Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungus, can exist asymptomatically as an endophyte in many plants. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of B. bassiana colonization of tomato plants using different inoculation methods, and how colonization of the host plant affects the key pest of tomato, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. To confirm fungal colonization efficiency, nested PCR technique was used to detect B. bassiana sequences in Solanum lycopersicum. Distribution of the fungus within the plant parts was determined by selective medium. Tomato growth parameters were determined with plants that had been inoculated using direct spraying or irrigation of the rhizosphere. B. tabaci performance assays were carried out in a cage, and preference to treatments was determined using Y-tube olfactometer studies. Results show that B. bassiana can effectively colonize tomato, with colonization rate using leaf spraying reaching 100% within 14 days. Fungal presence was not uniformly distributed among plant parts, but was biased towards the inoculation sites. For inoculation, conidial suspension sprayed at 1 × 10 8 conidia/ml resulted in the highest number of isolated colonies in leaf tissue, 8.5 ± 2.02 colonies per 2 g of fresh tissue (F 4,19 = 2.779, P = 0.045), and reached the lowest with root treatment. Although only small differences were observed among the growth indicators, leaf spray inoculation resulted in a significant positive influence on plant growth (PC1 55.7% contributions scores = 2.645) in further Principal component analysis. As for the feeding selectivity, B. tabaci preferred uninoculated plants. In Y-tube olfactometer assay, 80.5% of adults selected uninoculated plants. These findings add to the understanding of the interactions between B. bassiana and plants and indicate the potential of expanding the use of entomopathogenic fungi for crop protection.

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Background:As the SYNTAX Score has limitations, it should be replaced by another better angiographic tool. By comparing mortality that was observed following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients who were allotted a low versus a high score, we aimed to systematically investigate mortality prediction using the SYNTAX Score II in Interventional Cardiology.Methods:Electronic databases were searched for relevant publications using the terms “SYNTAX Score II and percutaneous coronary intervention.” The main outcome was all-cause mortality. This analysis was carried out by the RevMan 5.3 software [risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated].Results:A total number of 9443 participants were enrolled for this analysis. As different studies reported different range of SYNTAX Score II, we further classified these scores range into 4 different groups: 17 < SS > 17, 20 < SS > 20, 22 < SS > 22, and 26 < SS > 26 appropriately. Results of this analysis showed that the risk of mortality in patients with a high SYNTAX Score II (SS > 17) was significantly higher (RR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.05–6.73; P = .04) than patients with a low SYNTAX Score II (SS < 17). Even when participants with a low SYNTAX Score II (SS < 20) were compared with patients who were assigned to a higher SYNTAX Score II (SS > 20), a significantly higher risk of mortality was associated with a high SYNTAX Score II (RR: 3.73, 95% CI: 1.99 – 6.96; P = .0001).Conclusion:Following PCI, the risk of mortality was higher in those patients with a high SYNTAX Score II. The SYNTAX Score II might be considered as an important tool to predict mortality in Interventional Cardiology. Future research should further explore the benefits of this tool.