Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees.

Premise of the studyField methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes.Methods and resultsLiving trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness.ConclusionsSonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees

Synthesis of structurally simplified analogues of Aplidinone A, a pro-apoptotic marine thiazinoquinone.

The synthesis of analogues of aplidinone A (7), a prenylated quinone isolated from the Mediterranean ascidian Aplidium conicum, has been performed. This work not only allowed confirming the structural assignment of aplidinone A, previously made with the support of GIAO shielding calculations, but, above all, made a series of structurally related quinone derivatives (compounds 8-13 and the natural metabolite) available for a screening in vitro for cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity and for SAR studies. The study evidenced one of the synthetic analogues (11) as a potent cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic agent against several tumor cell lines which also inhibits the TNF alpha-induced NF-kappa B activation in a human leukemia T cell line. This exemplifies the potential of a natural product to qualify as lead structure for medicinal chemistry campaigns, affording simplified analogues with better bioactivity and easier to synthesize. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Field methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Living trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness. CONCLUSIONS: Sonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees.

Field methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes. Living trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness. Sonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees

Use of sonic tomography to detect and quantify wood decay in living trees

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Field methodology and image analysis protocols using acoustic tomography were developed and evaluated as a tool to estimate the amount of internal decay and damage of living trees, with special attention to tropical rainforest trees with irregular trunk shapes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Living trunks of a diversity of tree species in tropical rainforests in the Republic of Panama were scanned using an Argus Electronic PiCUS 3 Sonic Tomograph and evaluated for the amount and patterns of internal decay. A protocol using ImageJ analysis software was used to quantify the proportions of intact and compromised wood. The protocols provide replicable estimates of internal decay and cavities for trees of varying shapes, wood density, and bark thickness. CONCLUSIONS: Sonic tomography, coupled with image analysis, provides an efficient, noninvasive approach to evaluate decay patterns and structural integrity of even irregularly shaped living trees

European e-Delphi process to define expert consensus on electrochemotherapy treatment indications, procedural aspects, and quality indicators in melanoma

The application of electrochemotherapy in patients with melanoma lacks consensus regarding treatment indications, procedural aspects, and quality indicators. A large European expert panel engaged in a Delphi process, and provided consensus recommendations on patient selection criteria, procedural aspects of electrochemotherapy, and quality indicators with benchmarks to improve future research and current clinical practice.Lay summary Electrochemotherapy is an effective locoregional therapy for skin metastases from melanoma, a problem faced by almost half of patients with metastatic disease. The lack of comparative studies and the heterogeneity of its clinical application among centres make it challenging to support consistent, evidence-based recommendations. To address this unmet need, a three-round online survey was conducted to establish a consensus on treatment indications, standard operating procedures, and quality indicators. In the survey, a panel of 100 European melanoma experts agreed on 56 statements that can be used to improve patient selection, homogenize treatment application, and monitor outcomes.Background Skin metastases are an important co-morbidity in melanoma. Despite broad adoption, electrochemotherapy implementation is hindered by a lack of treatment indications, uncertainty regarding procedural aspects, and the absence of quality indicators. An expert consensus may harmonize the approach among centres and facilitate comparison with other therapies. Methods An interdisciplinary panel was recruited for a three-round e-Delphi survey. A literature-based 113-item questionnaire was proposed to 160 professionals from 53 European centres. Participants rated each item for relevance and degree of agreement on a five-point Likert scale, and received anonymous controlled feedback to allow revision. The items that reached concordant agreement in two successive iterations were included in the final consensus list. In the third round, quality indicator benchmarks were defined using a real-time Delphi method. Results The initial working group included 122 respondents, of whom 100 (82 per cent) completed the first round, thus qualifying for inclusion in the expert panel (49 surgeons, 29 dermatologists, 15 medical oncologists, three radiotherapists, two nurse specialists, two clinician scientists). The completion rate was 97 per cent (97 of 100) and 93 per cent (90 of 97) in the second and third rounds respectively. The final consensus list included 54 statements with benchmarks (treatment indications, (37); procedural aspects, (1); quality indicators, (16)). Conclusion An expert panel achieved consensus on the use of electrochemotherapy in melanoma, with a core set of statements providing general direction to electrochemotherapy users to refine indications, align clinical practices, and promote quality assurance programmes and local audits. The residual controversial topics set future research priorities to improve patient care