Peri-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection increases postoperative mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal duration of planned delay before surgery in patients who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection. This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study included patients undergoing elective or emergency surgery during October 2020. Surgical patients with pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared with those without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted 30-day mortality rates stratified by time from diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to surgery. Among 140,231 patients (116 countries), 3127 patients (2.2%) had a pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. Adjusted 30-day mortality in patients without SARS-CoV-2 infection was 1.5% (95%CI 1.4-1.5). In patients with a pre-operative SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis, mortality was increased in patients having surgery within 0-2 weeks, 3-4 weeks and 5-6 weeks of the diagnosis (odds ratio (95%CI) 4.1 (3.3-4.8), 3.9 (2.6-5.1) and 3.6 (2.0-5.2), respectively). Surgery performed ≥ 7 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was associated with a similar mortality risk to baseline (odds ratio (95%CI) 1.5 (0.9-2.1)). After a ≥ 7 week delay in undertaking surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients with ongoing symptoms had a higher mortality than patients whose symptoms had resolved or who had been asymptomatic (6.0% (95%CI 3.2-8.7) vs. 2.4% (95%CI 1.4-3.4) vs. 1.3% (95%CI 0.6-2.0), respectively). Where possible, surgery should be delayed for at least 7 weeks following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with ongoing symptoms ≥ 7 weeks from diagnosis may benefit from further delay.

SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with an increased rate of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients. Since surgical patients are already at higher risk of venous thromboembolism than general populations, this study aimed to determine if patients with peri-operative or prior SARS-CoV-2 were at further increased risk of venous thromboembolism. We conducted a planned sub-study and analysis from an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study of elective and emergency patients undergoing surgery during October 2020. Patients from all surgical specialties were included. The primary outcome measure was venous thromboembolism (pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis) within 30 days of surgery. SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis was defined as peri-operative (7 days before to 30 days after surgery); recent (1-6 weeks before surgery); previous (≥7 weeks before surgery); or none. Information on prophylaxis regimens or pre-operative anti-coagulation for baseline comorbidities was not available. Postoperative venous thromboembolism rate was 0.5% (666/123,591) in patients without SARS-CoV-2; 2.2% (50/2317) in patients with peri-operative SARS-CoV-2; 1.6% (15/953) in patients with recent SARS-CoV-2; and 1.0% (11/1148) in patients with previous SARS-CoV-2. After adjustment for confounding factors, patients with peri-operative (adjusted odds ratio 1.5 (95%CI 1.1-2.0)) and recent SARS-CoV-2 (1.9 (95%CI 1.2-3.3)) remained at higher risk of venous thromboembolism, with a borderline finding in previous SARS-CoV-2 (1.7 (95%CI 0.9-3.0)). Overall, venous thromboembolism was independently associated with 30-day mortality ). In patients with SARS-CoV-2, mortality without venous thromboembolism was 7.4% (319/4342) and with venous thromboembolism was 40.8% (31/76). Patients undergoing surgery with peri-operative or recent SARS-CoV-2 appear to be at increased risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism compared with patients with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Optimal venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and treatment are unknown in this cohort of patients, and these data should be interpreted accordingly.

In the present investigation, four species of white rot fungi (Pleurotus), that is, P. flabellatus, P. florida, P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju were used for decolorization of direct blue 14 (DB14). Among all four species of Pleurotus, P. flabellatus showed the fastest decolorization in petri plates on different concentration, that is, 200 mg/L, 400 mg/L, and 600 mg/L. All these four species were also evaluated for extracellular ligninolytic enzymes (laccase and manganese peroxidase) production and it was observed that the twelve days old culture of P. flabellatus showed the maximum enzymatic activity, that is, 915.7 U/mL and 769.2 U/mL of laccase and manganese peroxidase, respectively. Other three Pleurotus species took more time for dye decolorization and exhibited less enzymatic activities. The rate of decolorization of DB14 dye solution (20 mg/L) by crude enzymes isolated from P. flabellatus was very fast, and it was observed that up to 90.39% dye solution was decolorized in 6 hrs of incubation.

No abstract

Red rot is one of the most wide spread sugarcane diseases in the country and has been a constraint on sugarcane productivity. Pathological as well as molecular studies were used to characterize the 11 isolates of Colletotrichum falcatum Went collected from sugarcane cultivars of different sugarcane-growing regions in northwestern states of India, to assess pathogen diversity. Seven reference pathotypes of C. falcatum from the northwestern zone of India were compared with four newly collected isolates of the same pathogen. All the newly collected isolates and existing pathotypes were inoculated on a set of 14 differentials in August 2011 by the plug method. After 60 days of inoculation, the observations were recorded and the pathotypes/isolates were categorized as resistant, intermediate, and susceptible according to the virulency behavior. On the basis of pathological categorization and comparison with reference pathotypes, it was concluded that the three isolates R1001 (CoJ 64), R1002 (CoS 88230), and R1004 (CoSe 92423) are similar to the existing isolate Cf 08, except for isolate R0401 from CoS 8436 (Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh). This isolate differs from all the reference pathotypes of the northwestern zone of India indicating the existence of a new pathotype. Pathological results revealed that variety CoJ 64 is the ancestor/source of prevailing new races in nature because these three new isolates showed similarity with Cf 08, of CoJ 64. In this area, Cf 08 was widespread. The isolates were further tested for their variability with random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers. Twenty RAPD primers were screened, out of which seven gave amplification. Out of seven amplified primers, only two primers showed the polymorphism among 11 isolates (seven reference pathotypes and four new isolates) of C. falcatum. Analysis of the genetic coefficient matrix derived from the scores of RAPD profiles showed that minimum and maximum per cent similarities among the tested C. falcatum isolates existed in the range of 11.11 to 87.5, respectively. The dendogram analysis by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), separated two main clusters. The first cluster comprises only two isolates (Cf 07 & Cf 08), however the second cluster comprises all the other isolates (Cf 01, Cf 02, Cf 03, Cf 09, Cf 11, R1001, R1002, R1004 and R0401), confirming high genetic diversity among the isolates. The study also indicates the possibilities of a new isolate (R0401) in Shahjahanpur, which needs further investigation at the sequence level. The investigation is in progress.