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In this study, a novel supramolecular composite, "photogels", was synthesized by mixing of cysteine-silver sol (CSS) and methylene blue (MB). A complex of modern physico-chemical methods of analysis such as viscosimetry, UV spectroscopy, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed that MB molecules are uniformly localized mainly in the space between fibers of the gel-network formed by CSS particles. Molecules of the dye also bind with the surface of CSS particles by non-covalent interactions. This fact is reflected in the appearance of a synergistic anticancer effect of gels against human squamous cell carcinoma even in the absence of light irradiation. A mild toxic influence of hydrogels was observed in normal keratinocyte cells. Photodynamic exposure significantly increased gel activity, and there remained a synergistic effect. The study of free-radical oxidation in cells has shown that gels are not only capable of generating reactive oxygen species, but also have other targets of action. Flow cytometric analysis allowed us to find out that obtained hydrogels caused cell cycle arrest both without irradiation and with light exposure. The obtained gels are of considerable interest both from the point of view of academics and applied science, for example, in the photodynamic therapy of superficial neoplasms.

We studied the recovery of the growth and physiological parameters of Scots pine seedlings after long-term zinc toxicity. The removal of excess zinc from the nutrient solution resulted in the rapid recovery of primary root growth but did not promote the initiation and growth of lateral roots. The recovery of root growth was accompanied by the rapid uptake of manganese, magnesium, and copper. Despite the maximum rate of manganese uptake by the roots, the manganese content in the needles of the recovering plants did not reach control values during the 28 days of the experiment, unlike magnesium, iron, and copper. In general, the recovery of ion homeostasis eliminated all of the negative effects on the photosynthetic pigment content in the needles. However, these changes, along with recovery of the water content in the needles, were not accompanied by an increase in the weight gain of the recovering seedlings compared with that of the Zn-stressed seedlings. The increased accumulation of phenolic compounds in the needles persisted for a long period after excess zinc was removed from the nutrient solution. The decreased lignin content in the roots and needles is a characteristic feature of Zn-stressed plants. Moreover, the removal of excess zinc from the nutrient solution did not lead to an increase in the lignin content in the organs.

Supramolecular hydrogels based on low-molecular-weight compounds are a unique class of so-called "soft" materials, formed by weak non-covalent interactions between precursors at their millimolar concentrations. Due to the variety of structures that can be formed using different low-molecular-weight gelators, they are widely used in various fields of technology and medicine. In this study, we report for the first time an unusual self-assembly process of mixing a hydrosol obtained from L-cysteine and silver nitrate (cysteine-silver sol-CSS) with sodium halides. Modern instrumental techniques such as viscosimetry, UV spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements, SEM and EDS identified that adding fluoride anions to CSS is able to form stable hydrogels of a thixotropic nature, while Cl - , Br - and I - lead to precipitation. The self-assembly process proceeds using a narrow concentration range of F - . An increase in the fluoride anion content in the system leads to a change in the gel network morphology from elongated structures to spherical ones. This fact is reflected in a decrease in the gel viscosity and a number of gel-sol-gel transition cycles. The mechanism of F - 's interaction with hydrosol includes the condensation of anions on the positive surface of the CSS nanoparticles, their binding via electrostatic forces and the formation of a resulting gel carcass. In vitro analysis showed that the hydrogels suppressed human squamous carcinoma cells at a micromolar sample concentration. The obtained soft gels could have potential applications against cutaneous malignancy and as carriers for fluoride anion and other bioactive substance delivery.

Forest trees are subjected to multiple stressors during their long lifetime and therefore require effective and finely regulated stress-protective systems. Stressors can induce protective systems either directly or with the involvement of stress memory mechanisms. Stress memory has only begun to be uncovered in model plants and is unexplored in coniferous species. Therefore, we studied the possible role of stress memory in the regulation of the accumulation of stress-protective compounds (heat shock proteins, dehydrins, proline) in the needles of naturally grown Scots pine and Norway spruce trees subjected to the subsequent action of long-term (multiyear) and short-term (seasonal) water shortages. Although the water deficit was relatively mild, it significantly influenced the pattern of expression of stress memory-related heat shock factor (HSF) and SWI/SNF genes, indicating the formation of stress memory in both species. In spruce, dehydrin accumulation was increased by water shortage in a manner compatible with Type II stress memory. The accumulation of HSP40 in spruce needles was positively influenced by long-term water shortage, but this increase was unlikely to be of biological importance due to the concomitant decrease in HSP70, HSP90 and HSP101 accumulation. Finally, proline accumulation was negatively influenced by short-term water deficit in spruce. In pine, no one protective compound accumulated in response to water stress. Taken together, the results indicate that the accumulation of stress-protective compounds was generally independent of stress memory effects both in pine and in spruce., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Delayed or incomplete recovery of gas exchange after water stress relief limits assimilation in the post-drought period and can thus negatively affect the processes of post-drought recovery. Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation and antagonistic action between ABA and cytokinins (CKs) play an important role in regulation of stomatal conductance under water deficit. Specifically, in pine species, sustained ABA accumulation is thought to be the main cause of delayed post-drought gas exchange recovery, although the role of CKs is not yet known. Therefore, we aimed to study the effects of ABA and CKs on recovery of stomatal conductance in greenhouse-grown 3-year-old Scots pine saplings recovering from water stress. We analysed both changes in endogenous ABA and CK contents and the effects of treatment with exogenous CK on stomatal conductance. Drought stress suppressed stomatal conductance, and post-drought stomatal conductance remained suppressed for 2 weeks after plant rewatering. ABA accumulated during water stress, but ABA levels decreased rapidly after rewatering. Additionally, trans -zeatin/ABA and isopentenyladenine/ABA ratios, which were decreased in water-stressed plants, recovered rapidly in rewatered plants. Spraying plants with 6-benzylaminopurine (0.1-100 µM) did not influence recovery of either stomatal conductance or needle water status. It can be concluded that the delayed recovery of stomatal conductance in Scots pine needles was not due to sustained ABA accumulation or a sustained decrease in the CK/ABA ratio, and CK supplementation was unable to overcome this delayed recovery.

Copper(II) complexes with 2,5-bis(methylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (tda) formulated as [Cu(tda) n X 2 ] (n=2, X=Cl - , Br - , C 2 N 3 - ; n= 1, X=C 2 N 3 - ) have been isolated and fully characterized. The crystal structures of all compounds have been determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). A study of the magnetic susceptibility in the range 1.77-300 K has shown that magnetic properties of the [Cu(tda) 2 Cl 2 ] and [Cu(tda) 2 Br 2 ] complexes match those of 1D chains of antiferromagnetically-coupled Cu 2+ ions. The intrachain interaction J in [Cu(tda) 2 Cl 2 ] turns out to be ∼1.2 times weaker than in its bromide analogue. In its turn, [Cu(tda) 2 (C 2 N 3 ) 2 ] exhibits J being an order of magnitude smaller and of the opposite ferromagnetic sign. Halogen bonding (HB) between adjacent complexes is much stronger than the H-bonds or π-π interactions between tda ligands according to the DFT calculations., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Extracellular vesicles induced by exercise have emerged as potential mediators of tissue crosstalk. Extracellular vesicles and their cargo miRNAs have been linked to dysglycemia and obesity in animal models, but their role in humans is unclear., Aim: The aim of the study was to characterize the miRNA content in plasma extracellular vesicle isolates after acute and long-term exercise and to study associations between extracellular vesicle miRNAs, mRNA expression in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and cardiometabolic risk factors., Methods: Sedentary men with or without dysglycemia and overweight underwent an acute bicycle test and a 12-week exercise intervention with extensive metabolic phenotyping. Gene expression in m. vastus lateralis and subcutaneous adipose tissue was measured with RNA sequencing. Extracellular vesicles were purified from plasma with membrane affinity columns or size exclusion chromatography., Results: Extracellular vesicle miRNA profiling revealed a transient increase in the number of miRNAs after acute exercise. We identified miRNAs, such as miR-652-3p, that were associated to insulin sensitivity and adiposity. By performing explorative association analyses, we identified two miRNAs, miR-32-5p and miR-339-3p, that were strongly correlated to an adipose tissue macrophage signature., Conclusion: Numerous miRNAs in plasma extracellular vesicle isolates were increased by exercise, and several miRNAs correlated to insulin sensitivity and adiposity. Our findings warrant future studies to characterize exercise-induced extracellular vesicles and cargo miRNA to clarify where exercise-induced extracellular vesicles originate from, and to determine whether they influence metabolic health or exercise adaptation., (© 2022 The Authors. Acta Physiologica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Physiological Society.)

Manganese deficiency is a serious plant nutritional disorder, resulting in the loss of crop productivity in many parts of the world. Despite the progress made in the study of angiosperms, the demand for Mn in gymnosperms and the physiological responses to Mn deficiency remain unexplored. We studied the influence of Mn deficiency for 24 weeks on Pinus sylvestris L. seedling growth, ion homeostasis, pigment contents, lipid peroxidation, chlorophyll fluorescence indices and the transcript levels of photosynthetic genes and genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis. It was shown that Mn-deficient plants demonstrated suppressed growth when the Mn content in the needles decreased below 0.34 µmol/g DW. The contents of photosynthetic pigments decreased when the Mn content in the needles reached 0.10 µmol/g DW. Mn deficiency per se did not lead to a decrease in the nutrient content in the organs of seedlings. Photoinhibition of PSII was observed in Mn-deficient plants, although this was not accompanied by the development of oxidative stress. Mn-deficient plants had an increased transcript abundance of genes ( psbO , psbP , psbQ , psbA and psbC ), encoding proteins directly associated with the Mn cluster also as other proteins involved in photosynthesis, whose activities do not depend on Mn directly. Furthermore, the transcript levels of the genes encoding the large subunit of Rubisco, light-dependent NADPH-protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase and subunits of light-independent protochlorophyllide reductase were also increased in Mn-deficient plants.

The tight connection between the deterioration of xylem function and plant mortality under drought is well recognized. However, a lack of mechanistic understanding of how substantial conductivity loss influences plant performance under drought and during post-drought recovery hinders our ability to model tree responses to drought stress. We artificially induced a loss of 50% of xylem conducting area in Scots pine and Norway spruce saplings by stem notching and investigated plant performance under drought and during post-drought recovery. Plant mortality, xylem hydraulic conductivity, leaf water status and stomatal conductance were measured. We observed no preferential mortality of top plant parts (above the notches) compared to basal plant parts (below the notches), and no consistent trend in hydraulic conductivity loss was observed between top and basal parts of dying plants. Stem hydraulic conductivity, water status of the needles and stomatal conductance changed similarly between the top and basal parts during drought and post-drought recovery, which indicated the substantial hydraulic overcapacity of the stems. The recovery of stomatal conductance demonstrated prominent hysteresis due to non-hydraulic stomatal limitations. The results obtained are highly important for modelling the influence of plant hydraulic impairment on plant performance under drought and during post-drought recovery., (© 2022 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

The deterioration of plant mineral nutrition during drought is a significant factor in the negative influence of drought on plant performance. We aimed to study the effects of seasonal and multiyear water shortages on nutrient supply and demand in Scots pine and Norway spruce. We studied pine and spruce trees naturally grown in the Bryansk region (Russia). The dynamics of several nutrients (K, Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Ca) in wood, needles, and bark of current-year twigs and the dynamics of the available pools of these elements at different soil depths were analysed. To assess the physiological consequences of changes in element concentrations, lipid peroxidation products and photosynthetic pigments were measured in the needles. Water shortage increased the wood concentrations of all elements except for Mn. In pine, this increase was mainly due to seasonal water deficit, whereas in spruce, multiyear differences in water supply were more important. This increased availability of nutrients was not observed in soil-based analyses. In needles, quite similar patterns of changes were found between species, with Mg increasing almost twofold and Fe and Mn decreasing under water shortage, whereas the remainder of the elements did not change much under differing water supplies. Neither the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments nor the contents of lipid peroxidation products correlated with element dynamics in needles. In summary, water shortage increased the availability of all elements except Mn for the plant; however, needle element contents were regulated independently of element availability for plants.

The present article reports the in situ preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) homogeneously distributed in the gel matrix formed using only L-cysteine (CYS) as a bio-reducing agent. The physicochemical methods of analysis confirmed the formation of a gel-network from aggregates consisting of spherical/elliptical cystine-stabilized AgNPs (core) and cysteine/Ag + complexes (shell) regardless of the used silver salt - AgNO 3 , AgNO 2 or AgOOCCH 3 . CYS/AgNO 3 and CYS/AgOOCCH 3 aqueous solution systems needed the addition of electrolytes (Cl - and SO 4 2- ) for the gelation process, but the gel-formation in CYS/AgNO 2 occurred in one stage without any additional components. The AgNP sizes were about 1-5 nm in diameter for CYS/AgNO 3 , 5-10 nm for CYS/AgOOCCH 3 and 20-40 nm for CYS/AgNO 2 systems. The zeta-potential values varied from +60 mV for CYS/AgNO 3 to +25 mV for the CYS/AgNO 2 system. The MTT-test showed that the obtained composites suppressed the MCF-7 breast cancer cells and the CYS/AgNO 3 system possessed the highest activity. Flow cytofluorimetry confirmed that the cell death occurred by apoptosis and this effect was the strongest for the CYS/AgNO 3 system. All systems were non-toxic to fibroblast cells. The novel simplest "green chemistry" approach, combining the knowledge of organic, inorganic, physical and supramolecular chemistry could open possibilities for the creation of the newest soft gel materials used in various fields of our life.

Effects of irradiation with visible light on the process of self-assembly in an aqueous l-cysteine-silver solution (CSS) and hydrogels based on were investigated using a set of physico-chemical methods. It was found that the exposure to light of CSS and hydrogels based on l-cysteine and silver acetate colors them firstly into yellow and subsequently to brown, which is due to the plasmon resonance of free electrons at the surface of resulting silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). A mechanism involving participation of AgNPs was proposed for the self-assembly in CSS and hydrogel., (© Springer Science+Business Media LLC 2022.)

We report a new and the most simple strategy for the synthesis of silver molybdate functional composite microspheres based on low molecular weight gelators -amino acids, silver salts and heptamolybdate ions. The resulting material shows a high photocatalytic activity with respect to the methylene blue dye degradation at neutral pH.

The toxic effects of heavy metals pose a significant threat to the productivity and stability of forest ecosystems. Changes in the agrochemical properties of polluted forest soils due to global climate changes can increase the bioavailability of previously immobilized heavy metals. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of short-term shock exposure to ZnSO 4 (50, 150, 300 μM) or CuSO 4 (2.5, 5, 10 μM) in hydroculture on 4- to 6-week-old seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with well-developed root systems. The effects of the excess heavy metals on mineral nutrients and the functioning of low-molecular-weight antioxidants and glutathione in protecting plants from oxidative damage were studied. Even short-term exposure to exogenous metals led to their rapid accumulation in the root system and their subsequent transport to aboveground organs. An increase in the 4-hydroxyalkenals content in seedling needles exposed to excess Cu led to an increase in the content of proanthocyanidins and catechins, which act as scavengers of reactive oxygen species. The impact of both metals led to the rapid development of mineral nutrient imbalances in the seedlings, which were most pronounced in the presence of excess Zn. Exposure to excess Zn led to a disruption in the translocation of Fe and a decrease in the Fe content in the needles. The most dramatic consequence of Zn exposure was the development of Mn deficiency in the roots, which was the likely cause of the inhibition of phenolic compound synthesis. A deficiency in phenolic compounds can have serious environmental consequences for pine populations that are at risk of contamination by Zn and Cu salts.

The aim of this multi-center retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence of hyperprogressive disease (HPD) after second-line treatment with pembrolizumab in patients (n = 167) with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors expressed programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in ≥ 1% and to search for hematological and imaging biomarkers associated with its development. Prior to chemotherapy, neutrophil : lymphocyte ratio (NLR1) and platelet : lymphocyte ratio (PLR1), and prior to immunotherapy, NLR2 and PLR2 were retrospectively analyzed. The psoas major muscle area (PMMA) was calculated at the L3 position on computed tomography before chemotherapy (PMMA1) and before immunotherapy (PMMA2) (n = 112). Patients with ∆PMMA (1-PMMA2/PMMA1) × 100 ≥ 10% were considered to have sarcopenia (low muscle mass). After treatment with pembrolizumab on the first computerized tomography (CT) scan evaluation, patients were subdivided as follows as: hyperprogressors (HPs), progressors (Ps), non-progressors (NPs) and pseudoprogressors (PPs). HPs had significantly higher ∆PMMA levels, NLR2 and PLR2 than the other patients. Moreover, in multinomial logistic regression analysis, higher levels of ∆PMMA were associated with a decreased likelihood of being a P [odds ratio (OR) = 0·81; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0·65-0·99; P = 0·047] or an NP (OR = 0·76; 95% CI = 0·62-0·94; P = 0·012) versus an HP. Higher NLRs tended to decrease the likelihood of being a P versus an HP (OR = 0·66; 95% CI = 0·42-1·06; P = 0·09) and significantly decreased the likelihood of being an NP versus an HP (OR = 0·44; 95% CI = 0·28-0·69; P < 0·0001). Our data suggest that a high pre-immunotherapy NLR2 and the presence of sarcopenia are potential risk factors for the development of HPD., (© 2020 British Society for Immunology.)

We report a new supramolecular hydrogel based on simple amino acids and silver salt compounds with low molecular weights. The in situ formation of silver nanoparticles during the self-assembly process endows the hydrogel with high cytotoxicity towards adenocarcinoma breast cells but no toxic effects towards embryonic fibroblasts.

The paper presents scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies on the magnetic domain structure (DS) using magnetic colloid. The possibility of colloid-SEM method for observing the DS of mono- and polycrystalline samples in the secondary (SEI) and backscattered electrons modes (BEC) is demonstrated. Owing to the large focal depth of SEM, it is possible to observe the overall DS and fine features, even in unpollished samples., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this multicentric retrospective study is to evaluate the predictive and prognostic performance of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and their dynamics in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with pembrolizumab as a second line. Patients with metastatic NSCLC (n = 119), whose tumors expressed programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) ≥ 1%, were retrospectively analyzed between Apr 2017 and Apr 2019. All patients received platinum-containing chemotherapy as a first line treatment. Pre-treatment NLR was calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by the number of lymphocytes in peripheral blood before the first pembrolizumab infusion. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was compared by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox Proportional Hazard model. Patients with NLR > 5 before immunotherapy showed significantly shorter mean PFS of 6.86 months (95% CI: 5.81-7.90) as compared to those with NLR ≤ 5 of 18.82 months (95% CI: 15.87-21.78) (long rank test p < 0.001). Furthermore in the multivariate analysis, only NLR > 5 was an independent predictive factor for shorter PFS (HR: 4.47, 95% CI: 2.20-9.07, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, presence of bone metastases (HR: 2.08, 95% CI: 1.10-4.94, p = 0.030), NLR > 5 before chemotherapy (HR: 8.09, 95% CI: 2.35-27.81, p = 0.001) and high PLR before chemotherapy (HR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.13-6.97, p = 0.025) were found to be independent negative prognostic factors for poor OS. Our data suggests that NLR ≤ 5 is a potential predictive marker, which may identify patients appropriate for immunotherapy as a second line treatment.

The development of the method of high-intensity implantation of low-energy ions requires the design of an efficient system for generating high-intensity ion beams of various elements with a current density of tens and hundreds of milliamperes per square centimeter with ion energies not exceeding some kiloelectronvolt. This paper considers the regularities of formation of high-intensity beams of nitrogen ions and argon and mixed beams of argon and hydrogen ions in spherical and cylindrical grid systems with ballistic focusing of the ion beam. The studies were carried out with the plasma-immersion formation of repetitively pulsed ion beams with duration from units to hundreds of microseconds and a pulse frequency of up to 10 5 pulses/s with negative bias potentials in the range from 0.6 to 3 kV. The possibility of stable formation of gas ion beams with an ion current density of up to 0.7 A/cm 2 is demonstrated.

We investigated the long-term impact of the largest Russian cement plant on mesopodzol sandy soils and Scots pine stands. We determined the distributions of the total and available pools of Ca, Mg, K, Na, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb and Cd in the soil profile to a depth of 60 cm (illuvial horizon) as well as the accumulation patterns of these elements in the vegetative and generative organs of Scots pine trees. High Ca accumulation in the impact zone soils was a result of CaO emissions by a cement plant. Also, CaO became the main cause of soil profile alkalization due to neutralization of soil acids and formation of calcium hydroxide or carbonates. Alkalization immobilized substantial amounts of Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni in the soil, reducing their availability. The most prominent effect of long-term cement production was a prominent Mn deficiency in vegetative and generative Scots pine organs due to the exhaustion of the available Mn pool in the illuvial horizon. The miniaturization of cones, a decrease in seed yield and a reduction in seed germinability were observed in the emission impact zones. Pretreatment of Mn-deficient seeds with manganese eliminated Mn deficiency but did not increase seed germination., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters of 6-week-old seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were studied under deficiency (1.2 nM) and chronic exposure to copper (0.32, 1, 2.5, 5, and 10 μM CuSO4) in hydroculture. The deposit of copper in the seed allowed the seedlings to develop under copper deficiency without visible disruption of growth. The high sensitivity of Scots pine to the toxic effects of copper was shown, which manifested as a significant inhibition of growth and development. The loss of dominance of the main root and a strong inhibition of lateral root development pointed to a lack of adaptive reorganization of the root system architecture under copper excess. A preferential accumulation of copper in the root and a minor translocation in aerial organs confirmed that Scots pine belongs to a group of plants that exclude copper. Selective impairment in the absorption of manganese was discovered, under both deficiency and excess of copper in the nutrient solution, which was independent of the degree of development of the root system. Following 10 μM CuSO4 exposure, the absorption of manganese and iron from the nutrient solution was completely suppressed, and the development of seedlings was secured by the stock of these micronutrients in the seed. The absence of signs of oxidative stress in the seedling organs was shown under deficiency and excess of copper, as evidenced by the steady content of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals. Against this background, no changes in total superoxide dismutase activity in the organs of seedlings were revealed, and the increased content of low-molecular-weight antioxidants was observed in the roots under 1 μM and in the needles under 5 μM CuSO4 exposures.

The 6-week-old seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) showed high sensitivity to chronic exposure to zinc in hydroculture, which manifested in a significant inhibition of growth. Changes in the architecture of the root system and the suppression of its growth were shown to be the most striking effects of the toxic effect of zinc. Based on the data relating to the accumulation of zinc predominantly in the root system (by up to 35 times at 300 μM ZnSO4) and to the reduction in its translocation into the aerial organs, we concluded that P. sylvestris is related to a group of plants that exclude zinc. The seedlings developed a manganese deficiency (revealed by a reduction in Mn content in the roots and needles of up to 3.5 times at 300 μM ZnSO4) but not an iron deficiency (revealed by an increase in iron content of up to 23.7% in the roots and up to 42.3% in the needles at average). The absence of signs of oxidative stress under the effect of the zinc was detected as evidenced by the reduction in the content of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals in the seedling organs. The leading role of low molecular weight antioxidants in the prevention of oxidative stress in the seedling organs was suggested. Under the influence of zinc, a significant increase in the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity of ethanol extracts of the seedling organs was found, which was caused by an increase in the total content of (+)-catechin and proanthocyanidins., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: About 3885 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 1285 die from the disease each year in Bulgaria. However no genetic testing to identify the mutations in high-risk families has been provided so far., Methods: We evaluated 200 Bulgarian women with primary invasive breast cancer and with personal/ family history of breast cancer for the presence of unequivocally damaging germline mutations in BRCA1/2 using Sanger sequencing., Results: Of the 200 patients, 39 (19.5 %) carried a disease predisposing mutation, including 28 (14 %) with a BRCA1 mutation and 11 (5.5 %) with a BRCA2 mutation. At BRCA1, 6 different mutations were identified, including 2 frameshifts, 1 nonsense and 1 missense that had been previously reported (c.5030&#95;5033delCTAA, c.5263&#95;5264insC, c.4603G > T, c.181 T > G), and 2 frameshifts, which were novel to this study (c.464delA, c.5397&#95;5403delCCCTTGG). At BRCA2, 7 different frameshift mutations were identified, including 5 previously reported (5851&#95;5854delAGTT, c.5946delT, c.5718&#95;5719delCT, c.7910&#95;7914delCCTTT,c.9098&#95;9099insA) and 2 novel (c.8532&#95;8533delAA, c.9682delA). A BRCA1 mutation was found in 18.4 % of women diagnosed with breast cancer at/or under the age of 40 compared to 11.2 % of women diagnosed at a later age; a BRCA2 mutation was found in 4 % of women diagnosed at/or under the age of 40 compared to 6.5 % of women diagnosed at a later age. A mutation was present in 26.8 % patients with a positive family history and in 14.4 % of women with a negative family history. The most prevalent mutation observed in 22 patients (11 %) was BRCA1 c.5263&#95;5264insC, a known Slavic mutation with founder effect in Eastern European and AJ communities. Other recurrent mutations were BRCA2 c.9098-9099insA (2 %), BRCA1 c.181T > G (1 %) and BRCA2 c.5851&#95;5854delAGTT (1 %). Notably, BRCA1 c.5263&#95;5264insC represented 56 % of all mutations identified in this series. Of the 22 patients with BRCA1 c.5263&#95;5264insC, 9 were diagnosed with early onset breast cancer, 11 with TNBCs, 4 with bilateral breast cancer, and 6 with both breast and ovarian cancer., Conclusions: This is the first comprehensive study of the BRCA1/2 mutation spectrum in Bulgaria and will assist the establishment of efficient protocols for genetic testing and individualized risk assessment for Bulgarian breast/ovarian cancer patients and healthy individuals at a high-risk.

Biofouling is a serious problem in marine aquaculture and it has a number of negative impacts including increased forces on aquaculture structures and reduced water exchange across nets. This in turn affects the behavior of fish cages in waves and currents and has an impact on the water volume and quality inside net pens. Even though these negative effects are acknowledged by the research community and governmental institutions, there is limited knowledge about fouling related effects on the flow past nets, and more detailed investigations distinguishing between different fouling types have been called for. This study evaluates the effect of hydroids, an important fouling organism in Norwegian aquaculture, on the forces acting on net panels. Drag forces on clean and fouled nets were measured in a flume tank, and net solidity including effect of fouling were determined using image analysis. The relationship between net solidity and drag was assessed, and it was found that a solidity increase due to hydroids caused less additional drag than a similar increase caused by change in clean net parameters. For solidities tested in this study, the difference in drag force increase could be as high as 43% between fouled and clean nets with same solidity. The relationship between solidity and drag force is well described by exponential functions for clean as well as for fouled nets. A method is proposed to parameterize the effect of fouling in terms of an increase in net solidity. This allows existing numerical methods developed for clean nets to be used to model the effects of biofouling on nets. Measurements with other types of fouling can be added to build a database on effects of the accumulation of different fouling organisms on aquaculture nets.

Different types of chromosome aberration were observed in mouse bone-marrow cells after treatment with 4-bromo-N,N-diethyl-5,5-dimethyl-2,5-dihydro-1,2-oxaphosphol-2-amine 2-oxide (Br-oxaphosphole, Br-oxph) in a previous study. The aim of the present study is to perform a comparative analysis of these chromosomal damages observed with light microscopy (LM) and by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The kinds of aberrations scored by LM were substantially corrected by images at the ultrastructural level. The AFM analysis excluded 29.0% of gaps and 33.3% of fusion-type aberrations. On the other hand, AFM revealed the presence of aberrations that were not visible under the LM. This indicates that only AFM images would provide precise information about the real nature of chromosomal damages. The results of our study revealed that the 'real gaps' represented about 50% of all the gaps visible under LM. Excluded 'false gaps' were detected via AFM as breaks or decondensed chromosome regions. These results would support the statement that gaps must be included when testing genotoxicity. The ultrastructural analysis also confirmed the validity of using LM in the mouse bone-marrow chromosome aberration test, as a tool for detecting genotoxicity of chemicals in routine studies. When there is a need for precise evaluation of chromosome damage, only AFM images can provide information on specific genotoxic effects., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A new cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase, EC 2.4.1.19) from an alkaliphilic halotolerant Bacillus pseudalcaliphilus 8SB was studied in respect to its γ-cyclizing activity. An efficient conversion of a raw corn starch into only two types of cyclodextrins (β- and γ-CD) was achieved by the purified enzyme. Crude enzyme obtained by ultrafiltration was purified up to fivefold by starch adsorption with a recovery of 62% activity. The enzyme was a monomer with a molecular mass 71 kDa estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and native PAGE. The CGTase exhibited two pH optima, at pH 6.0 and 8.0, and was at most active at 60 °C and pH 8.0. The enzyme retained more than 80% of its initial activity in a wide pH range, from 5.0 to 11.0. The CGTase was strongly inhibited by 15 mM Cu(2+), Fe(2+), Ag(+), and Zn(2+), while some metal ions, such as Ca(2+), Na(+), K(+), and Mo(7+), exerted a stimulating effect in concentration of 5 mM. The important feature of the studied CGTase was its high thermal stability: the enzyme retained almost 100% of its initial activity after 2 h of heating at 40-60 °C; its half-life was 2 h at 70 °C in the presence of 5 mM Ca(2+). The achieved 50.7% conversion of raw corn starch into 81.6% β- and 18.4% γ-CDs after 24 h enzyme reaction at 60 °C and pH 8.0 makes B. pseudalcaliphilus 8SB CGTase industrially important enzyme for cyclodextrin production.