STUDIES REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION OF POTATO VIRUS Y (PVY) TROUGH SEVERAL MECHANICAL MEANS

The aim of this studies was to investigate the transmission of PVY strains PVYo, PVYN, PVYNTN, via tuber cutting and plant treated in susceptible cultivars. For the tuber cutting experiment, after one infected tuber was cut with a knife, four uninfected tubers were cut sequentially with the same instrument without disinfecting it between the cuts. In the other experiments, the virus transmission from infected to healthy plants was made by bouncing, brushing, hammering, squeezing and carborundum rubbing treatments. These treatments allowed exchange of sap between the healthy and infected material. Results revelead that seed cutting did not transmit the pathogen, whereas the other plant treatments caused varying level of PVY transmission, depending on the experiments variant. Plant bouncing was the least effective whereas hammering was the most effective variant

Inhaled dry salt micro particles in the treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a five case series report

Background. Despite current medical advances, to this day there is no single medical intervention to effectively prevent or treat bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in both preterm and term infants. Along with protective ventilation strategies, various drugs are being used or are being researched at this very moment, with the sole purpose of improving the general outcome for these patients. Inhaled dry salt micro particles therapy is now one of them. Materials and methods. This report presents five patients, diagnosed with severe BPD. All of them received, complementary to classical BPD management and respiratory support, continuous inhaled dry salt micro particles, via SaltMed cartridges, for a period of 12 to 30 days. After only 24 hours of administration, we were able to observe a significant improvement in respiratory function and dynamics. It was possible to use a lower fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), mean airway pressure (MAP) and peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) in all mechanically ventilated patients. Higher tidal volumes were recorded and we observed improvement in oxygenation indexes. Conclusion. Continuously inhaled dry salt micro particles, administered complementary to classic BPD management, could improve respiratory and overall morbidity and mortality in infants with any form of BPD. Further study of these possible effects is needed, as there is no data published on this matter so far

STUDY ON THE CULINARY AND TECHNOLOGICAL QUALITY APPRECIATION OF NEW VARIETIES OF POTATO OBTAINED AT NIRDPSB BRASOV

This study, conducted during 2015-2016 at NIRDPSB Brasov, was initiated in need of acquiring information on new potato varieties created in the institute and pursued their culinary and technological quality appreciation. The biological material analyzed is represented by potato varieties with improved genetic characteristics, both in terms of cultural qualities as well as resistance to diseases and pests.The culinary and technological quality of a potato variety must satisfy the requirements necessary to obtain raw material suitable for the purpose of use. The culinary quality was established by assessing the traits of overall appearance of tubers boiled, taste, crushing on boiling, pulp consistency, mealiness, pulp moisture, structure of starch granules, pulp color, tuber after-cooking darkening. The technological quality was determined by measuring the tuber starch content and establishing the suitability for processing into chips

Voltage-gated sodium channels potentiate the invasive capacities of human non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines.

Ionic channel activity is involved in fundamental cellular behaviour and participates in cancerous features such as proliferation, migration and invasion which in turn contribute to the metastatic process. In this study, we investigated the expression and role of voltage-gated sodium channels in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines. Functional voltage-gated sodium channels expression was investigated in normal and non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines. The measurement, in patch-clamp conditions, of tetrodotoxin-inhibitable sodium currents indicated that the strongly metastatic cancerous cell lines H23, H460 and Calu-1 possess functional sodium channels while normal and weakly metastatic cell lines do not. While all the cell lines expressed mRNA for numerous sodium channel isoforms, only H23, H460 and Calu-1 cells had a 250 kDa protein corresponding to the functional channel. The other cell lines also had another protein of 230 kDa which is not addressed to the membrane and might act as a dominant negative isoform to prevent channel activation. At the membrane potential of these cells, channels are partially open. This leads to a continuous entry of sodium, disrupting sodium homeostasis and down-stream signaling pathways. Inhibition of the channels by tetrodotoxin was responsible for a 40-50% reduction of in vitro invasion. These experiments suggest that the functional expression of voltage-gated sodium channels might be an integral component of the metastatic process in non-small-cell lung cancer cells probably through its involvement in the regulation of intracellular sodium homeostasis. These channels could serve both as novel markers of the metastatic phenotype and as potential new therapeutic targets

Pharmacological and nutritional targeting of voltage-gated sodium channels in the treatment of cancers

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Cell-based screen for altered nuclear phenotypes reveals senescence progression in polyploid cells after Aurora kinase B inhibition.

Cellular senescence is a widespread stress response and is widely considered to be an alternative cancer therapeutic goal. Unlike apoptosis, senescence is composed of a diverse set of subphenotypes, depending on which of its associated effector programs are engaged. Here we establish a simple and sensitive cell-based prosenescence screen with detailed validation assays. We characterize the screen using a focused tool compound kinase inhibitor library. We identify a series of compounds that induce different types of senescence, including a unique phenotype associated with irregularly shaped nuclei and the progressive accumulation of G1 tetraploidy in human diploid fibroblasts. Downstream analyses show that all of the compounds that induce tetraploid senescence inhibit Aurora kinase B (AURKB). AURKB is the catalytic component of the chromosome passenger complex, which is involved in correct chromosome alignment and segregation, the spindle assembly checkpoint, and cytokinesis. Although aberrant mitosis and senescence have been linked, a specific characterization of AURKB in the context of senescence is still required. This proof-of-principle study suggests that our protocol is capable of amplifying tetraploid senescence, which can be observed in only a small population of oncogenic RAS-induced senescence, and provides additional justification for AURKB as a cancer therapeutic target.This work was supported by the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK, Hutchison Whampoa; Cancer Research UK grants A6691 and A9892 (M.N., N.K., C.J.T., D.C.B., C.J.C., L.S.G, and M.S.); a fellowship from the Uehara Memorial Foundation (M.S.).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Society for Cell Biology via http://dx.doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E15-01-000