Effects of sub-lethal food grade antioxidant doses and environmental stressors on growth, sclerotia, aflatoxins and aflD (nor-1) expression by Aspergillus parasiticus RCP08300

The aim of the work was to examine the effects of sub-lethal doses of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (1+1 mmol/l and 5+5 mmol/l), water activities (0.98, 0.95, 0.93, 0.89 aW) and temperatures (28, 20 °C) on growth, sclerotial characteristics, aflatoxin accumulation and aflD (=nor-1) transcript level by Aspergillus parasiticus RCP08300 on peanut based medium. Growth rate and aflatoxin production were inhibited by BHA-BHT mixture (1+1 mmol/l), regardless of environmental factor assayed. Although sclerotia number and aflD expression were stimulated by this treatment, sclerotia dry weight and volume were reduced by 62.3 and 31.2%, respectively. In contrast, when the fungus grew in presence of the higher dose of BHA-BHT mixture none or very low aflatoxin accumulation and aflD expression occurred. Similarly, A. parasiticus growth has been highly influenced by BHA-BHT (5+5 mmol/l) and interacting stress factors. Data show that sub-lethal antioxidant doses significantly reduced growth and aflatoxin accumulation by A. parasiticus but these treatments were not able to repress the expression of the early expression gene (aflD) involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Thus, this represents a high potential risk of stored peanuts contamination with aflatoxins.

Dramatic dilatation of the upper airway secondary to a Valsalva manoeuvre in a lateral cephalometric teleradiograph of a child

Radiographs are routinely used by orthodontists for the planning of treatment for their patients and they can, in some cases, play a decisive role in the early diagnosis of some unexpected medical or surgical disorders. This report presents the case of a substantial dilatation of the upper airway in a 10-year-old girl, which was attributed to a forced Valsalva manoeuvre. The diagnosis was confirmed upon repetition of the teleradiograph with the mouth open.

Indolent evolution of an episode of acute gastroenteritis complicated with portal pneumatosis

The discovery of gas in the portal system related to indolent clinical settings has increased in recent years due to a growth in the performance of imaging tests. We report the first case of spontaneous resolution of portal pneumatosis due to acute gastroenteritis described in the literature.

Morphological evolution of InAs/InP quantum wires through aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy

Evolution of the size, shape and composition of self-assembled InAs/InP quantum wires through the Stranski-Krastanov transition has been determined by aberration-corrected Z-contrast imaging. High resolution compositional maps of the wires in the initial, intermediate and final formation stages are presented. (001) is the main facet at their very initial stage of formation, which is gradually reduced in favour of [114] or [118], ending with the formation of mature quantum wires with {114} facets. Significant changes in wire dimensions are measured when varying slightly the amount of InAs deposited. These results are used as input parameters to build three-dimensional models that allow calculation of the strain energy during the quantum wire formation process. The observed morphological evolution is explained in terms of the calculated elastic energy changes at the growth front. Regions of the wetting layer close to the nanostructure perimeters have higher strain energy, causing migration of As atoms towards the quantum wire terraces, where the structure is partially relaxed; the thickness of the wetting layer is reduced in these zones and the island height increases until the (001) facet is removed.

Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy: from atomic imaging and analysis to solving energy problems

The new possibilities of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) extend far beyond the factor of 2 or more in lateral resolution that was the original motivation. The smaller probe also gives enhanced single atom sensitivity, both for imaging and for spectroscopy, enabling light elements to be detected in a Z-contrast image and giving much improved phase contrast imaging using the bright field detector with pixel-by-pixel correlation with the Z-contrast image. Furthermore, the increased probe-forming aperture brings significant depth sensitivity and the possibility of optical sectioning to extract information in three dimensions. This paper reviews these recent advances with reference to several applications of relevance to energy, the origin of the low-temperature catalytic activity of nanophase Au, the nucleation and growth of semiconducting nanowires, and the origin of the eight orders of magnitude increased ionic conductivity in oxide superlattices. Possible future directions of aberration-corrected STEM for solving energy problems are outlined.

Direct imaging of nanoscale phase separation in La(0.55)Ca(0.45)MnO(3): relationship to colossal magnetoresistance

A nanoscale phase is known to coincide with colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) in manganites, but its volume fraction is believed to be too small to affect CMR. Here we provide scanning-electron-nanodiffraction images of nanoclusters as they form and evolve with temperature in La(1-x)Ca(x)MnO(3), x = 0.45. They are not doping inhomogeneities, and their structure is that of the bulk compound at x = 0.60, which at low temperatures is insulating. Their volume fraction peaks at the CMR critical temperature and is estimated to be 22% at finite magnetic fields. In view of the known dependence of the nanoscale phase on magnetic fields, such a volume fraction can make a significant contribution to the CMR peak.

Correlation between pN0(mol+) and standard clinico-pathological prognostic factors in SLN of breast cancer patients

Abstract #1025

Objective: To establish the significance of disease detected by reverse transcription polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) in sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) of breast cancer patients.
 Background: In breast cancer patients, the axillary status is the most important prognostic factor. The RT-PCR appeared to be a sensitive method, but the relevance of pN0(mol+) has not yet been established.
 Methods: 674 patients with T1-T3 primary invasive breast cancer were included in a prospective study. SLN were analysed by routine pathology analysis (staging with hematoxylin-eosin – H&E– and immunohistochemistry – IHQ–) and RT-PCR. Correlations between molecular diagnostics and standard clinicopathological prognostic factors, including St. Gallen risk categories were analyzed.
 Results:
 Of the 674 patients, 131 (19.4%) had one or more pathology-positive SLN detected by routine pathological, 137 (20.3%) were exclusive molecular positive - pN0 (mol+) - and 406 (60.2%) were without evidence of disease.
 We evaluated correlation between nodal staging with pathological and molecular analysis and clinicopathological factors in the whole patient cohort. Positive cases were significantly associated with tumor size (p<0.010), histological grade (I-II vs. III) (p<0.048), vascular invasion (p<0.000) and St. Gallen risk category (p<0.003).
 Conclusions: molecular staging of SLN using RT-PCR could serve as a useful complement to standard clinico-pathological risk factors. Correlation between pN0(mol+) patient group with survival rates will define the clinical relevance of lymph node molecular detected micrometastases in this patient population.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 1025.

Coevolution of endogenous betaretroviruses of sheep and their host

Sheep betaretroviruses offer a unique model system to study the complex interaction between retroviruses and their host. Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is a pathogenic exogenous retrovirus and the causative agent of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma. The sheep genome contains at least 27 copies of endogenous retroviruses (enJSRVs) highly related to JSRV. enJSRVs have played several roles in the evolution of the domestic sheep as they are able to block the JSRV replication cycle and play a critical role in sheep conceptus development and placental morphogenesis. Available data strongly suggest that some dominant negative enJSRV proviruses (i.e. able to block JSRV replication) have been positively selected during evolution. Interestingly, viruses escaping the transdominant enJSRV loci have recently emerged (less than 200 years ago). Thus, endogenization of these retroviruses may still be occurring today. Therefore, sheep provide an exciting and unique system to study retrovirus-host coevolution. (Part of a multi-author review).

Direct measurement of the low-temperature spin-state transition in LaCoO3

LaCoO3 exhibits an anomaly in its magnetic susceptibility around 80 K associated with a thermally excited transition of the Co3+-ion spin. We show that electron energy-loss spectroscopy is sensitive to this Co3+-ion spin-state transition, and that the O K edge prepeak provides a direct measure of the Co3+ spin state in LaCoO3 as a function of temperature. Our experimental results are confirmed by first-principles calculations, and we conclude that the thermally excited spin-state transition occurs from a low to an intermediate spin state, which can be distinguished from the high-spin state.

Predicting survival in critical patients by use of body temperature regularity measurement based on approximate entropy

Body temperature is a classical diagnostic tool for a number of diseases. However, it is usually employed as a plain binary classification function (febrile or not febrile), and therefore its diagnostic power has not been fully developed. In this paper, we describe how body temperature regularity can be used for diagnosis. Our proposed methodology is based on obtaining accurate long-term temperature recordings at high sampling frequencies and analyzing the temperature signal using a regularity metric (approximate entropy). In this study, we assessed our methodology using temperature registers acquired from patients with multiple organ failure admitted to an intensive care unit. Our results indicate there is a correlation between the patient's condition and the regularity of the body temperature. This finding enabled us to design a classifier for two outcomes (survival or death) and test it on a dataset including 36 subjects. The classifier achieved an accuracy of 72%.

Fingerprinting petroleum hydrocarbons in plankton and surface sediments during the spring and early summer blooms in the Galician coast (NW Spain) after the Prestige oil spill

Plankton samples (20-350 microm and >350 microm) collected at three transects along the Galician coast (NW Spain) were analysed for individual aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons by GC-MS. Sample collection was performed in April-July 2003, after the Prestige oil spill (November 2002), to determine whether the hydrocarbons released into the water column as a consequence of the spill were accumulated by the planktonic communities during the subsequent spring and early summer blooms. Surface sediments were also collected to assess the presence of the spilled oil, removed from the water column by downward particle transport. Plankton concentrations of PAHs (Sigma14 parent components) were in the range of 25-898 ng g(-1)dw, the highest values being close to coastal urban areas. However, the individual distributions were highly dominated by alkyl naphthalenes and phenanthrenes, paralleling those in the water dissolved fraction. The detailed study of petrogenic molecular markers (e.g. steranes and triterpanes, and methyl phenanthrenes and dibenzothiophenes) showed the occurrence of background petrogenic pollution but not related with the Prestige oil, with the possible exception of the station off Costa da Morte in May 2003, heavily oiled after the accident. The dominant northerly wind conditions during the spring and early summer 2003, which prevented the arrival of fresh oil spilled from the wreck, together with the heavy nature of the fuel oil, which was barely dispersed in seawater, and the large variability of planktonic cycles, could be the factors hiding the acute accumulation of the spilled hydrocarbons. Then, with the above exception, the concentrations of PAHs found in the collected samples, mostly deriving from chronic pollution, can be considered as the reference values for the region.

Electric-field control of exchange bias in multiferroic epitaxial heterostructures

The magnetic exchange between epitaxial thin films of the multiferroic (antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric) hexagonal YMnO3 oxide and a soft ferromagnetic (FM) layer is used to couple the magnetic response of the FM layer to the magnetic state of the antiferromagnetic one. We will show that biasing the ferroelectric YMnO3 layer by an electric field allows control of the magnetic exchange bias and subsequently the magnetotransport properties of the FM layer. This finding may contribute to paving the way towards a new generation of electric-field controlled spintronic devices.

Determination of the strain generated in InAs/InP quantum wires: prediction of nucleation sites

The compositional distribution in a self-assembled InAs(P) quantum wire grown by molecular beam epitaxy on an InP(001) substrate has been determined by electron energy loss spectrum imaging. We have determined the strain and stress fields generated in and around this wire capped with a 5 nm InP layer by finite element calculations using as input the compositional map experimentally obtained. Preferential sites for nucleation of wires grown on the surface of this InP capping layer are predicted, based on chemical potential minimization, from the determined strain and stress fields on this surface. The determined preferential sites for wire nucleation agree with their experimentally measured locations. The method used in this paper, which combines electron energy loss spectroscopy, high-resolution Z contrast imaging, and elastic theory finite element calculations, is believed to be a valuable technique of wide applicability for predicting the preferential nucleation sites of epitaxial self-assembled nano-objects.

Whole-genome array-CGH screening in undiagnosed syndromic patients: old syndromes revisited and new alterations

We report array-CGH screening of 95 syndromic patients with normal G-banded karyotypes and at least one of the following features: mental retardation, heart defects, deafness, obesity, craniofacial dysmorphisms or urogenital tract malformations. Chromosome imbalances not previously detected in normal controls were found in 30 patients (31%) and at least 16 of them (17%) seem to be causally related to the abnormal phenotypes. Eight of the causative imbalances had not been described previously and pointed to new chromosome regions and candidate genes for specific phenotypes, including a connective tissue disease locus on 2p16.3, another for obesity on 7q22.1-->q22.3, and a candidate gene for the 3q29 deletion syndrome manifestations. The other causative alterations had already been associated with well-defined phenotypes including Sotos syndrome, and the 1p36 and 22q11.21 microdeletion syndromes. However, the clinical features of these latter patients were either not typical or specific enough to allow diagnosis before detection of chromosome imbalances. For instance, three patients with overlapping deletions in 22q11.21 were ascertained through entirely different clinical features, i.e., heart defect, utero-vaginal aplasia, and mental retardation associated with psychotic disease. Our results demonstrate that ascertainment through whole-genome screening of syndromic patients by array-CGH leads not only to the description of new syndromes, but also to the recognition of a broader spectrum of features for already described syndromes. Furthermore, on the technical side, we have significantly reduced the amount of reagents used and costs involved in the array-CGH protocol, without evident reduction in efficiency, bringing the method more within reach of centers with limited budgets.

Surgical salvage of pelvic recurrences from colorectal tumors

13580

Background: The morbidity of pelvic recurrences from colorectal tumors (PRCT) represents a challenge for the oncology multidisciplinary team. Surgical treatment is the best option for palliation and in several series it offers long term local control in 30% of the cases. Objective: To perform a retrospective analysis of patients (pts) surgically resected for PRCT in terms of: time to progression after surgical salvage (TP) and specific suvival (SS). Correlatives studies were performed with clinic and pathologic factors, surgical procedures (SP), and postoperative complications in terms of TP and SS. Methods: 64 pts treated (June 1994 - February 2005) were identified (women: 30), median age 63 years, site of the primary: rectum 48, sigmoid 16; Median number of resected nodes: 8 (r: 2 - 20) in pts with negative nodes and 15 (r: 6 - 42) in pts with positive nodes; primary treatment: surgery (S): 22 pts, S + chemotherapy (CT): 18, S + radiotherapy (RT): 4, S + CT/RT: 17, CT + S: 2 pts, QT/RT + CX: 1; in 7/64 a Miles procedure was performed as primary therapy, median disease free interval: 15 months; site of initial recurrence: locoregional 58 (90%), locoregional + systemic 10%. Pain and bleeding were the most frecuent symptoms. Results: The strategy in PRCT was: S: 29 pts, S + RT: 15, S + CT/RT: 9, CT/RT + S: 7, S + CT: 2, CT + S: 1, RT + S:1; IORT: 18/64; external beam RT: 17/64, 6 pts required Miles; type of resection: R0: 50/64 (78%), R1: 8/64 (12%), R2: 3/64 (5%) and 3 (5%) unknown. Median duration of surgery: 4 hours, abscesses and fistulas were the complications most frequently observed. Median time to progression (TP): 12 months, site of recurrence (56/64 pts) post salvage surgery: pelvic: 22 pts, extrapelvic: 6 pts, combined: 10 and unknown 18. Eleven pts are free of disease. In 16 pts more than one surgical salvage was perfomed. The specific survival was 21 months (IC 95% 37 - 61 m). Conclusions: In this serie surgical salvage of PRCT showed one year of local control disease, even in pts with R2 and with moderate morbidity. The surgical decision must be individualized and in the context of a trained surgical team.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Surgical and non-surgical treatment of pulmonary metastases of soft tissue sarcomas

9582

Background: Several reports have shown a prolonged survival after surgery for lung metastases from soft tissue sarcomas (STS). This finding is in contrast with the results from chemotherapy. We performed a retrospective analysis to determine the impact of surgical and non surgical treatment in terms of time to progression (TTP) and disease specific survival (DSS). Methods: A review of 144 patients (pts) with STS treated at a single institution (december 1994-february 2005) was performed. Median age: 45 years old, female 53%. Extremity was the primary site in 54 pts and leiomyosarcoma was the most common histologic type (24%). In 42 pts pulmonary metastases were synchronous. The median disease free interval (DFI) was 11 months. Surgical treatment on the lung lesions was performed in 48 pts (group A), while 96 received medical treatment (group B). Results: Surgery was R0 in 90% of group A pts with only 4 lobectomies and 36 metastasectomies. Nine pts (19%) in this group received neo or adyuvant chemotherapy. The median TTP was 11 months (2–107) and 21 pts (44%) relapse in the lung (8 lung + other site). At the time of this analysis 13 pts (27%) are NED, with a DSS of 24 months for the surgical group. 28% remain alive at 5 years. In a univariate analysis only the number of lung metastases (1 vs 2 or more) was significant for DSS (p=0.05). Group B was treated primarily with chemotherapy being doxorubicin the most common drug used (89%). The RR was 23% with a median TTP of 3 months and a DSS of 12 months (1–98). Conclusions: The present results are similar with previous reports in terms of overall survival. Paliative chemotherapy showed modest activity and surgical treatment remains the only curative treatment modality for pts with lung metastases from STS.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.