Raman microspectroscopic study for the detection of oral field cancerisation using brush biopsy samples

Field cancerisation (FC) is potentially an underlying cause of poor treatment outcomes of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). To explore the phenomenon using Raman microspectroscopy, brush biopsies from the buccal mucosa, tongue, gingiva and alveolus of healthy donors (n = 40) and from potentially malignant lesions (PML) of Dysplasia Clinic patients (n = 40) were examined. Contralateral normal samples (n = 38) were also collected from the patients. Raman spectra were acquired from the nucleus and cytoplasm of each cell, and subjected to partial least squares‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA). High discriminatory accuracy for donor and PML samples was achieved for both cytopalmic and nuclear data sets. Notably, contralateral normal (patient) samples were also accurately discriminated from donor samples and contralateral normal samples from patients with multiple lesions showed a similar spectral profile to PML samples, strongly indicating a FC effect. These findings support the potential of Raman microspectroscopy as a screening tool for PML using oral exfoliated cells.     

Comparison of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), immuno-electron microscopy (IEM) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the rapid diagnosis of rotavirus infection in children

Detection of rotavirus RNA by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) proved to be a highly sensitive and rapid diagnostic test. A comparison of this assay with immuno-electron microscopy (IEM) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in 245 faeces from children with gastroenteritis revealed complete agreement between the three assays in 238 (97.14%) samples. Among 75 samples positive in at least one of the three assays, negative results were observed in 5 (6.48%) by PAGE, in 6 (6.76%) by EIA and in none by IEM. Silver staining greatly increased the sensitivity of the PAGE assay. We conclude that although IEM remains the most sensitive and rapid rotavirus diagnostic assay, the PAGE technique has many advantages in its favour, including the non-requirement of expensive equipment, the use of only chemically defined reagents and the capacity to distinguish virus subgroup and variants and to detect non-crossreactive rotaviruses which are missed in serological assays.     

Acid-mechanical,alkaline and enzymatic treatment of agricultural wastes to obtain substrate for microbiological conversion

The present paper deals with almost wasteless technologies of pretreatment and obtaining of sugars and biomass from straw and potato tops. Several variants ensure a 1 t of straw per hour productivity using original auger reactors 290 and 150 mm in diameter. The authors have studied the submerged and solid state cultivation of various microorganisms applying the obtained substrates.     

Genetic and morphological variation in the Bulbophyllum exaltatum (Orchidaceae) complex occurring in the Brazilian “campos rupestres”: implications for taxonomy and biogeography

The Bulbophyllum exaltatum complex comprises 15 described taxa, and present a number of unresolved taxonomic questions, especially among populations found in the Brazilian campo rupestre vegetation. Allozymes were examined in 33 populations to determine the degree of genetic variability between them and their degree of differentiation to better define the taxa of this group. Additionally morphometric analyses were also performed on representatives of 24 populations. All of the populations examined demonstrated high levels of variability and none of the species formed distinct groups comprising all of the conspecific populations. However, the populations primarily grouped according to their regional occurrence, with a distinction between populations of the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia, which coincided with the geophysical disjunction of the mountain chains where they occur. It is probable that hybridization or incipient differentiation is contributing to the elevated genetic identity observed among the populations, generating a reticulated grouping pattern.     

What makes a fig: insights from a comparative analysis of inflorescence morphogenesis in Moraceae

Background and AimsMoraceae, the family of mulberry and fig trees, displays small homogeneous flowers but extremely diverse inflorescences ranging from simple and branched to complex and condensed. Inflorescences also vary in flower organization in the receptacle, in the degree of flower condensation and in receptacle shape. Thus, the objective of the present study was to compare the inflorescence morphogenesis of Moraceae species, to investigate whether clades with a similar pollination mode share the same patterns of inflorescence development and the developmental stages at which we observe the key changes resulting in the diversified inflorescence architecture that culminates in the Ficus syconium.MethodsInflorescences at different developmental stages were sampled from Brosimum gaudichaudii, Castilla elastica, Clarisia ilicifolia, Ficus pertusa, Maclura tinctoria and Morus nigra and processed for surface and anatomical analyses.Key ResultsThe inflorescence morphogenesis of the studied species is highly variable. The shape of the inflorescence meristem (bulging, hemispheric or elongated), the initiation order and arrangement of flowers along the receptacle and the occurrence of bracts vary between related species. This diversity originates early during inflorescence development. Brosimum gaudichaudii, C. elastica and F. pertusa have flowers enclosed or immersed within the receptacle, although inflorescences begin their development as flat and open structures, as occurs in the other three study species.ConclusionComparison of the inflorescence morphogenesis in Moraceae species allows us to infer that evolutionary ontogenetic changes driven by pollinators culminate in the enclosure of flowers inside the receptacle, as occurs in the Ficus syconium.     

Ecdysis as an auxiliary route for the removal of heavy metals in crustaceans: an experimental analysis with fiddler crabs (Minuca burgersi)

BioMetals - We assessed fiddler crabs’ (Minuca burgersi) ability to secrete metallic contaminants through ecdysis under controlled conditions. We fed them with contaminated food with...