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Temperature and precipitation regimes are rapidly changing, resulting in forest dieback and extinction events, particularly in Mediterranean-type climates (MTC). Forest management that enhance forests’ resilience is urgently required, however adaptation to climates in heterogeneous landscapes with multiple selection pressures is complex. For widespread trees in MTC we hypothesized that: patterns of local adaptation are associated with climate; precipitation is a stronger factor of adaptation than temperature; functionally related genes show similar signatures of adaptation; and adaptive variants are independently sorting across the landscape. We sampled 28 populations across the geographic distribution of Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah), in South-west Western Australia, and obtained 13,534 independent single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers across the genome. Three genotype-association analyses that employ different ways of correcting population structure were used to identify putatively adapted SNPs associated with independent climate variables. While overall levels of population differentiation were low (FST = 0.04), environmental association analyses found a total of 2336 unique SNPs associated with temperature and precipitation variables, with 1440 SNPs annotated to genic regions. Considerable allelic turnover was identified for SNPs associated with temperature seasonality and mean precipitation of the warmest quarter, suggesting that both temperature and precipitation are important factors in adaptation. SNPs with similar gene functions had analogous allelic turnover along climate gradients, while SNPs among temperature and precipitation variables had uncorrelated patterns of adaptation. These contrasting patterns provide evidence that there may be standing genomic variation adapted to current climate gradients, providing the basis for adaptive management strategies to bolster forest resilience in the future.

Quambalaria shoot blight (QSB) has emerged recently as a severe disease of Corymbia calophylla (marri). In this study, QSB damage and growth were assessed in Corymbia calophylla trees at 4 and 6 years of age in two common gardens consisting of 165 and 170 open-pollinated families representing 18 provenances across the species’ natural distribution. There were significant differences between provenances for all traits. The narrow-sense heritability for growth traits and QSB damage at both sites were low to moderate. The genetic correlation between QSB damage and growth traits was negative; fast-growing families were less damaged by QSB disease. Age-age genetic correlations for individual traits at four and six years were very strong, and the type-B (site–site) correlations were strongly positive for all traits. Provenances from cooler wetter regions showed higher resistance to QSB. The QSB incidence at 6 years was significantly correlated with environmental factors of the provenance’s origin. The QSB incidence at years four and six was not correlated with the QSB expression in 3-month-old seedlings. Based on these results, selection for resistance could be undertaken using 4-year-old trees. There is potential for a resistance breeding program to develop populations of marri genetically diverse and resistant to QSB.

Corymbia calophylla (marri), an endemic keystone tree species in southwest Western Australia, is increasingly impacted by the introduced basidiomycete smut Quambalaria pitereka. The basidiomycete rust Austropuccinia psidii (myrtle rust), an invasive pathogen recently introduced to Eastern Australia, is expected to spread to the southwest of Western Australia eventually. Austropuccinia psidii has similar epidemiology to Q. pitereka, and there is concern that C. calophylla may be susceptible. Preliminary pathogenicity tests showed significant differences in aggressiveness between twelve Q. pitereka isolates, and there was evidence of interactions between isolates and C. calophylla provenances. Seedlings from 59 open-pollinated families from 11 provenances covering the natural range of marri were screened for resistance to Q. pitereka and A. psidii under controlled glasshouse conditions. Resistance of seedlings within provenances to Q. pitereka and A. psidii differed significantly. There was no significant correlation between resistance to Q. pitereka and resistance to A. psidii. Seedlings of provenances from wetter regions were more resistant to both pathogens, but the correlation coefficients were insignificant. Seedlings of four families in three provenances (Serpentine, Chidlow, and Kingston) showed 100% resistance to Q. pitereka. Narrow-sense heritability estimates were 0.07 for quambalaria shoot blight resistance and 0.34 for myrtle rust resistance. The results indicate the potential to use selected families/individuals resistant to Q. pitereka and A. psidii for tree improvement programs and adaptive management strategies.

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Mallee eucalypts are hardy, woody perennials that are being developed as a short-rotation coppice crop in Australia for the production of eucalyptus oil, biofuels and other biomass products. The economic viability of this prospective crop is dependent on its ability to survive and regenerate following repeated harvesting of the above ground component. Here we report on survival and biomass yield of mallee belt plantings of Eucalyptus polybractea, E. loxophleba ssp lissophloia and E. kochii ssp plenissima, at 19 sites, under two harvest-frequencies (3–8 year cycles) and harvest seasons (autumn or spring) over a decade from 2006 to 2015. 16 sites had post-harvest mortality ranging from 1.0% to 12.2% while the remaining three sites with either shallow saline water tables or a silcrete hardpan failed. Average site dry biomass yield across treatments ranged from 2.2 to 32.8 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Higher yielding sites were generally characterised by pH between 3.8 and 8, ECe below 15.0 dS m−1 and high soil fertility. Lower yielding sites were generally near saline valley floors. After 7-years, biomass yield from unharvested treatments exceeded the average cumulative yield of harvest treatments at eight of the 16 sites, including all three E. kochii sites. For E. loxophleba, significant interactions were found between season and frequency of harvest with highest yields in long rotation spring treatments. There were also interactions between site and frequency of harvest, which were mainly driven by the variable performance of the uncut treatment. On average E. loxophleba yielded more biomass following spring harvests whereas E. kochii yielded more following autumn harvests. E. polybractea yield was unaffected by season or frequency of harvest; however, harvest treatments yielded more biomass than uncut treatments. After 10 years, at eight of the nine sites subjected to three 3-year cycles, no decline in biomass yield was observed. The site that declined in pro

Úvod: Guillainův-Barrého syndrom je akutní zánětlivá autoimunitní polyradikuloneuropatie patřící mezi vzácnější neurologická onemocnění, nicméně po téměř úplné eradikaci poliomyelitidy je celosvětově nejčastější příčinou akutně vzniklé chabé paralýzy. Registr funguje od roku 2012 a poskytuje prospektivně zaznamenávaná data. Cíl: Cílem registru je sledování klinického profi lu, léčby a šestiměsíční prognózy nemocných s Guil lainovým-Bar rého syndromem. Metodika: Data zadávají osoby pověřené neuromuskulárními centry. Klinický průběh je hodnocen na základě GBS disability scale a svalové síly pro obličejové svalstvo a svalstvo končetin. Vyšetření je provedeno při přijetí pa cienta k hospitalizaci, před léčbou, ihned po léčbě, za 1 měsíc a za 6 měsíců od ukončení léčby. Výsledky: V registru bylo aznamenáno celkem 272 případů, u 137 z nich jsou k dispozici kompletní data za 6 měsíců. Z těchto 137 pa cientů bylo 52 léčeno intravenózním lidským imunoglobulinem a 85 výměn nou plazmaferézou. Dobrého výsledného klinického stavu po 6 měsících dosáhlo celkem 85 % pa cientů. Reziduální těžký neurologický defi cit přetrvával po 6 měsících u 11 % pa cientů. Šest pa cientů zemřelo. Nezaznamenali jsme rozdíl v účinnosti imunoglobulinu a plazmaferézy v celém souboru, v podskupině nejtěžších pa cientů či ve vztahu k pohlaví. Závěr: Centralizace péče a dodržování standardů péče vedou k dobré prognóze nemocných s Guil lainovým-Bar rého syndromem srovnatelné s relevantními zdroji., Introduction: The Guillain-Barré syndrome is an acute infl ammatory autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy and belongs among rare neurologic diseases. Since poliomyelitis has been almost completely eliminated, it is currently the most frequent cause of acute fl accid paralysis worldwide. The registry was formed in the Czech Republic in 2012 and is an important source of prospectively recorded data. Aim: The goal of the registry is to follow up the clinical profi le, treatment and 6-month prognosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome patients. Methods: The data are collected prospectively by persons delegated by neuromuscular centres in the Czech Republic. The clinical course is assessed on the basis of the GBS disability scale and muscle strength according to the Medical Research Council sum score for facial muscles and extremity muscles. Detailed clinical investigation is done on admission, before the treatment, immediately after the treatment, 1 month and 6 months after the end of the treatment. Results: We enrolled a total 272 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome patients in the period from 1st January 2012 to 17th August 2016. We have complete data for 6 months in 137 of them. 52 were treated with intravenous human immunoglobulin and 85 with plasma exchange. A good clinical outcome after 6 months (ability to walk unassisted) was achieved in 85% of patients. Severe residual neurological defi cit persisted after 6 months in 11% of patients. The remaining 6 patients died. We did not fi nd any diff erence in the effi ciency of immunoglobulin vs. plasma exchange in the whole group, in the subgroup of the severely disabled patients and according to sex. Conclusion: Medical care centralisation and adherence to the standard of care lead to a good clinical outcome in Guillain-Barré syndrome patients, which is comparable with relevant sources.

Objective: Martin-Gruber anastomosis (MGA) is a median-to-ulnar nerve communication in the forearm; three types of MGA occur. Typically, motor fi bres course through the median nerve in the upper arm and elbow, however, they supply the ulnar-innervated muscles of the hand: abductor digiti minimi (ADM) – MGA-I; fi rst dorsal interosseous (FDI) – MGA-II; or adductor pollicis – MGA-III. The objective was to determine the prevalence of MGA in a study group of healthy volunteers. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-two healthy participants (457 arms) were enrolled. Motor and sensory nerve conduction studies of the ulnar and median nerves were performed. Ulnar and median nerve compound muscle action potential amplitudes were obtained on stimulation at the elbow and wrist. Results: We found 109 cases of MGA in 90 arms (MGA-I in 30 arms; MGA-II in 57 arms; MGA-III in 22 arms). We found isolated MGA types in 73 arms, a combination of two types in 15 arms, and occasionally (2 arms) a simultaneous combination of all three types. Conclusion: The prevalence of MGA was 19.7%. Most frequently, we found MGA-II (prevalence = 12.5%). Signifi cance: MGA does not produce any clinical signs. However, it can change EMG results. The neurophysiologist must be able to logically interpret such fi ndings., Úvod: Prevalence Martin-Gruberovy anastomózy (MGA), spojky n. medianus a ulnaris na předloktí se uvádí v rozmezí 15– 39 %. Existují tři různé typy MGA, kdy motorická vlákna jsou v oblasti paže a lokte vedena skrze n. medianus a zásobují svaly ruky inervované n. ulnaris (m. abductor digiti minimi, m. interosseus dorsalis primus či m. adductor pollicis). Soubor a metodika: V pěti EMG laboratořích bylo unifi kovanou technikou vyšetřeno 292 zdravých osob ve věku 20– 67 let, průměr 39,4 let: 166 žen (256 rukou) a 126 mužů (201 rukou), celkem 457 rukou. Byla provedena motorická a senzitivní neurografie n. ulnaris a n. medianus. Pro detekci MGA mělo zásadní význam hodnocení amplitudy CMAP pro n. ulnaris a n. medianus při stimulaci z oblasti lokte a zápěstí. Výsledky: V našem souboru 457 vyšetřených rukou jsme na 90 rukou našli 109 výskytů MGA. U 30 rukou se jednalo o MGA-I, u 57 rukou o MGA-II a u 22 rukou o MGA-III. Izolované typy MGA se vyskytly v 73 případech, Na 17 rukou se vyskytla kombinace dvou, ojediněle dokonce všech tří typů MGA současně. Závěr: V souboru 292 osob zdravých osob jsme na 457 hodnocených rukou našli MGA v 19,7 %. Nejčastěji se vyskytoval typ MGA-II (12,5 %).

This study evaluates primary and secondary clinical outcome measures in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) with regard to their contribution towards discrimination of disease severity. The nine components of the composite Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Neuropathy Score and six additional secondary clinical outcome measures were assessed in 479 adult patients with genetically proven CMT1A and 126 healthy controls. Using hierarchical clustering, we identified four significant clusters of patients according to clinical severity. We then tested the impact of each of the CMTNS components and of the secondary clinical parameters with regard to their power to differentiate these four clusters. The CMTNS components ulnar sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), pin sensibility, vibration and strength of arms did not increase the discriminant value of the remaining five CMTNS components (Ulnar compound motor action potential [CMAP], leg motor symptoms, arm motor symptoms, leg strength and sensory symptoms). However, three of the six additional clinical outcome measures - the 10m-timed walking test (T10MW), 9 hole-peg test (9HPT), and foot dorsal flexion dynamometry - further improved discrimination between severely and mildly affected patients. From these findings, we identified three different composite measures as score hypotheses and compared their discriminant power with that of the CMTNS. A composite of eight components CMAP, Motor symptoms legs, Motor symptoms arms, Strength of Legs, Sensory symptoms), displayed the strongest power to discriminate between the clusters. As a conclusion, five items from the CMTNS and three secondary clinical outcome measures improve the clinical assessment of patients with CMT1A significantly and are beneficial for upcoming clinical and therapeutic trials.