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The utilization of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a potential strategy to ameliorate the rhizoremediation effect in the heavy metals (HMs) contaminated soil. In this study, a new heavy metal tolerant PGPR, Sphingomonas sp. PbM2, was isolated from the rhizosphere of maize. The siderophore production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity of PbM2 were superior to that of Novosphingobium sp. CuT1, an HM-tolerant PGPR, while the indole-3-acetic acid productivity of PbM2 was inferior to that of CuT1. The inoculation effect of the PGPR (PbM2 alone or a mixture of PbM2 and CuT1) on the rhizoremediation performance of HM-contaminated soil planted with maize was compared. Cu bioavailability was enhanced with PGPR treatment, while the bioconcentration factor significantly increased or remained steady depending on the HM concentration (200, 500, or 1000 mg/kg-soil) and remediation period (20 or 60 d). PGPR inoculation significantly enhanced soil PGP activity except for siderophores but was not statistically associated with improved plant growth. The dynamics change in the bacterial communities during rhizoremediation was similar for all soil conditions regardless of PGPR inoculation. Network analysis revealed that both the inoculated PGPR and indigenous rhizobacteria contributed to Cu bioavailability and soil PGP activity. These results suggest that the inoculation of PGPR is effective in the remediation performance of contaminated soil in which autogenous PGPR is inhibited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catecholamines regulate the β-adrenoceptor/cyclic AMP-regulated protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway. Deregulation of this pathway can cause apoptotic cell death and is implicated in a range of human diseases, such as neuronal loss during aging, cardiomyopathy and septic shock. The molecular mechanism of this process is, however, only poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that the β-adrenoceptor/cAMP/PKA pathway triggers apoptosis through the transcriptional induction of the pro-apoptotic BH3-only Bcl-2 family member Bim in tissues such as the thymus and the heart. In these cell types, the catecholamine-mediated apoptosis is abrogated by loss of Bim. Induction of Bim is driven by the transcriptional co-activator CBP (CREB-binding protein) together with the proto-oncogene c-Myc. Association of CBP with c-Myc leads to altered histone acetylation and methylation pattern at the Bim promoter site. Our findings have implications for understanding pathophysiology associated with a deregulated neuroendocrine system and for developing novel therapeutic strategies for these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:The purpose of this study was to identify genes that are differentially expressed in chemosensitive serous papillary ovarian carcinomas relative to those expressed in chemoresistant tumours.Methods:To identify novel candidate biomarkers, differences in gene expression were analysed in 26 stage IIIC/IV serous ovarian adenocarcinomas (12 chemosensitive tumours and 14 chemoresistant tumours). We subsequently investigated the immunohistochemical expression of GRIA2 in 48 independent sets of advanced ovarian serous carcinomas.Results:Microarray analysis revealed a total of 57 genes that were differentially expressed in chemoresistant and chemosensitive tumours. Of the 57 genes, 39 genes were upregulated and 18 genes were downregulated in chemosensitive tumours. Five differentially expressed genes (CD36, LIFR, CHL1, GRIA2, and FCGBP) were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of GRIA2 was validated at the protein level by immunohistochemistry, and patients with GRIA2 expression showed a longer progression-free and overall survival (P=0.051 and P=0.031 respectively).Conclusions:We found 57 differentially expressed genes to distinguish between chemosensitive and chemoresistant tumours. We also demonstrated that the expression of GRIA2 among the differentially expressed genes provides better prognosis of patients with advanced serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current technology for conversion of biomass to ethanol is an enzyme-based biochemical process. In bioethanol production, achieving high sugar yield at high solid loading in enzymatic hydrolysis step is important from both technical and economic viewpoints. Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic substrates is affected by many parameters, including an unexplained behavior that the glucan digestibility of substrates by cellulase decreased under high solid loadings. A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate this phenomenon by using Spezyme CP and Avicel as model cellulase and cellulose substrate, respectively. The hydrolytic properties of the cellulase under different substrate concentrations at a fixed enzyme-to-substrate ratio were characterized. The results indicate that decreased sugar yield is neither due to the loss of enzyme activity at a high substrate concentration nor due to the higher end-product inhibition. The cellulase adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies indicated that a decline in the binding capacity of cellulase may explain the long-observed but little-understood phenomenon of a lower substrate digestibility with increased substrate concentration. The mechanism how the enzyme adsorption properties changed at high substrate concentration was also discussed in the context of exploring the improvement of the cellulase-binding capacity at high substrate loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased motility and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells are associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Snai1 and Slug are zinc-finger transcription factors that trigger this process by repressing E-cadherin and enhancing vimentin and N-cadherin protein expression. However, the mechanisms that regulate this activation in pancreatic tumors remain elusive. MUC1, a transmembrane mucin glycoprotein, is associated with the most invasive forms of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDA). In this study, we show that over expression of MUC1 in pancreatic cancer cells triggers the molecular process of EMT, which translates to increased invasiveness and metastasis. EMT was significantly reduced when MUC1 was genetically deleted in a mouse model of PDA or when all seven tyrosines in the cytoplasmic tail of MUC1 were mutated to phenylalanine (mutated MUC1 CT). Using proteomics, RT-PCR and western blotting, we revealed a significant increase in vimentin, Slug and Snail expression with repression of E-Cadherin in MUC1-expressing cells compared with cells expressing the mutated MUC1 CT. In the cells that carried the mutated MUC1 CT, MUC1 failed to co-immunoprecipitate with β-catenin and translocate to the nucleus, thereby blocking transcription of the genes associated with EMT and metastasis. Thus, functional tyrosines are critical in stimulating the interactions between MUC1 and β-catenin and their nuclear translocation to initiate the process of EMT. This study signifies the oncogenic role of MUC1 CT and is the first to identify a direct role of the MUC1 in initiating EMT during pancreatic cancer. The data may have implications in future design of MUC1-targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop improvement in bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flüggé) is limited by apomixis in most natural tetraploids, however, diploid sexual types occur. Production of sexual tetraploids by chromosome doubling will allow hybridization with apomictic tetraploids. Diploid bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum Flüggé) embryogenic callus tissue was exposed to three concentrations of three antimitotic chemical agents, colchicine, oryzalin and trifluralin. Callus was generated to plants and ploidy was evaluated by stomata size, mitotic chromosome counts, and flow cytometry. A total of 310 plants were verified as tetraploid of 1,432 plants that reached transplanting size. All treatments yielded 4 x plants. The mean percentage success over all treatments was 22%, with means of 31% for oryzalin, 24% for colchicine and 16% for trifluralin. The high rates of success indicate that all agents can be successfully used to double chromosome numbers in bahiagrass. The percentage of 4 x plants ranged from 9% (20 μM trifluralin) to 43% (20 μM oryzalin). Several treatments adversely affected regeneration. Mitotic chromosome counts are difficult and labor intensive in bahiagrass. Therefore, leaf stomata measurements were used as a preliminary screen. Data gave a bimodal distribution with overlapping tails and based on chromosome counts would have given an error rate of 12%. Flow cytometry analysis of regenerated plants resulted in mean nucleus fluorescence distributions consistent with control diploid or tetraploid values. These values agreed with chromosome counts, and this method is recommended for determining bahiagrass ploidy level. Research goals and available resources should be taken into consideration when selecting a treatment for chromosome doubling in bahiagrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Biomass Refining Consortium for Applied Fundamentals and Innovation, with members from Auburn University, Dartmouth College, Michigan State University, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of California at Riverside, has developed comparative data on the conversion of corn stover to sugars by several leading pretreatment technologies. These technologies include ammonia fiber expansion pretreatment, ammonia recycle percolation pretreatment, dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment, flowthrough pretreatment (hot water or dilute acid), lime pretreatment, controlled pH hot water pretreatment, and sulfur dioxide steam explosion pretreatment. Over the course of two separate USDA- and DOE-funded projects, these pretreatment technologies were applied to two different corn stover batches, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of the remaining solids from each pretreatment technology using identical enzyme preparations, enzyme loadings, and enzymatic hydrolysis assays. Identical analytical methods and a consistent material balance methodology were employed to develop comparative sugar yield data for each pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. Although there were differences in the profiles of sugar release, with the more acidic pretreatments releasing more xylose directly in the pretreatment step than the alkaline pretreatments, the overall glucose and xylose yields (monomers + oligomers) from combined pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis process steps were very similar for all of these leading pretreatment technologies. Some of the water-only and alkaline pretreatment technologies resulted in significant amounts of residual xylose oligomers still remaining after enzymatic hydrolysis that may require specialized enzyme preparations to fully convert xylose oligomers to monomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods. Newly diagnosed, chemotherapy-naive patients with histologically confirmed NSCLC (measurable stage IIIB/IV NSCLC; Karnofsky performance status, 70–100; adequate bone marrow, renal, hepatic, and cardiac function) were eligible for the study. Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 was administered IV over 1 h, followed immediately by cisplatin 75 mg/m2, given IV over 30 min, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks, for up to six or nine cycles. Results. Thirty-nine patients were enrolled and treated. Their median age was 59 years (range, 32–71 years) and median performance status, 90 (range, 70–100). Histologically, 23 patients (59%) had adenocarcinoma, 12 (30.8%) had squamous cell carcinoma, and 16 patients (41%) had stage IV disease. Thirty-seven patients were eligible for inclusion. In the 39 patients evaluable for safety, significant grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (82%), nausea (10.3%), fatigue (10.3%), and diarrhea (7.7%). Of the 33 patients evaluable for response, 16 patients (48.5%) achieved a partial response and 7 showed progressive disease. Median overall survival time in all eligible patients was 10.5 months. Conclusion. Docetaxel/cisplatin produced promising response rates that compare favorably with those of current standard platinum combinations, with manageable toxicity. Further investigations of this first-line combination in NSCLC are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal management of symptomatic lumbar disc herniations (LDH) remains controversial. This study examines the feasibility and safety of a video-assisted endoscopic intracanalicular technique for managing symptomatic LDH. Methods: From September 1999 to June 2000, we used the current technique, the Vertebroscope System, on 11 patients (six men, five women), aged from 18 to 61 years (mean, 45), who had suffered symptomatic LDH. The disc levels involved were at L4-L5 (n = 8), and L5-S1 (n = 3). The Vertebroscope, which has a 30° viewing angle and a working channel 1.7 cm in diameter, was used for the minimally invasive endoscopic procedures. The mean follow-up period was 12 months (range, 6-15). Results: The operating time ranged from 60 to 335 min (mean, 136.5), and the estimated blood loss during operation was minimal to 200 ml. The mean length of the paramedian skin incisions was 2 cm. No drainage tube was used postoperatively. The mean hospital stay was 3 days (range, 2-5), with five patients discharged on the 1st postoperative day. Complications included one superficial wound infection, one conversion to an open procedure when muscle herniation into the working channel created a technical difficulty in approaching the ligamatum flavum, and one minor tear of the nerve root sleeve that did not require further surgery. In the first five patients studied herein, the mean operating time was significantly longer than that for the later five patients (201 vs 72 min, p <0.001). conclusions: the advantages of the current endoscopic disectomy technique include its minimally invasive character, with less paraspinal muscle trauma, direct address to the lesion site that resembles the open technique, and enhanced operative field visualization with a paramedian skin incision of just 2 cm. practice is needed to perfect such an endoscopic approach for lumbar disc excision, so the operating time decreased significantly as the surgeons became more familiar with this endoscopic technique. it has proved to be safe and effective for treating patients with symptomatic ldh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly available Tracker-325 catheter (Target Therapeutics, Fremont, CA, USA), modified from the Tracker-18 catheter, has the same outer diameter but a larger lumen. This catheter was used in 15 patients during a 7-month period for superselective arterial catheterization when conventional catheters could not be placed successfully. Arterial embolization (n = 7), chemoembolization (n = 5), and chemoinfusion (n = 3), were performed. The increased luminal diameter of the Tracker-325 allowed an increased flow rate for diagnostic arteriography, accommodated larger embolic particles, and improved the ability to achieve a super-selective position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two cases of intraosseous meningioma of the calvaria with hyperostosis are presented and compared with the appearance on plain films and CT of en plaque meningioma, metastatic disease from such primary sites as prostatic cancer, and fibrous dysplasia. It is emphasized that intraosseous meningioma in the calvaria is relatively uncommon, occurring most often in the sphenoid bone (probably because of its numerous articulations). The relationship of the development of intraosseous meningioma to the entrapment of dura containing arachnoid cells is discussed in considering the cause of such lesions, and it is stressed that calvarial fractures and cranial sutures may contribute to the entrapment of arachnoidal tissue and later the formation of a meningioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium ranelate is an effective drug that was developed for treating osteoporosis. Here, we report the case of a 62-year-old woman who developed headache and diffuse scalp hair loss 1 week after receiving strontium ranelate treatment for osteoporosis. The treatment was subsequently stopped because of the intractable headache. Nevertheless, the patient continued to lose hair for 6 weeks following treatment discontinuation. Histopathological analysis of scalp tissues revealed anagen effluvium. The patient's hair started regrowing slowly 2 months after treatment with strontium ranelate was discontinued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coaxial infusion catheter of 3 Fr Teflon and Gore-Tex was developed to facilitate superselective catheterization of cerebral arteries for the delivery of therapeutic agents. The catheter, technique for use, and preliminary results are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five cases, four histologically proven, of hamartoma of the tuber cinereum and hypothalamus in children are reported. The ages of the patients range from 2 to 12 years. Three cases had pubertas praecox, and in all of these the hamartoma was located in the basal cistern between the chiasm and pons and had a collar button shape and size typical of hamartoma of the tuber cinereum. In the third case, a huge calcified mass in the suprasellar region was initially thought to be craniopharyngioma. The fourth case had a hamartoma within the substance of the hypothalamus and presented with hyponatremia and temporal lobe seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image-guided interventional procedures provide a safe way to diagnose and treat a variety of head and neck abnormalities. The procedure time is usually short, and most procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis. Knowledge about strengths and weaknesses, efficacy, potential complications, and pitfalls of these procedures allows the best treatment to be chosen for a particular lesion type. This review discusses some of the commonly performed interventional radiology procedures in a general radiology department in the management of patients with neoplastic diseases in the head and neck region.