Detection of isothermally amplified ostreid herpesvirus 1 DNA in Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) using a miniaturised electrochemical biosensor

Given the threat that ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) poses to shellfish aquaculture, the need for rapid, user-friendly and cost-effective methods to detect this marine pathogen and minimise its impact is evident. In this work, an electrochemical biosensor for the detection of OsHV-1 based on isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) was developed. The system was first tested and optimised on maleimide microtitre plates as a proof-of-concept, before being implemented on miniaturised gold electrodes. Amperometric detection of the isothermally amplified product was achieved through a sandwich hybridisation assay with an immobilised thiolated capture probe and a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labelled reporter probe. Calibration curves were constructed using PCR-amplified OsHV-1 DNA, achieving a limit of detection of 207 OsHV-1 target copies. The biosensor was applied to the analysis of 16 oyster samples from an infectivity experiment, and results were compared with those obtained by qPCR analysis, showing a strong degree of correlation (r = 0.988). The simplicity, rapidity, cost-effectiveness and potential for in-situ testing with the developed biosensor provide a valuable tool for the detection of OsHV-1 in aquaculture facilities, improving their management.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

L’estimulació (convencional) de la medul·la espinal en el tractament del dolor neuropàtic refractari i el dolor isquèmic

Electroestimulació; Mèdul·la espinal; Dolor neuropàtic refractari; Dolor isquèmic crònicElectroestimulación; Médula espinal; Dolor neuropático refractario; Dolor isquémico crónicoElectrostimulation; Spinal cord; Refractory neuropathic pain; Chronic ischemic painLa finalitat d’aquest document és examinar els efectes beneficiosos i adversos de l’estimulació convencional de la medul·la espinal (EME) segons les principals indicacions avaluades (dolor neuropàtic refractari i dolor isquèmic crònic) així com el cost-efectivitat d’aquesta intervenció. Aquest informe recull l’evidència existent sobre els efectes adversos i beneficiosos de l’electroestimulació de la medul·la espinal, la relació cost-efectivitat de la intervenció, així com un examen del seu ús i indicacions actualment al sistema de salut de Catalunya per al tractament del dolor neuropàtic refractari i el dolor isquèmic

The potential anticancer agent PK11195 induces apoptosis irrespective of p53 and ATM status in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

Background and Objectives The potential anticancer agent 1-(2-chlorophenyl-N-methylpropyl)-3-isoquinolinecarboxamide (PK11195), a translocator protein (18KDa) (TSPO) ligand, facilitates the induction of cell death by a variety of cytotoxic and chemotherapeutic agents. Primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells overexpress TSPO. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of PK11195 on CLL cells. Design and Methods Using cytometric analysis, we studied the cytotoxic effects of PK11195 on peripheral B and T lymphocytes from patients with CLL and from healthy donors. Western blot and cytometric analyses were used to study the mitochondrial effects of PK11195 on CLL cells. Moreover, we analyzed the cytotoxic effect of PK11195 in patients' cells with mutated p53 or ATM. Results PK11195 induces apoptosis and had additive effects with chemotherapeutic drugs in primary CLL cells. Other TSPO ligands such as RO 5-4864 and FGIN-1-27 also induce apoptosis in CLL cells. PK11195 induces mitochondrial depolarization and cytochrome c release upstream of caspase activation, and dithiocyana-tostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid (DIDS), a voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) inhibitor, inhibits PK11195-induced apoptosis, demonstrating a direct involvement of mitochondria. CLL cells and normal B cells are more sensitive than T cells to PK11195-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, PK11195 induced apoptosis in CLL cells irrespective of their p53 or ATM status. Interpretation and Conclusions These results suggest that PK11195 alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs might be a new therapeutic option for the treatment of CLL

Colloquium: Mechanical formalisms for tissue dynamics

The understanding of morphogenesis in living organisms has been renewed by tremendous progressin experimental techniques that provide access to cell-scale, quantitative information both on theshapes of cells within tissues and on the genes being expressed. This information suggests that ourunderstanding of the respective contributions of gene expression and mechanics, and of their crucialentanglement, will soon leap forward. Biomechanics increasingly benefits from models, which assistthe design and interpretation of experiments, point out the main ingredients and assumptions, andultimately lead to predictions. The newly accessible local information thus calls for a reflectionon how to select suitable classes of mechanical models. We review both mechanical ingredientssuggested by the current knowledge of tissue behaviour, and modelling methods that can helpgenerate a rheological diagram or a constitutive equation. We distinguish cell scale ("intra-cell")and tissue scale ("inter-cell") contributions. We recall the mathematical framework developpedfor continuum materials and explain how to transform a constitutive equation into a set of partialdifferential equations amenable to numerical resolution. We show that when plastic behaviour isrelevant, the dissipation function formalism appears appropriate to generate constitutive equations;its variational nature facilitates numerical implementation, and we discuss adaptations needed in thecase of large deformations. The present article gathers theoretical methods that can readily enhancethe significance of the data to be extracted from recent or future high throughput biomechanicalexperiments.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figures. This version (26 Sept. 2015) contains a few corrections to the published version, all in Appendix D.2 devoted to large deformation

Bioaccessibility of contaminants of emerging concern in raw and cooked commercial seafood species: insights for food safety risk assessment.

Autoria na publicação: FABIOLA FOGAÇA

Synergistic anti-tumor activity of acadesine (AICAR) in combination with the anti-CD20monoclonal antibody rituximab in in vivo and in vitro models of mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is considered one of the most challenging lymphoma, with limited responses to current therapies. Acadesine, a nucleoside analogue has shown antitumoral effects in different preclinical cancer models as well as in a recent phase I/II clinical trial conducted in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Here we observed that acadesine exerted a selective antitumoral activity in the majority of MCL cell lines and primary MCL samples, independently of adverse cytogenetic factors. Moreover, acadesine was highly synergistic, both in vitro and in vivo, with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab, commonly used in combination therapy for MCL. Gene expression profiling analysis in harvested tumors suggested that acadesine modulates immune response, actin cytoskeleton organization and metal binding, pointing out a substantial impact on metabolic processes by the nucleoside analog. Rituximab also induced changes on metal binding and immune responses.The combination of both drugs enhanced the gene signature corresponding to each single agent, showing an enrichment of genes involved in inflammation, metabolic stress, apoptosis and proliferation. These effects could be important as aberrant apoptotic and proinflammatory pathways play a significant role in the pathogenesis of MCL. In summary, our results suggest that acadesine exerts a cytotoxic effect in MCL in combination with rituximab, by decreasing the proliferative and survival signatures of the disease, thus supporting the clinical examination of this strategy in MCL patients