Brown rot of stone fruit, a disease caused by the ascomycete fungus Monilinia fructicola, has caused significant losses to the agricultural industry. In order to explore and discover potential fungicides against M. fructicola, thirty-one novel mandelic acid derivatives containing piperazine moieties were designed and synthesized based on the amide skeleton. Among them, target compound Z31 exhibited obvious in vitro antifungal activity with the EC50 value of 11.8 mg/L, and significant effects for the postharvest pears (79.4 % protective activity and 70.5 % curative activity) at a concentration of 200 mg/L. Antifungal activity for the target compounds was found to be significantly improved by the large steric hindrance of the R1 groups and the electronegative of the piperazines in the molecular structure, according to a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) analysis. Further mechanism studies have demonstrated that the compound Z31 can disrupt cell membrane integrity, resulting in increased membrane permeability, release of intracellular electrolytes, and affect the normal growth of hyphae. Additional, morphological study also indicated that Z31 may disrupt the integrity of the membrane by inducing generate excess endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) and resulting in the peroxidation of cellular lipids, which was further verified by the detection of malondialdehyde (MDA) content. These studies have provided the basis for the creation of novel fungicides to prevent brown rot in stone fruits.

Background: Pulmonary autograft failure remains a cause of reoperation following the Ross procedure. The aim of this study is to describe our evolving approach to autograft reoperations. Methods: Retrospective study of all patients who underwent a pulmonary autograft reoperation following a Ross procedure between June 1997 and July 2022. Results: Two-hundred and thirty-five Ross procedures were performed. Thirty-six patients (15%) plus one referral underwent an autograft reoperation at a median of 7.8 years (IQR 4.6-13.6). The main indication was: neoaortic root dilatation associated with mild/moderate (n = 12) or severe (n = 8) aortic regurgitation; isolated severe aortic regurgitation (n = 6); infective endocarditis (IE) (n = 8); and aortic root pseudoaneurysm with no history of IE (n = 3). The autograft was spared in 29 cases (78%): 9 patients (24%) underwent aortic valve repair or aortic root remodeling, 15 patients (40%) aortic root reimplantation, 5 patients neoaortic root stabilization with a Personalized External Aortic Root Support (PEARS) sleeve. There were no in-hospital deaths. At a median follow up of 37 months (IQR 8-105), all patients were alive, 30 (81%) were asymptomatic. Eight patients (22%) required nine further reoperations. Estimated freedom from further reoperation was 90%, 72%, and 72% at 12-, 36-, and 60-months. Conclusions: Autograft reoperations following the Ross procedure can be safely performed and do not affect overall survival in the early and mid-term. Valve-sparing autograft replacement is technically feasible but remains at risk of further interventions. Alternative strategies, such as the PEARS sleeve, are becoming increasingly available but requires validation in the long term.

Sporidiobolus pararoseus Y16, a species of significant ecological importance, has distinctive physiological and biological regulatory systems that aid in its survival and environmental adaptation. The goal of this investigation was to understand the complex interactions between physiological and molecular mechanisms in pear fruits as induced by S. pararoseus Y16. The study investigated the use of S. pararoseus Y16 and ascorbic acid (VC) in combination in controlling blue mold decay in pears via physiological and transcriptomic approach. The study results showed that treatment of S. pararoseus Y16 with 150 μg/mL VC reduced pears blue mold disease incidence from 43% to 11%. Furthermore, the combination of S. pararoseus Y16 and VC significantly inhibited mycelia growth and spore germination of Penicillium expansum in the pear\'s wounds. The pre-treatment did not impair post-harvest qualities of pear fruit but increased antioxidant enzyme activity specifically polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) activities as well as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) enzyme activity. The transcriptome analysis further uncovered 395 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways involved in defense mechanisms and disease resistance. Notable pathways of the DEGs include plant-pathogen interaction, tyrosine metabolism, and hormone signal transduction pathways. The integrative approach with both physiological and transcriptomic tools to investigate postharvest pathology in pear fruits with clarification on how S. pararoseus Y16 enhanced with VC, improved gene expression for disease defense, and create alternative controls strategies for managing postharvest diseases.

A woman with recent personalized external aortic root support implant presented in cardiogenic shock with bilateral coronary ostial occlusion and aortic inflammation requiring emergency coronary angioplasty. Subsequent computed tomography with positron emission tomography scanning demonstrated aortitis with extensive inflammation adjacent to the personalized external aortic root support mesh, the first report of this important complication.

UNASSIGNED: Nondestructive detection of thin-skinned fruit bruising is one of the main challenges in the automated grading of post-harvest fruit. The structured-illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI) is an emerging optical technique with the potential for detection of bruises.
UNASSIGNED: This study presented the pioneering application of low-cost visible-LED SIRI for detecting early subcutaneous bruises in \'Korla\' pears. Three types of bruising degrees (mild, moderate and severe) and ten sets of spatial frequencies (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 cycles m-1) were analyzed. By evaluation of contrast index (CI) values, 150 cycles m-1 was determined as the optimal spatial frequency. The sinusoidal pattern images were demodulated to get the DC, AC, and RT images without any stripe information. Based on AC and RT images, texture features were extracted and the LS-SVM, PLS-DA and KNN classification models combined the optimized features were developed for the detection of \'Korla\' pears with varying degrees of bruising.
UNASSIGNED: It was found that RT images consistently outperformed AC images regardless of type of model, and LS-SVM model exhibited the highest detection accuracy and stability. Across mild, moderate, severe and mixed bruises, the LS-SVM model with RT images achieved classification accuracies of 98.6%, 98.9%, 98.5%, and 98.8%, respectively. This study showed that visible-LED SIRI technique could effectively detect early bruising of \'Korla\' pears, providing a valuable reference for using low-cost visible LED SIRI to detect fruit damage.

The Ross-Personalized External Aortic Root Support procedure is a surgical aortic valve replacement technique in which the autologous pulmonary valve is transposed in the aortic position to replace the malfunctioning aortic valve and a homograft is implanted in the pulmonary position. To prevent autograft dilatation, a Personalized External Aortic Root Support prosthesis is included in the proximal autograft anastomosis and wrapped around the ascending aorta. The aorta is transected transversely, the aortic valve is resected, and the coronary arteries are mobilized and cut out of the sinuses, leaving a rim. The pulmonary autograft is harvested by transecting the pulmonary artery and part of the right ventricular outflow tract. The autograft is approximated to the aortic root and inverted inside the ventricle. The proximal anastomosis is performed including the prosthesis between the aortic root and the autograft. The coronary buttons are threaded through appropriately positioned and sized holes in the prosthesis and reimplanted into the autograft. The ascending aorta is appropriately adapted and anastomosed with the distal autograft. When the patient is off cardiopulmonary bypass, the prosthesis can be closed longitudinally and is anchored to the distal aortic adventitia.

This study aimed to investigate the potential application of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extracted from an agricultural waste for encapsulation of oregano essential oil (OEO) and subsequently their use for coating to improve the shelf life of pears as a model. By hydrolyzing hazelnut shell cellulose under the optimum conditions, high crystalline CNCs with a zeta potential of -67.8 ± 4.4 mV and a diameter of 157 ± 10 nm were produced. Different concentrations of OEO (10-50 % w/w) were incorporated into CNCs and characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. OEO containing 50 % CNC with the highest EE and LC was selected for coating. Pears were coated with gluten containing 0.5, 1.5 and 2 % encapsulated OEO (EOEO) and pure OEO and stored for 28 days. Physicochemical, microbial and sensory properties of the pears were examined. Microbial analysis showed that EOEO2% was more effective in controlling microbial growth than controls and pure OEO, and a 1.09 Log reduction in bacterial count was recorded on day 28 of storage when compared to control. It was concluded that CNCs produced from an agricultural waste and loaded on an essential oil could be used to extend the shelf life of pear and potentially other fruits.

Pears (Pyrus communis L.) and apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) are two of the most popular fruits worldwide. The phenolic compounds they offer are associated with human health benefits due to their antioxidant properties. Since these fruits\' by-products are not yet fully exploited, it is important to characterize them, especially in terms of their antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant properties of old traditional cultivars, six regional pear cultivars and five regional apple cultivars grown in the Alcobaça region (Portugal). Antioxidant capacity assays were used to evaluate the antioxidant properties. Generally, the antioxidant capacity, total phenolics content (TPC), and total flavonoids content (TFC) of fruit byproducts (both seeds and peels) were higher than the corresponding mesocarp, indicating their potential as sources of beneficial antioxidant compounds. Moreover, a UHPLC-ToF-MS method was optimized and validated in order to quantify 21 distinct phenolics in these fruit samples. The analytical method\'s suitability for quantifying phenolic compounds was demonstrated by an evaluation of linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision and accuracy. This method was used to determine the phenolic composition of samples of regional (local) cultivars. The phenolics in the fruit samples with the highest concentrations were phlorizin and chlorogenic acid. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to separate distinct fruit species while emphasizing their similarities and differences.

Water loss and microbial infection induced by mechanical injury are the main sources of harvested loss of fruits and vegetables. Plenty studies have shown that regulating phenylpropane-related metabolic pathways can effectively accelerate wound healing. The combination treatment of chlorogenic acid and sodium alginate coating on postharvest wound healing of pear fruit were investigated in this work. The result shows combination treatment reduced weight loss and disease index of the pears, enhanced texture of healing tissues, maintained the integrity of cell membrane system. Moreover, chlorogenic acid increased the content of total phenols and flavonoids, and ultimately leads to the accumulation of suberin poly phenolic (SPP) and lignin around wound cell wall. Activities of phenylalanine metabolism-related enzymes (PAL, C4H, 4CL, CAD, POD and PPO) in wound-healing tissue were enhanced. The contents of major substrates such as trans-cinnamic, p-coumaric, caffeic, and ferulic acids also increased. The presented results suggested that the combination treatment of chlorogenic acid and sodium alginate coating stimulated wound healing in pears by elevating the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway, so that maintain high postharvest fruit quality.

An exploration of the range of expert opinions on the optimum storage temperature for apples and pears in RA (refrigerated air), CA (controlled atmosphere), and DCA (dynamic controlled atmosphere) is provided, based on the accumulated postharvest data from the last 20 years. Apple cultivars have been divided into two storage temperature groups (0 to 1 °C and >1 °C), based on chilling sensitivity. Increasingly, gradual cooling, rather than rapid cooling, is recommended for apple cultivars, especially for chilling-sensitive cultivars. European pear cultivars are held at storage temperatures close to or just below 0 °C since they are not chilling-sensitive, and most cultivars require a cold temperature to induce ethylene production and ripening, especially if picked early for long-term storage. Asian pears apparently have higher temperature requirements in CA, compared with European pears. The temperature recommendations for RA and CA storage differ in some apple and European pear cultivars. In such cases, the CA recommendation is, on average, approximately 0.9 °C higher for apple cultivars and approximately 0.5 °C higher for pear cultivars, compared with RA. Research evidence suggests that some apple and pear cultivars can be stored at higher temperatures in DCA than in CA, and if the ethylene inhibitor, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), is applied in CA and/or DCA, leading to possible energy savings and quality benefits. A cool growing season may increase postharvest disorders, depending on cultivar and region. The store or packinghouse manager may choose to mitigate potential postharvest problems by maintaining the storage temperature at or above the temperature listed here and/or using stepwise (gradual) cooling. The storage temperature can affect the humidity and vapour pressure deficit (driving force) in the storage room. Altering the vapour pressure deficit controls the water loss in stored fruit, which can affect various quality parameters and the occurrence of several storage disorders.