistent with previous results, with mean t-scores of 35 (-1.5 SD) for schizophrenia and 41 (-0.9 SD) for the bipolar Veterans. This large population is representative of previous studies in terms of patient performance and co-morbidities. Subsequent genomic analyses will examine the genomic correlates of performance-based measures. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA., (Published 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Within in last 7 years the literature has published several reports of acute renal failure after the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin. Review of these cases finds that all occurrences in the United States except one involved a sucrose-containing immunoglobulin preparation, leading to the suspicion that sucrose may be the cause of the renal failure. Further investigation found that approximately 50 years ago, when sucrose was used as an osmotic diuretic, investigators reported acute renal failure in humans after intravenous infusions of 50 g or more. A patient at our institution developed acute renal failure similar to that described in published case reports after being administered a sucrose-containing immunoglobulin.