Black rot of sweetpotato, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is an important reemerging disease threatening sweetpotato production in the United States. This study assessed disease susceptibility of the storage root surface, storage root cambium, and slips (vine cuttings) of 48 sweetpotato cultivars, advanced breeding lines, and wild relative accessions. We also characterized the effect of storage root development on susceptibility to C. fimbriata. None of the cultivars examined at the storage root level were resistant, with most cultivars exhibiting similar levels of susceptibility. In storage roots, Jewel and Covington were the least susceptible and significantly different from White Bonita, the most susceptible cultivar. In the slip, significant differences in disease incidence were observed for above- and below-ground plant structures among cultivars, advanced breeding lines, and wild relative accessions. Burgundy and Ipomoea littoralis displayed less below-ground disease incidence compared with NASPOT 8, Sunnyside, and LSU-417, the most susceptible cultivars. Correlation of black rot susceptibility between storage roots and slips was not significant, suggesting that slip assays are not useful to predict resistance in storage roots. Immature, early-developing storage roots were comparatively more susceptible than older, fully developed storage roots. The high significant correlation between the storage root cross-section area and the cross-sectional lesion ratio suggests the presence of an unfavorable environment for C. fimbriata as the storage root develops. Incorporating applications of effective fungicides at transplanting and during early-storage root development when sweetpotato tissues are most susceptible to black rot infection may improve disease management efforts.

Black rot, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is a devastating postharvest disease of sweetpotato that recently re-emerged in 2014. Although the disease is known to develop in storage and during export to overseas markets, little is known as to how pathogen dispersal occurs. This study was designed to investigate dump tank water as a means of dispersal through four different types of water treatments: inoculum concentration (0, 5, 5 × 10¹, 5 × 10², and 5 × 10³ spores/ml), inoculum age (0, 24, 48, 96, and 144 h), water temperature (10°C, 23°C, 35°C, and 45°C), and presence of a water sanitizer (DryTec, SaniDate, FruitGard, and Selectrocide). Wounded and nonwounded sweetpotato storage roots were soaked in each water treatment for 20 min, stored at 29°C for a 14-day period, and rated for disease incidence every other day. Disease was observed in sweetpotato storage roots in all water treatments tested, except in the negative controls. Disease incidence decreased with both inoculum concentration and inoculum age, yet values of 16.26% and up to 50% were observed for roots exposed to 5 spores/ml and 144-h water treatments, respectively. Sanitizer products that contained a form of chlorine as the active ingredient significantly reduced disease incidence in storage roots when compared with control roots and roots exposed to a hydrogen-peroxide based product. Finally, no significant differences in final incidence were detected in wounded sweetpotato storage roots exposed to water treatments of any temperature, but a significant reduction in disease progression was observed in the 45°C treatment. These findings indicate that if packing line dump tanks are improperly managed, they can aid C. fimbriata dispersal through the build-up of inoculum as infected roots are unknowingly washed after storage. Chlorine-based sanitizers can reduce infection when applied after root washing and not in the presence of high organic matter typically found in dump tanks.

Glycogen storage disease type VI is caused by biallelic variants in the PYGL gene that result in hepatic glycogen phosphorylase deficiency. The disorder is clinically characterized by hepatomegaly and recurrent ketotic hypoglycemia from infancy. Although most patients reach adulthood without major complications, no pregnancies in women with GSD VI have been reported so far. We report on a successful pregnancy in a GSD VI patient that resulted in a healthy offspring and describe the pre- and perinatal management.

Beyond storing and supplying energy in the liver and muscles, glycogen also plays critical roles in cell differentiation, signaling, redox regulation, and stemness under various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Such versatile functions have been revealed by various forms of glycogen storage diseases. Here, we outline the source of carbon flux in glycogen metabolism and discuss how glycogen metabolism guides CD8⁺ T‐cell memory formation and maintenance. Likewise, we review how this affects macrophage polarization and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, we dissect how glycogen metabolism supports tumor development by promoting tumor‐repopulating cell growth in hypoxic tumor microenvironments. This review highlights the essential role of the gluconeogenesis‐glycogenesis‐glycogenolysis‐PPP metabolic chain in redox homeostasis, thus providing insights into potential therapeutic strategies against major chronic diseases including cancer.

Postharvest disease is an important limiting factor for sweetpotato production. Recently, a new green mold disease was found in sweetpotato storage roots. To investigate the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of the disease, the pathogen was isolated and identified based on morphological and molecular features, and its characteristics were further analyzed by pathogenic and antagonistic evaluations. The results showed that the isolated pathogen (CRI-Ta1) was identified as Trichoderma asperellum based on the similar growth and morphological features with Trichoderma spp., 99% homology of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence, and membership to the same phylogenetic group with the model strain of T. asperellum (CBS 433.97). The pathogenic analysis revealed that CRI-Ta1 could cause green mold disease through wound infection on the storage roots and the strains reisolated from infected storage roots could cause disease in different sweetpotato varieties, which was fulfilled in Koch’s postulate. Moreover, CRI-Ta1 could also infect other common crop species, including chestnut, carrot, apple, pear, and others. It indicated that CRI-Ta1 was the pathogen to the storage roots of sweetpotato and had a wide host range. Additionally, in vitro antagonistic evaluation showed that CRI-Ta1 effectively inhibited the growth of common sweetpotato pathogens, including Fusarium solani and Rhizopus nigricans. However, further research is needed on the potential of CRI-Ta1 to control sweetpotato diseases in vivo. Collectively, our findings provided valuable insights into the characteristics of the T. asperellum CRI-Ta1 in sweetpotato and would be helpful to the prevention and control of sweetpotato green mold disease.

Abstract Sweetpotato plays an important role in ensuring food security and household income sources for local communities in Ethiopia. It is dominantly grown in southern parts of Ethiopia. However, its production and productivity over the last few years has declined due to the limited access of quality planting materials at the onset of the rainy season, disease, and severe pest infestation. Therefore, it was imperative to carry out this study to identify the main constraints related to the recent decline of the crop in Misrak Badawacho District. The survey result revealed that many varieties of sweetpotato were grown in the district; mainly, Awassa‐83, Ogan‐Sagan, and Wolaita‐local were the most preferred variety by producers. The main sweetpotato production and storage constraints in the study district are as follows: rodents, disease and insect pests, heat and drought, shortage of quality planting materials, and absence of best methods for long‐term storage. Awassa‐83, Ogan‐Sagan and Wolaita‐local were evaluated under different storage types (straw, soil, ash, sawdust, and sand storage). The combination of Awassa‐83 variety and sand storage was performed better in percentage of decay, weight loss, and weevil damage, whereas length and number of vine per storage roots were performed better in the separate treatment. Thus, Awassa‐83 variety and sand storage can be recommended for maintaining the storage roots during dry periods and access of quality vines at the onset of the rainy season. More importantly, sand storage provides an opportunity to maintain the quality of sweetpotato storage roots for a long period of time and producers can easily and timely access quality vines at the onset of rainy season.

Postharvest strawberry is susceptible to gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea, which seriously damage the storage capacity of fruits. Biological control has been implicated as an effective and safe method to suppress plant disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate the postharvest disease control ability of Bacillus cereus AR156 and explore the response of strawberry fruit to this biocontrol microorganism. Bacillus cereus AR156 treatment significantly suppressed gray mold disease and postponed the strawberry senescence during storage. The bacterium pretreatment remarkably enhanced the reactive oxygen-scavenging and defense-related activities of enzymes. The promotion on the expression of the encoding-genes was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) that significantly increased the expression of the marker genes of salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway, such as PR1, PR2, and PR5, instead of that of the jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) pathway, which was also shown. Moreover, through transcriptome profiling, about 6,781 differentially expressed genes (DEGS) in strawberry upon AR156 treatment were identified. The gene ontology (GO) classification and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment indicated that AR156 altered the transcription of numerous transcription factors and genes involved in the SA-related plant disease resistance, metabolism, and biosynthesis of benzoxazinoids and flavonoids. This study offered a non-antagonistic Bacillus as a method for postharvest strawberry storage and disease control, and further revealed that the biocontrol effects were arisen from the induction of host responses on the transcription level and subsequent resistance-related substance accumulation.

The aim of this study was to determine the response of potato cultivars to Clavibacter sepedonicus (Cs) infection in a field experiment. The research focused on the infection in a latent form as it is a risk for unnoticed spread. A total of 18 cultivars were tested in the years 2013–2016. Symptoms of the disease were observed on the leaves during growth and in tubers after harvest and after storage. The infection incidence was determined by microscopic observation of leaf and tuber samples stained by the IFAS method. A diverse response of potato cultivars to Cs infection was found. The lowest number of asymptomatic infected plants was found in cultivars ‘Vineta’, ‘Bila’ and ‘Irga’. As for cultivar ‘Stasia’, the entire tuber yield was latently infected by Cs. A low or medium concentration of Cs cells in leaves did not change significantly or increased depending on the potato cultivar. A higher incidence of tubers with disease symptoms was found after the storage period. In eight of the cultivars tested, the level of tuber infection by Cs confirmed microscopically after harvest was significantly correlated with the occurrence of disease symptoms in tubers after the storage period.

Background: Glycogen storage disease type 0a (GSD 0a), caused by GYS2 mutations, has a broad phenotypic spectrum, mostly associated with hypoglycemia. This disease has been characterized by the inability to store glycogen in the liver, leading to no hepatomegaly. Although the prevention of hypoglycemia has been considered the first therapeutic goal, the long-term complications remain unclear. In addition, few studies summarized clinical or biochemical features or examined genotype-phenotype correlation. Case presentation: A 4-year-old Japanese boy was admitted to our hospital because of hypoglycemia. We suspected GSD 0a based on recurrent irritability episodes before feeding, fasting ketotic hypoglycemia, postprandial hyperglycemia/hyperlactatemia, and no hepatomegaly. Mutation analyses revealed novel mutations (p.His610fs and deletion of exons 8–10) in the GYS2 gene. At 5 years old, his growth and development are normal. Fasting symptoms and hypoglycemia remain controlled by dietary management. Review of literature: We summarized the clinical and biochemical features of 33 patients with GSD 0a and 27 different mutations in the GYS2 gene. Nonspecific fasting symptoms (lethargy, drowsiness, nausea, and irritability) were found in 39% of patients, whereas 41% were asymptomatic. All patients had a combination of fasting ketotic hypoglycemia and postprandial hyperglycemia/hyperlactatemia. Hepatomegaly and hepatic steatosis were observed in 12% and 73% of patients. There was no genotype-phenotype correlation in patients with GSD 0a. Conclusion: This is a clinical report of a Japanese GSD 0a patient with novel GYS2 mutations and a review of cases. As secondary hepatic disorders may occur due to postprandial hyperglycemia, the treatment's ultimate goal is to prevent both hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.

Positioning head tilt is a neurological sign that has recently been described in dogs with congenital cerebellar malformations. This head tilt is triggered in response to head movement and is believed to be caused by a lack of inhibition of the vestibular nuclei by the cerebellar nodulus and ventral uvula (NU), as originally reported cases were dogs with NU hypoplasia. We hypothesized that other diseases, such as lysosomal storage diseases that cause degeneration in the whole brain, including NU, may cause NU dysfunction and positioning head tilt. Videos of the clinical signs of canine lysosomal storage disease were retrospectively evaluated. In addition, post-mortem NU specimens from each dog were histopathologically evaluated. Nine dogs were included, five with lysosomal storage disease, two Chihuahuas with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), two Border Collies with NCL, one Shikoku Inu with NCL, two Toy Poodles with GM2 gangliosidosis, and two Shiba Inus with GM1 gangliosidosis. Twenty-eight videos recorded the clinical signs of the dogs. In these videos, positioning head tilt was observed in seven of nine dogs, two Chihuahuas with NCL, one Border Collie with NCL, one Shikoku Inu with NCL, one Toy Poodle with GM2 gangliosidosis, and two Shiba Inus with GM1 gangliosidosis. Neuronal degeneration and loss of NU were histopathologically confirmed in all diseases. As positioning head tilt had not been described until 2016, it may have been overlooked and may be a common clinical sign and pathophysiology in dogs with NU dysfunction.