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Cellular senescence (CS) is increasingly implicated in the etiology of age-related diseases. While CS can facilitate physiological processes such as tissue repair and wound healing, senescent cells also contribute to pathophysiological processes involving macromolecular damage and metabolic dysregulation that characterize multiple morbid and prevalent diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, osteoarthritis, atherosclerotic vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Preclinical studies targeting senescent cells and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) with "senotherapeutics" have demonstrated improvement in age-related morbidity associated with these disease states. Despite promising results from these preclinical trials, few human clinical trials have been conducted. A first-in-human, open-label, pilot study of the senolytic combination of dasatinib and quercetin (DQ) in patients with IPF showed improved physical function and mobility. In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of cellular senescence, its role in age-associated diseases, with a specific focus on IPF, and potential for senotherapeutics in the treatment of fibrotic lung diseases.

This article aims to provide an overview on the diagnosis and management of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). We will focus on the issues surrounding the lack of an international consensus on the diagnosis of HP, and review the existing treatment options for HP. There is emerging international consensus that HP should be classified based on clinical, radiologic, and pathologic features and not solely on disease duration. Environmental assessment and antigen avoidance remains the most important step in managing HP. Antifibrotics may soon become a viable option for chronic HP in the near future. Well-designed prospective controlled studies are underway. Substantial gaps still remain in our understanding of the diagnosis and management of HP. Further research should focus on establishing internationally accepted diagnostic criteria and clinical practice guidelines to aid the clinician in the challenging treatment of patients with HP.

The last two decades have been a period of rapid advancement in our understanding of plant biology and its related developmental processes. This advancement has been facilitated by the adoption of plant models for most of the economically important plant families, as well as the development of enriched genetic, genomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic resources. In recent years, sequencing projects on major crops have further enhanced our understanding of their genomic structure, evolution, gene functions, and, most importantly, this knowledge has been utilized for crop improvement. The Brassicaceae family contains several important research and agricultural species, including the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and economically important Brassica crops that are of great importance to human health and agriculture. Exploiting heterosis for yield enhancement, increasing tolerance against biotic and abiotic factors, and improving nutritional value remain the priorities in Brassica crop improvement. This review summarizes the potential of recently adopted genetic and genomic resources, as well as the basic knowledge obtained from studying the closest model plant A. thaliana, to accelerate the crop improvement programs in Brassica crops.

Critical Zn levels in tissues currently used for the prediction of Zn deficiency in crop plants often fail to explain the anomaly of diminished yield levels in spite of the higher tissue Zn levels, much above the critical Zn levels in crop plants. The study on tissue Zn content, Fe content and tissue Fe/Zn ratios in maize (at the time of appearance of deficiency symptoms-25 day old plants) reveals that the tissue Fe/Zn ratio appears to be a promising diagnostic tool for the prediction of Zn deficiency in crop plants. It also explains the phenomenon of diminished yield levels associated with the high Zn levels often much above the critical Zn levels in crop plants. Correlations between dry matter yields and tissue Fe/Zn ratios were found to be negative and significant. This shows that the yield diminishes as the tissue Fe/Zn ratio increases beyond a certain critical Fe/Zn ratio. Relative per cent yields against the tissue Fe/Zn ratios were plotted using the approach of Cate and Nelson2 which shows that there is a certain critical Fe/Zn ratio in crop plants beyond which there is a hidden Zn deficiency and a probable response to Zn application. Critical Fe/Zn ratio in maize was found to be around 6.0.