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  • Lam Winther posted an update 10 months, 2 weeks ago

    Phage-based biocontrol strategies can be an effective alternative to control Psa-induced bacterial canker of kiwifruit. The global production of kiwifruit has been seriously affected by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) over the last decade. Psa damages both Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa (green kiwifruit) but specially the susceptible Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis (gold kiwifruit), resulting in severe economic losses. Treatments for Psa infections currently available are scarce, involving frequent spraying of the kiwifruit plant orchards with copper products. However, copper products should be avoided since they are highly toxic and lead to the development of bacterial resistance to this metal. Antibiotics are also used in some countries, but bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious worldwide problem. Therefore, it is essential to develop new approaches for sustainable agriculture production, avoiding the emergence of resistant Psa bacterial strains. Attempts to develop and establi, together with potential ways to bypass phage inactivation by abiotic factors.

    This study is aimed at uncovering the signaling pathways activated by vasoactive intestinal peptide in human macrophages MATERIALS Human peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived macrophages were used for the in vitro investigation of the VIP-activated signaling pathways.

    Time-course and dose-response experiments and siRNA were used in human macrophages co-challenged with various concentrations of VIP and different MAPK pharmacologic inhibitors to investigate signaling pathways activated by VIP. Flow analysis was performed to assess the levels of CD11b, CD35 and CD66. Luminescence spectrometry was used to measure the levels of the released hydrogen peroxide and the intracellular calcium levels in the media.

    Macrophages incubated with VIP showed increased phospho-AKT and phospho-ERK1/2 levels in a GTP-RhoA-GTPase-dependent manner. RMC4550 Similarly, VIP increased intracellular release of H

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    and calcium via PLC and GTP-RhoA-GTPase, in addition to inducing the expression of CD11b, CD35, CD66 and MMP9. Furthermore, VIP activated P38 MAPK through the cAMP/PKA pathway but was independent of both PLC and RhoA signaling. The above-mentioned VIP effects were mediated via activation of the FPRL1 receptor.

    VIP/FPRL1/VPAC/GTP-RhoA-GTPase signaling modulated macrophages phenotype through activation of multiple signaling pathways including ERK1/2, AKT, P38, ROS, cAMP and calcium.

    VIP/FPRL1/VPAC/GTP-RhoA-GTPase signaling modulated macrophages phenotype through activation of multiple signaling pathways including ERK1/2, AKT, P38, ROS, cAMP and calcium.A sensitive and rapid colorimetric biosensor has been developed for determination of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and study of amyloidogenesis based on the high peroxidase-like activity of porous bimetallic ZnO-Co3O4 nanocages (NCs). Due to the high binding ability of Aβ monomer to ZnO-Co3O4 NCs, the catalytic activity of ZnO-Co3O4 NCs can be significantly suppressed by Aβ monomer. This finding forms the basis for a colorimetric assay for Aβ monomer detection. The detection limit for Aβ monomer is 3.5 nM with a linear range of 5 to 150 nM (R2 = 0.997). The system was successfully applied to the determination of Aβ monomer in rat cerebrospinal fluid. Critically, the different inhibition effects of monomeric and aggregated Aβ species on the catalytic activity of ZnO-Co3O4 NCs enabled the sensor to be used for tracking the dynamic progress of Aβ aggregation and screening Aβ inhibitors. Compared with the commonly used thioflavin T fluorescence assay, this method provided higher sensitivity to the formation of Aβ oligomer at the very early assembly stage. Our assay shows potential application in early diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).The incidence, treatment and prognosis of patients with brain metastases have substantially changed during the last decades. While the survival time after diagnosis of cerebral metastases was on average a maximum of 3-6 months only 10 years ago, the survival time could be significantly improved due to novel surgical, radiotherapeutic and systemic treatment modalities. Only a few years ago, the occurrence of brain metastases led to a withdrawal from systemic oncological treatment and the exclusion of drug therapy studies and to a purely palliatively oriented treatment in the sense of whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) with or without surgery. The increasing availability of targeted and immunomodulatory drugs as well as adapted radio-oncological procedures enable increasingly more personalized treatment approaches. The aim of this review article is to demonstrate the progress and complexity of the treatment of brain metastases in the context of modern comprehensive interdisciplinary concepts.

    Endoscopic diagnostics and interventions in children require ahigh level of expertise from different fields. The small dimensions, the vulnerability of the patients and the rarity of the diseases and problems as well as the necessity for the most modern endoscopic technology can only be mastered by an adequately constructed team.

    We describe the typical indications, personnel and technical requirements and make suggestions for process organization. The necessity for an interdisciplinary approach is described using three illustrative examples.

    No single specialty alone can cope with the manifold challenges of pediatric endoscopy. The organization should therefore favor low-threshold collaborations.

    Further development of techniques is needed especially in the field of premature infant care and children with intestinal failure and motility disorders.

    Further development of techniques is needed especially in the field of premature infant care and children with intestinal failure and motility disorders.Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal community of the European chestnut has been poorly investigated, and mostly by sporocarp sampling. We proposed the study of the ECM fungal community of 2-year-old chestnut hybrids Castanea × coudercii (Castanea sativa × Castanea crenata) using molecular approaches. By using the chestnut hybrid clones 111 and 125, we assessed the impact of grafting on ECM colonization rate, species diversity, and fungal community composition. The clone type did not have an impact on the studied variables; however, grafting significantly influenced ECM colonization rate in clone 111. Species diversity and richness did not vary between the experimental groups. Grafted and ungrafted plants of clone 111 had a different ECM fungal species composition. Sequence data from ITS regions of rDNA revealed the presence of 9 orders, 15 families, 19 genera, and 27 species of ECM fungi, most of them generalist, early-stage species. Thirteen new taxa were described in association with chestnuts. The basidiomycetes Agaricales (13 taxa) and Boletales (11 taxa) represented 36% and 31%, of the total sampled ECM fungal taxa, respectively.