Size-dependent Auger spectra and two-hole Coulomb interaction of small supported Cu-clusters

Auger (L3M4,5M4,5) and X-ray photoionization spectra (2p, 3d) of mass-selected CuN-clusters supported by a thin natural silica layer are presented in the size range N = 8-55 atoms per cluster. The Auger spectra of all clusters are shifted to a lower kinetic energy with respect to the spectrum of the bulk. Furthermore the Auger energy decreases systematically with decreasing cluster size. The binding energies of the 2p and 3d valence states are higher than the corresponding bulk values. Using the energy of the Auger main line, the corresponding core hole peak and the centroid of the self-convoluted 3d valence band the on-site Coulomb interaction energy Udd of the two-hole final state as a function of cluster size has been determined.

Going beyond EGFR

a substantial proportion of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and adenocarcinoma in particular, depends on a so-called 'driver mutation' for their malignant phenotype. This genetic alteration induces and sustains tumorigenesis, and targeting of its protein product can result in growth inhibition, tumor response and increased patient survival. NSCLC can thus be subdivided into clinically relevant molecular subsets. Mutations in EGFR best illustrate the therapeutic relevance of molecular classification. This article reviews the scope of presently known driving molecular alterations, including ROS1, BRAF, KRAS, HER2 and PIK3CA, with a special emphasis on aLK rearrangements, and outlines their potential therapeutic applications.

Cancer incidence and mortality among underground and surface goldminers in Western Australia

Background:

In a cohort of goldminers, we estimated cancer mortality and incidence, for both surface and underground workers, and we examined the hypothesis that (underground) mining may be protective against prostate cancer.

Methods:

Standardised mortality and incidence ratios (SMRs and SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to compare cancer mortality and incidence of former goldminers with that of the general male population. Internal comparisons on duration of underground work were examined using Cox regression.

Results:

During 52 608 person-years of follow-up among 2294 goldminers, 1922 deaths were observed. For any cancer, mortality was increased for the total group of miners (SMR=1.27, 95% CI 1.16–1.39). In the Cox models, lung cancer mortality and incidence were particularly increased among underground miners, even after adjustment for smoking. The SMR for prostate cancer suggested a lower risk for underground miners, whereas incidence of prostate cancer was significantly increased (SIR=1.31, 95% CI 1.07–1.60) among underground miners.

Conclusion:

Overall cancer mortality and incidence was higher among Western Australian goldminers compared with the general male population, particularly for underground mining. This study does not support the hypothesis that miners have a decreased risk of prostate cancer.

Gut microbial metabolism of polyphenols from black tea and red wine/grape juice is source-specific and colon-region dependent

The colonic microbial degradation of a polyphenol-rich black tea extract (BTE) and red wine/grape juice extract (RWGE) was compared in a five-stage in vitro gastrointestinal model (TWINSHIME). Microbial metabolism of BTE and RWGE polyphenols in the TWINSHIME was studied subsequently in single- and continuous-dose experiments. A combination of liquid or gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS or GC-MS) and NMR-based metabolic profiling was used to measure selected parent polyphenols, their microbial degradation into phenolic acids, and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in different colon compartments. Acetate production was increased by continuous feeding of BTE but not RWGE. During RWGE feeding, gallic acid and 4-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid remained elevated throughout the colon, while during BTE feeding, they were consumed in the distal colon, while 3-phenylpropionic acid was strongly produced. Gut microbial production of phenolics and SCFAs is dependent on colon location and polyphenol source, which may influence potential health benefits.

[Management pulmonary metastases: when operate?]

Thirty percent of patients suffering from malignant disease will develop pulmonary metastases. Effective chemotherapy is lacking for many of these tumors. Many studies suggest survival benefit in selected patients when pulmonary metastasectomy allows complete resection. Several operative approach may be offered in order to achieve complete resection and maximal lung sparring. Pre-operative workup must assess the control of the primary tumor and the possibility of performing complete resection. Minimally invasive approaches may offer better quality life and equivalent oncologic outcomes than open approach.

[VATS lobectomy for early-stage primary lung cancer]

Lobectomy via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is now considered as a valid alternative to conventional thoracotomy for early-stage primary lung cancer. Various studies have reported that VATS lobectomy is a safe technique associated with fewer postoperative complications and better post-operative recovery than open thoracotomy. Furthermore, studies suggest oncological equivalence between VATS and open lobectomy.

Sensory Constraints on Birdsong Syntax: Neural Responses to Swamp Sparrow Songs with Accelerated Trill Rates

Both sensory and motor mechanisms can constrain behavioral performance. Sensory mechanisms may be especially important for constraining behaviors that depend on experience, such as learned birdsongs. Swamp sparrows learn to sing by imitating the song of a tutor, but sparrows fail to accurately imitate artificial tutor songs with abnormally accelerated trills, instead singing brief and rapid trills interrupted by silent gaps. This "broken syntax" has been proposed to arise from vocal-motor limitations. Here we consider whether sensory limitations exist that could also contribute to broken syntax. We tested this idea by recording auditory-evoked activity of sensorimotor neurons in the swamp sparrow's brain that are known to be important for the learning, performance and perception of song. In freely behaving adult sparrows that sang songs with normal syntax, neurons were detected that exhibited precisely time-locked activity to each repetition of the syllable in a trill when presented at a natural rate. Those cells failed to faithfully follow syllables presented at an accelerated rate, however, and their failure to respond to consecutive syllables increased as a function of trill rate. This "flickering" auditory representation in animals performing normal syntax reveals a central constraint on the sensory processing of rapid trills. Furthermore, because these neurons are implicated in both song learning and perception, and because auditory flickering began to occur at accelerated trill rates previously associated with the emergence of broken song syntax, these sensory constraints may contribute to the emergence of broken syntax.

An Arabidopsis T-DNA insertion mutant for galactokinase (AtGALK, At3g06580) hyperaccumulates free galactose and is insensitive to exogenous galactose

Galactokinase (GALK, EC 2.7.1.6) is a cytosolic enzyme with a wide occurrence across the taxonomic kingdoms. It catalyzes the phosphorylation of α-d-galactose (Gal) to α-d-Gal-1-P. The cytotoxicity of free (unphosphorylated) Gal is well documented in plants and causes marked defects. An Arabidopsis GALK (AtGALK, At3g06580) was previously identified, cloned and functionally characterized in Escherichia coli and was suggested to occur as a single copy gene in Arabidopsis. We identified an AtGALK T-DNA insertion mutant (atgalk) that (i) is AtGALK transcript deficient; (ii) displays no GALK activity in vegetative tissues; and (iii) accumulates Gal up to 6.8 mg g(-1) FW in vegetative tissues, in contrast to wild-type plants. By constitutively overexpressing the AtGALK cDNA, atgalk was functionally rescued. Three independent transformed lines showed restored AtGALK transcripts and GALK activity and had low leaf Gal concentrations comparable with those observed in wild-type plants. Surprisingly, in vitro grown atgalk plants were largely insensitive to the exogenous application of up to 100 mM free Gal, while wild-type plants exhibited sensitivity to low Gal concentrations (10 mM). Furthermore, atgalk seedlings retained the capacity for uptake of exogenously supplied Gal (100 mM), accumulating up to 57 mg g(-1) FW in leaves. Leaves from soil-grown atgalk plants that exhibited no growth or morphological defects were used to demonstrate that the accumulating Gal occurred exclusively in the vacuoles of mesophyll protoplasts. Collectively, these findings suggest a novel Gal detoxification pathway that targets free Gal to the vacuole and is active in the atgalk mutant background.

Identification of a Dau c PRPlike protein (Dau c 1.03) as a new allergenic isoform in carrots (cultivar Rodelika)

BACKGROUND

Up to 25% of food allergic subjects in central Europe suffer from carrot allergy. Until now, two isoforms of the major carrot (Daucus carota) allergen Dau c 1 have been described: Dau c 1.01, comprising five variants (Dau c 1.0101-Dau c 1.0105) and Dau c 1.02.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate potential allergenic properties of a Dau c PRPlike protein, a novel isoform of the PR-10 protein family in carrot.

METHODS

Dau c PRPlike cDNA from carrot roots (cv Rodelika) was cloned after RT-PCR and 5'RACE. Dau c PRPlike protein was expressed in E. coli, purified under native conditions by Ni-NTA chromatography and analysed by CD spectroscopy. Immuno-reactivity of the rDau c PRPlike protein was compared with rDau c 1.0104 and rDau c 1.0201 in terms of IgE binding (immunoblotting, ImmunoCAP), IgE cross-reactivity (ELISA inhibition) and in vitro mediator release with sera from carrot allergic patients. mRNA expression of Dau c PRPlike protein in wild-type and transgenic carrot roots was analysed by qRT-PCR.

RESULTS

The Dau c PRPlike protein was identified as a new allergenic isoform, Dau c 1.03, in carrot roots. 68% of carrot allergic patients were sensitized to rDau c 1.03. The IgE-reactivity of rDau c 1.03 strongly correlated with reactivity to rDau c 1.0104, but not to rDau c 1.0201. The extent of IgE cross-reactivity and allergenic potency of Dau c 1 isoforms varied between the individual sera tested. Dau c 1.03 mRNA transcripts were up-regulated in Dau c 1.01 and Dau c 1.02 gene-silenced carrot roots.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Dau c 1 isoforms display distinct IgE epitope heterogeneity. Dau c 1.03 appears to contribute to the allergenicity of carrots and the manifestation of carrot allergy. The epitope diversity of different Dau c 1 isoforms should be considered for component-resolved diagnosis and gene silencing of carrot allergens.