Publications by authors named "Jane Stewart"

Pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are a common cause of severe, often fatal, inherited metabolic disease. A reproductive care pathway was implemented to provide women carrying pathogenic mtDNA variants with reproductive options. A total of 22 women with pathogenic mtDNA variants have commenced or completed pronuclear transfer (and thus receipt of a mitochondrial donation), and there have been 8 live births.

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Fungi are important and hyperdiverse organisms, yet chronically understudied. Most fungal clades have no reference genomes, impeding our understanding of their ecosystem functions and use as solutions in health and biotechnology. Also, opportunities for training in fungal biology and genomics are lacking, creating a bottleneck that hinders the recruitment and cultivation of a talented future mycological workforce.

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Background: Children born to women who carry pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are at risk for a range of clinical syndromes collectively known as mtDNA disease. Mitochondrial donation by pronuclear transfer involves transplantation of nuclear genome from a fertilized egg from the affected woman to an enucleated fertilized egg donated by an unaffected woman. Thus, pronuclear transfer offers affected women the potential to have a genetically related child with a reduced risk of mtDNA disease.

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White pine blister rust (WPBR) is one of North America's most damaging tree epidemics. Aggregating data from more than 80 independent studies across the western U.S.

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Korean oak wilt disease associated with Dryadomyces quercus-mongolicae recently emerged as a major tree disease in South Korea. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis is presented for D. quercus-mongolicae grown in vitro on three different culture media, identifying nearly 7,000 expressed transcripts.

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Gray (koa) is a Hawaiian endemic tree species that has a long history of use in the islands. In the late 20th century disease started impacting native koa stands, leading to the initiation of seed orchards that were founded from seeds collected across the islands. Large improvements in disease tolerance and vigor were achieved in very few cycles of selection despite the long temporal time of this perennial hardwood tree species.

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Adoption of a blood microsampling technique can reduce or avoid the use of satellite animals (rodents) for toxicokinetics or other purposes in discovery and toxicology studies and provides refinements applicable for both rodents and larger animals. Microsampling can increase the scientific value of data obtained from rodent studies during drug and (agro)chemical development, enabling multiple endpoints to be investigated and compared in an individual animal in the same way as non-rodents. A cross-sector survey was developed to understand the current use of microsampling in toxicology studies, with the aim of identifying the specific studies in which microsampling was employed and the barriers to wider uptake.

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Background: Emergency tracheal intubation is a common and high-risk procedure. Ketamine and etomidate are sedative medicines commonly used to induce anesthesia for emergency tracheal intubation, but whether the induction medication used affects patient outcomes is uncertain.

Research Question: Does the use of ketamine for induction of anesthesia decrease the incidence of death among adults undergoing emergency tracheal intubation, compared to the use of etomidate?

Study Design And Methods: The Randomized trial of Sedative choice for Intubation (RSI) is a pragmatic, multicenter, unblinded, parallel-group, randomized trial being conducted in 14 sites (6 emergency departments and 8 intensive care units) in the United States.

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Cercosporidium personatum (CP) causes peanut late leaf spot (LLS) disease with 70% yield losses unless controlled by fungicides. CP grows slowly in culture, exhibiting variable phenotypes. To explain those variations, we analyzed the morphology, genomes, transcriptomes and chemical composition of three morphotypes, herein called RED, TAN, and BROWN.

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Unlabelled: Fires in coniferous forests throughout the northern United States alter ecosystem processes and ecological communities, including the diversity and composition of microbial communities living in the soil. In addition to its influence on ecosystem processes and functions, the soil microbiome can interact with soilborne pathogens to facilitate or suppress plant disease development. Altering the microbiome composition to promote taxa that inhibit pathogenic activity has been suggested as a management strategy for forest diseases, including Armillaria root disease caused by , which causes growth loss and mortality of conifers.

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Here, we describe patterns of reproduction and flight phenology of putative Phloeosinus punctatus in giant sequoia groves and compare morphology and genotypes of beetles from sympatric giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and California incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). Surveys conducted in 2022 revealed that numerous branches fall from giant sequoia crowns (on average ~30 branches/tree), with 20%-50% of trees per site shedding branches, depositing breeding material for beetles on the forest floor that subsequently becomes colonized. When noninfested branches cut from mature giant sequoias were placed at the ground surface, they were colonized by P.

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Introduction: Soil-borne pathogens cause considerable crop losses and food insecurity in smallholder systems of sub-Saharan Africa. Soil and crop testing is critical for estimating pathogen inoculum levels and potential for disease development, understanding pathogen interactions with soil nutrient and water limitations, as well as for developing informed soil health and disease management decisions. However, formal laboratory analyses and diagnostic services for pathogens are often out of reach for smallholder farmers due to the high cost of testing and a lack of local laboratories.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated how different storage temperatures (0.5, 3, and 10 °C) affect the quality and health of hardy kiwifruit, focusing on symptoms of chilling injury and physiological disorders.
  • The lowest temperature (0.5 °C) caused the highest levels of peel pitting and elevated proline and branched-chain amino acids, indicating stress responses, while the highest temperature (10 °C) led to increased fruit shriveling and decay after 5 weeks.
  • Proper temperature management is essential for maintaining fruit quality and minimizing disorders during cold storage of 'Autumn Sense' kiwifruit.
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Brown root rot disease (BRRD) is a highly destructive tree disease. Early diagnosis of BRRD has been challenging because the first symptoms and signs are often observed after extensive tissue colonization. Existing molecular detection methods, all based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, were developed without testing against global isolates, other wood-decay fungi, or host plant tissues.

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Purpose: Nutrition is essential within cancer care, yet patient and carer access to nutrition care and information is variable. This study aimed to (1) investigate patient and carer access and perceptions, and health professional views and practices, relating to cancer nutrition information and care; and (2) co-design interactive resources to support optimal nutrition care.

Methods: Patients and carers completed a survey regarding access to nutrition care and information.

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  • The NICU creates a unique language and culture that can be challenging for parents, introducing them to their infants and the complexities of parenthood in a highly emotional environment.
  • While most neonatal ethics literature addresses major ethical dilemmas, there is a lack of focus on everyday interactions (microethics) that occur between families and clinicians, especially regarding language and communication about patient care.
  • This paper emphasizes the importance of precise language when discussing long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, outlines the neuroscience of language processing, and suggests ways to enhance communication between clinicians and families of critically ill newborns.
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  • Interspecific hybridization can lead to new fungal pathogens, particularly when involving native and invasive species, with potential negative effects on ecosystems.
  • The study focused on the hybrid Cronartium x flexili between the invasive Cronartium ribicola and native Cronartium comandrae, collecting samples from different tree species across multiple sites.
  • Findings indicate that hybridization is occurring, with distinct genotypes found in specific areas, and while low in frequency, this hybrid has the potential to spread and impact forest health significantly.
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  • A native fungal pathogen in western North America causes black stain root disease (BSRD) in conifers, with three specialized varieties affecting different host trees.
  • DNA-based analyses were conducted to assess genetic relationships among these varieties, revealing strong evidence for their separation at the species level.
  • The study emphasizes the ecological differences and evolutionary relationships of these pathogens, aiding in the management of black stain root disease.
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  • The study focused on a foliar pathogen affecting conifer species, specifically isolating it from Leyland cypress leaves in Mississippi.
  • Researchers performed genome and transcriptome analyses to understand the pathogen's mechanisms and identify unique genes compared to other related pathogens.
  • The findings revealed unique traits of the pathogen, including specific enzymes and highly expressed transcripts that could inform further research on pathogen-host interactions and aid in developing plant management strategies.
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Understanding processes leading to disease emergence is important for effective disease management and prevention of future epidemics. Utilizing whole genome sequencing, we studied the phylogenetic relationship and diversity of two populations of the bacterial oak pathogen Lonsdalea quercina from western North America (Colorado and California) and compared these populations to other Lonsdalea species found worldwide. Phylogenetic analysis separated Colorado and California populations into two Lonsdalea clades, with genetic divergence near species boundaries, suggesting long isolation and populations that differ in genetic structure and distribution and possibly their polyphyletic origin.

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Understanding the host-pathogen-environmental interactions in a pathosystem is essential for management of diseases and diminished crop yields. Abiotic stressors such as cold damage, water deficit, and high pH soils can be major limiting factors to tree fruit production. Along with decreased yields, these abiotic factors can have direct implications for disease severity within orchards.

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Objective: Two main fungal leaf spot diseases occur in peanut, namely early leaf spot (ELS) and late leaf spot (LLS), these cause a yearly average of $44 million losses. Limited genetic information, 3534 bp of sequencing, exists about the causal agent of LLS, Cercosporidium personatum (syn. Nothopassalora personata, syn.

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Purpose: Evidence-based guidelines for cancer strongly support nutrition and dietetic services for people with cancer and carers in order to improve patient-centred and health service outcomes. Access to nutrition services and information after completing active cancer treatment is relatively unknown in Australia. This study aimed to determine the availability, accessibility, barriers, and preferences to nutrition services and information after cancer treatment in Australia.

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Background & Aims: The predictive validity of the GLIM criteria for survival, length of hospital stay (LOHS) and post-operative complications among people with cancer have not been systematically reviewed. This systematic review aims to determine whether GLIM malnutrition is predictive of these outcomes, and whether the predictive validity is affected by how phenotypic and etiologic criteria are assessed.

Methods: Cohort studies published after 2018 were systematically reviewed according to PRISMA guidelines from Embase, Medline Complete and CINAHL Complete.

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