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Wheat is one of the three most important cereals in the world, along with rice and maize. It serves as the primary food and source of energy for about 30-40% of the world's population. However, the low levels of micronutrients in wheat grains can lead to deficiencies of those micronutrients in people whose dietary habits are mostly based on cereals such as wheat. Apart from iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), a lack of selenium (Se) is also one of the biggest problems in the world. The essentiality of Se has been confirmed for all animals and humans, and the lack of this micronutrient can cause serious health issues. Wheat dominates the world's cereal production, so it is one of the best plants for biofortification. Due to the fact that agronomic biofortification is not an economical or environmentally acceptable approach, genetic improvement of cereals such as wheat for the enhanced content of micronutrients in the grain represents the most efficient biofortification approach.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most studied fungal diseases of wheat, causing massive grain yield and quality losses. This study aimed to extend previous studies on the physiological and biochemical responses of winter wheat to FHB stress in a controlled environment by focusing on the ascorbate-glutathione pathway (AsA-GSH), photosynthetic efficiency, and stress hormone levels, thus providing insight into the possible interactions of different defense mechanisms during infection. The activity of AsA-GSH metabolism was increased in FHB resistant varieties, maintaining the redox state of spikes, and consequently preserving functional photosystem II. Furthermore, carotenoids (Car) were shown to be the major pigments in the photosystem assembly, as they decreased in FHB-stressed spikes of resistant and moderately resistant varieties, compared to controls. Car are also the substrate for the synthesis of abscisic acid (ABA), which acts as a fungal effector and its elevated content leads to increased FHB susceptibility in inoculated spikes. The results of this study contributed to the knowledge of FHB resistance mechanisms and can be used to improve the breeding of FHB resistant varieties, which is considered to be the most effective control measure.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most dangerous diseases of winter wheat, resulting in reduced grain yield and quality, and production of mycotoxins by the Fusarium fungi. In the present study, changes in the grain metabolomics of winter wheat samples infected with Fusarium spp. and corresponding non-infected samples from two locations in Croatia were investigated by GC-MS. A Mann-Whitney test revealed that 24 metabolites detected were significantly separated between Fusarium -inoculated and non-infected samples during the variety by treatment interactions. The results confirmed that in grains of six FHB-resistant varieties, ten metabolites were identified as possible resistance-related metabolites. These metabolites included heptadecanoic acid, 9-(Z)-hexadecenoic acid, sophorose, and secolaganin in grains of FHB-resistant varieties at the Osijek location, as well as 2-methylaminomethyltartronic acid, maleamic acid, 4-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile, 1,4-lactonearabinonic acid, secolaganin, and alanine in grains of FHB-resistant varieties at the Tovarnik location. Moreover, on the PCA bi-plot, FHB-susceptible wheat varieties were closer to glycyl proline, decanoic acid, and lactic acid dimer that could have affected other metabolites, and thus, suppressed resistance to FHB. Although defense reactions were genetically conditioned and variety specific, resulting metabolomics changes may give insight into defense-related pathways that could be manipulated to engineer plants with improved resistance to the pathogen.

The aim of this study was to analyze first year renal outcomes in a nationwide prospective multicenter cohort comprising 2215 renal transplants, with a special emphasis on the presence of pre-transplant donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA). All transplants had a complete virtual crossmatch and DSA were detected in 19% (411/2215). The investigated composite endpoint was a poor first-year outcome defined as (i) allograft failure or (ii) death or (iii) poor allograft function (eGFR ≤25 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) at one year. Two hundred and twenty-one (221/2215; 10%) transplants showed a poor first-year outcome. Rejection (24/70; 34%) was the most common reason for graft failure. First-year patient's death was rare (48/2215; 2%). There were no statistically significant differences between DSA-positive and DSA-negative transplants regarding composite and each individual endpoint, as well as reasons for graft failure and death. DSA-positive transplants experienced more frequently rejection episodes, mainly antibody-mediated rejection (both P < 0.0001). The combination of DSA and any first year rejection was associated with the overall poorest death-censored allograft survival (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, presence of pre-transplant DSA per se does not affect first year outcomes. However, DSA-positive transplants experiencing first year rejection are a high-risk population for poor allograft survival and may benefit from intense clinical surveillance., (© 2021 Steunstichting ESOT. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Objectives: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) prevention strategies in platelet (PLT) apheresis donors focus on identifying antileucocyte antibody-positive donors. The use of microbead based assays for screening purposes is hampered by the lack of a consensus cut-off for TRALI prevention and the undefined role of anti-leucocyte antibodies in never-alloexposed donors. This study evaluated anti-leucocyte antibody assays in PLT apheresis donors with and without prior immunizing events with special focus on microbead assay cut-offs, antibody specificities and their potential significance in never-alloexposed donors., Material and Methods: Blood samples of male and female PLT apheresis donors with and without history of prior immunization were tested for anti-leucocyte antibodies., Results: Of 262 female and 118 male PLT apheresis donors, 37·4% had prior immunizing events. Fifty-eight of 238 (24·4%) donors without prior immunizing event had anti-HLA antibodies confirmed in microbead single antigen assay (mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) >500). Even with a cut-off MFI >3000, anti-HLA antibodies were detected in 10·6% of female and 4·3% of male donors without history of immunization. Of the antibody specificities found, 6 of 17 (35·3%) anti-HLA-A, 4 of 8 (50·0%) anti-HLA-B and 4 of 6 (66·6%) anti-HLA class II antibodies have been detected in donors associated with TRALI cases in the literature., Conclusion: Platelet apheresis donors without history of immunization have anti-leucocyte antibodies that potentially can cause TRALI. In our opinion, this cohort should be included in screening strategies for TRALI prevention. As references and consensus cut-offs have not yet been established, it is premature to use microbead assays as standard for donor screening., (© 2013 The Author(s) Vox Sanguinis © 2013 International Society of Blood Transfusion.)