FAS/FASL Expression Profile as a Prognostic Marker in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity

FAS/FASL altered expression may cause tumor protecting immunomodulation, with a direct impact on patient prognosis. FAS expression was studied in 60 squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity. FAS expression did not show a significant association with tumor histopathological characteristics, but was significantly associated with lymph node positivity. FAS expression was significantly associated with disease specific death and negative FAS expression was an independent risk factor, increasing risk 4 times when compared to positive expression. When FAS and FASL expression results were combined, we were able to define high, intermediate and low risk profiles. Disease-free and disease-specific survival were significantly correlated with FAS/FASL expression profiles. The high risk category was an independent marker for earlier disease relapse and disease-specific death, with approximately 4- and 6-fold increased risk, respectively, when compared to the low risk profile. Risk profiles based on FAS/FASL expression showed that high risk was significantly associated with increased disease relapse and death, as well as shorter disease-free or disease-specific survival. This categorization, added to patient clinical data, may facilitate the choice of therapy, minimizing treatment failure and increasing disease control.     

Evidence of a landlocked reproducing population of the marine pejerrey Odontesthes argentinensis (Actinopterygii; Atherinopsidae)

In South America, the order Atheriniformes includes the monophyletic genus Odontesthes with 20 species that inhabit freshwater, estuarine and coastal environments. Pejerrey Odontesthes argentinensis is widely distributed in coastal and estuarine areas of the Atlantic Ocean and is known to foray into estuaries of river systems, particularly in conditions of elevated salinity. However, to our knowledge, a landlocked self-sustaining population has never been recorded. In this study, we examined the pejerrey population of Salada de Pedro Luro Lake (south-east of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) to clarify its taxonomic identity. An integrative taxonomic analysis based on traditional meristic, landmark-based morphometrics and genetic techniques suggests that the Salada de Pedro Luro pejerrey population represents a novel case of physiological and morphological adaptation of a marine pejerrey species to a landlocked environment and emphasises the environmental plasticity of this group of fishes.     

Selenium improves photosynthesis and induces ultrastructural changes but does not alleviate cadmium-stress damages in tomato plants

Protoplasma - The application of Se to plants growing under Cd contamination may become an alternative strategy to minimize Cd damage. However, there is no specific information available regarding...     

Population Structure and Genetic Diversity in Sweet Cassava Accessions in Paraná and Santa Catarina,Brazil

Plant Molecular Biology Reporter - Manihot esculenta Crantz is originally from the Amazon region of Brazil, which has the highest genetic diversity. Due to the wide adaptation of cassava to the...     

The flavonoid chrysin attenuates colorectal pathological remodeling reducing the number and severity of pre-neoplastic lesions in rats exposed to the carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine

Phenolic compounds are naturally occurring, bioactive substances with marked antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. The flavonoid chrysin, found in high levels in honey bee propolis, inhibits the activity of enzymes involved in carcinogenesis. We have investigated the effect of chrysin on pre-neoplastic colorectal lesions (ACF, aberrant crypt foci) in a rat model of chemical carcinogenesis induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH). Female Wistar rats weighing 137.2?±?24.3 g received weekly one subcutaneous injection of DMH (20 mg/kg) for 10 weeks. The animals were divided into five groups each with seven animals: Group 1, 0.9% saline; Group 2, DMH+0.9% saline; Group 3, DMH+chrysin (10 mg/kg); Group 4, DMH+chrysin (100 mg/kg); Group 5, DMH+chrysin (200 mg/kg). Groups 2 and 3 showed a significant increase in ACF number, nucleolus organizer regions per enterocyte nucleus and nitrite/nitrate serum levels compared with Group 1. Groups 4 and 5 presented a significant reduction in all these parameters compared with Group 2. The levels of antioxidant minerals (copper, magnesium, selenium, zinc) and the number of enteroendocrine and mucin-producing cells were significantly reduced in Groups 2 and 3 but were similar in Groups 4 and 5 compared with Group 1. Chrysin, at 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, was effective in attenuating pathological colorectal remodeling, reducing the number of pre-neoplastic lesions in rats exposed to DMH. Some of these effects might be attributable to the recovery of antioxidant mineral levels, a reduction in systemic nitrosative stress and an inhibition of the cellular proliferation induced by this flavonoid.     

Activity of sodium trimetaphosphate,associated or not with fluoride,on dual-species biofilms

Abstract

A response surface methodology was used to build a model to predict reductions in uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms in response to three compounds: cranberry extract [CB] at 3.0–9.0%, and caprylic acid [CAR] and thymol [TM] at 0.01%–0.05%. The predictive model for microbial reduction had a high regression coefficient (R²?=?0.9988), and the accuracy of the model was verified (R²?=?0.9527). Values of CAR, TM, and the quadratic term CAR² were the most significant (P?10 reduction) determined by ridge analysis were 8.3% CB +0.04% CAR +0.04% TM at 37?°C for 1?min. The model could be used to predict the most cost-efficient amounts of antimicrobial agents for anti-urinary tract infection products such as catheter lock solution and antimicrobial coatings for catheters.     

EVOLUTION OF HABITAT PREFERENCE AND NUTRITION MODE IN A COSMOPOLITAN FUNGAL GENUS WITH EVIDENCE OF INTERKINGDOM HOST JUMPS AND MAJOR SHIFTS IN ECOLOGY

Host jumps by microbial symbionts are often associated with bursts of species diversification driven by the exploitation of new adaptive zones. The objective of this study was to infer the evolution of habitat preference (decaying plants, soil, living fungi, and living plants), and nutrition mode (saprotrophy and mycoparasitism) in the fungal genus Trichoderma to elucidate possible interkingdom host jumps and shifts in ecology. Host and ecological role shifts were inferred by phylogenetic analyses and ancestral character reconstructions. The results support several interkingdom host jumps and also show that the preference for a particular habitat was gained or lost multiple times. Diversification analysis revealed that mycoparasitism is associated with accelerated speciation rates, which then suggests that this trait may be linked to the high number of species in Trichoderma. In this study it was also possible to infer the cryptic roles that endophytes or soil inhabitants play in their hosts by evaluating their closest relatives and determining their most recent ancestors. Findings from this study may have implications for understanding certain evolutionary processes such as species radiations in some hyperdiverse groups of fungi, and for more applied fields such as the discovery and development of novel biological control strategies.