Treatment with pronase uncouples water and sugar reception in the lahellar water receptor of the blowfly

Summary Standard spider frames were continuously rotated in a vertical klinostat at different speeds, changed each day, in a rising sequence through 0.3, 0.7, 2.3, 4.9, 10, 20, 30, and 60 rpm. They were also rotated at various speeds between 100 and 150 rpm. Speed of rotation did have a marked effect on a number of web parameters. It is concluded that gravity is an important compass reference for orientation during web construction. The effect was greatest at medium speeds, and less pronounced not only at slower but also at higher speeds. The most striking effect was the complete disorientation of the spider during construction of the capture spiral at 5 and 10 rpm. Surprisingly no comparable disorientation was found in the auxiliary spiral. This suggests different orientation mechanisms for the two spirals. The ability to orient the capture spiral at high speeds may be due to the effect of centripetal forces, but it may also be attributed to an evolutionary adaptation to building in windy environments where the spider might experience linear accelerations of severalg.Abbreviation rpm rotations per minute     

Liquid Biopsies

In oncology, “liquid biopsy” refers to the analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), to establish non-invasively from the peripheral blood the characteristics of a tumor genome in cancer patients. Liquid biopsies have tremendous potential for future developments in personalized medicine and for the application of targeted therapies. In this review we show that many unresolved issues need to be addressed before liquid biopsies can be routinely used. A particular challenge is the fact that, depending on the analysis performed, the results can have implications reaching far beyond the analysis of the tumor genome originally intended. All of these issues can best be addressed in a multidisciplinary setting with human geneticists, oncologists, pathologists, bioinformaticians and bioethicists participating.