Expression of the gene encoding secretor type galactoside 2 ? fucosyltransferase (FUT2) and ABH antigens in patients with oral lesions

Objective: The aim of this work was to evaluate the expression of FUT2 gene in saliva and histo ABH antigens of patients with oral lesions. Study Design: In total 178 subjects were examined, half of whom suffered from oral pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions, while the other half were the healthy control group We analyzed the FUT 2 polymorphism by ASO-PCR (allele specific oligonucleotid - polymerase chain reaction) with specific primers for G428 allele and the wild type allele of FUT2 gene. To reveal A, B and H antigens in tissue sections of the patients (n= 89) we used a modified specific red cell adherence technique. Results: We found a high intensity of oral disease in the non-secretor group (OR = 2.43). A total of 58% of the patients with oral pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions was non secretors (se_/_), in contrast with the healthy population (21.5%). A strongly positive reaction was defined as a sheet of indicator erythrocytes adhered to the epithelial cells. In 31 of the 54 samples analyzed the test showed slightly positive results on atypical areas, and there was a complete antigen deletion in areas affected by neoplasia. Nineteen samples showed a total absence of ABH antigens in both histologically normal and pathological areas. Blood group antigens were expressed at a high level in benign and highly differentiated malignant tumors. In poorly differentiated malignant tumors, they were mostly absent. Conclusion: Considering these results we suggest the use of this method to monitor probable preneoplastic lesions in risk population, especially in those with no secretor status (absence of FUT2 gene). © Medicina Oral S. L

Secretor status and ABH antigens expression in patients with oral lesions

Objectives: The aim of this work was to investigate the secretor status of patients with oral pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions and ABH antigens expression in fixed tissue sections of these patients. Study design: To reveal A, B and H antigens in tissue sections of patients with precancerous and cancerous oral lesions (n= 54) we used a modified specific red cell adherence technique (SRCA-test). Normal endothelial cells expressed ABH antigens, the presence of indicator erythrocytes at the lumen of the blood vessels served as a built in positive control. The test results were graded from negative adherence to very strongly positive adherence. Negative adherence was defined as a complete absence of adhered indicator erythrocytes. A strongly positive reaction was defined as a sheet of indicator erythrocytes adhered to the epithelia cells. Results: In 31 of the 54 samples analyzed the test showed slightly positive results on atypical areas, and there was a complete antigen deletion in areas histologically affected by neoplasia. Sixteen samples showed a total absence of ABH antigens in both histologically normal and pathological areas. As a working hypothesis, we propose that areas of SRCA-test negative epithelium are closely related to invasive carcinomas and may be their precursor lesions. Further it is suggested that areas of blood group isoantigen negative epithelium showing atypia, or in some instances near normal histology, may give rise to relatively low grade carcinomas. Conclusions: Considering these results we suggest the use of this method to monitor probable preneoplastic lesions in risk population, specially in those with no secretor status

Orchard Floor Management Affects Tree Functionality, Productivity and Water Consumption of a Late Ripening Peach Orchard under Semi-Arid Conditions

Semi-arid conditions are favorable for the cultivation of late ripening peach cultivars; however, seasonal water scarcity and reduction in soil biological fertility, heightened by improper soil management, are jeopardizing this important sector. In the present two-year study, four soil managements were compared on a late ripening peach orchard: (i) completely tilled (control); (ii) mulched with reusable reflective plastic film; (iii) mulching with a Leguminosae cover-crop flattened after peach fruit set; (iv) completely tilled, supplying the water volumes of the plastic mulched treatment, supposed to be lower than the control. Comparison was performed for soil features, water use, tree functionality, fruit growth, fruit quality, yield and water productivity. Even receiving about 50% of the regular irrigation, reusable reflective mulching reduced water loss and soil carbon over mineralization, not affecting (sometimes increasing) net carbon assimilation, yield, and fruit size and increasing water productivity. The flattening technique should be refined in the last part of the season as in hot and dry areas with clay soils and low organic matter, soil cracking increased water evaporation predisposing the orchard at water stress. The development and implementation of appropriate soil management strategies could be pivotal for making peach production economically and environmentally sustainable

Quantitative Imaging and Radiomics in Multiple Myeloma: A Potential Opportunity?

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the second most common type of hematological disease and, although it is rare among patients under 40 years of age, its incidence rises in elderly subjects. MM manifestations are usually identified through hyperCalcemia, Renal failure, Anaemia, and lytic Bone lesions (CRAB). In particular, the extent of the bone disease is negatively related to a decreased quality of life in patients and, in general, bone disease in MM increases both morbidity and mortality. The detection of lytic bone lesions on imaging, especially computerized tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), is becoming crucial from the clinical viewpoint to separate asymptomatic from symptomatic MM patients and the detection of focal lytic lesions in these imaging data is becoming relevant even when no clinical symptoms are present. Therefore, radiology is pivotal in the staging and accurate management of patients with MM even in early phases of the disease. In this review, we describe the opportunities offered by quantitative imaging and radiomics in multiple myeloma. At the present time there is still high variability in the choice between various imaging methods to study MM patients and high variability in image interpretation with suboptimal agreement among readers even in tertiary centers. Therefore, the potential of medical imaging for patients affected by MM is still to be completely unveiled. In the coming years, new insights to study MM with medical imaging will derive from artificial intelligence (AI) and radiomics usage in different bone lesions and from the wide implementations of quantitative methods to report CT and MRI. Eventually, medical imaging data can be integrated with the patient’s outcomes with the purpose of finding radiological biomarkers for predicting the prognostic flow and therapeutic response of the disease

Quantitative Imaging and Radiomics in Multiple Myeloma: A Potential Opportunity?

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the second most common type of hematological disease and, although it is rare among patients under 40 years of age, its incidence rises in elderly subjects. MM manifestations are usually identified through hyperCalcemia, Renal failure, Anaemia, and lytic Bone lesions (CRAB). In particular, the extent of the bone disease is negatively related to a decreased quality of life in patients and, in general, bone disease in MM increases both morbidity and mortality. The detection of lytic bone lesions on imaging, especially computerized tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), is becoming crucial from the clinical viewpoint to separate asymptomatic from symptomatic MM patients and the detection of focal lytic lesions in these imaging data is becoming relevant even when no clinical symptoms are present. Therefore, radiology is pivotal in the staging and accurate management of patients with MM even in early phases of the disease. In this review, we describe the opportunities offered by quantitative imaging and radiomics in multiple myeloma. At the present time there is still high variability in the choice between various imaging methods to study MM patients and high variability in image interpretation with suboptimal agreement among readers even in tertiary centers. Therefore, the potential of medical imaging for patients affected by MM is still to be completely unveiled. In the coming years, new insights to study MM with medical imaging will derive from artificial intelligence (AI) and radiomics usage in different bone lesions and from the wide implementations of quantitative methods to report CT and MRI. Eventually, medical imaging data can be integrated with the patient’s outcomes with the purpose of finding radiological biomarkers for predicting the prognostic flow and therapeutic response of the disease

Pérdida de la expresión antigénica ABH en pacientes con lesiones orales precancerosas y cancerosas Loss of ABH antigenic expression in patients with precancerous and cancerous oral lesions

Los antígenos ABH, productos de la interacción de 2 sistemas genéticos, Hh y ABO, están sujetos a leyes de herencia y pueden estar localizados no sólo en los eritrocitos, sino también en la mayoría de las células humanas. El objetivo del este trabajo fue investigar la expresión de antígenos ABH en pacientes con lesiones orales premalignas y malignas orales. Se trabajó con muestras incluidas en tacos de parafina de pacientes con lesiones orales (n= 57). Los pacientes fueron clasificados en 2 grupos: a) lesiones premalignas y malignas diagnosticadas clínica y anatopatológicamente y b) lesiones benignas (n=93). Se investigaron los antígenos ABH por la técnica de inmunoadherencia específica modificada. Se utilizó la adherencia al tejido vascular como control positivo y al tejido adiposo como control negativo. Los resultados fueron semicuantificados desde adherencia fuertemente positiva a negativa. Se observó una significativa relación entre la expresión antigénica ABH y el grado de malignidad de las lesiones analizadas (P Yates= 0,005). La pérdida de reactividad ABH en los sitios de mayor invasividad tumoral se correlaciona con el grado del desarrollo del tumor, el grado histológico y su malignidad.The ABH antigens, which are produced by the interaction of 2 genetic systems, Hh and ABO, are subjected to laws of heredity and may be located not only in the erythrocytes, but also in most of the human cells. The objective of this paper was to investigate the expression of ABH antigens in patients with premalignant and malignant oral lesions. Work was done with samples included in paraffin plugs in patients with oral lesions (n= 57). The patients were classified into 2 groups: a) clinical and anatomopathologically diagnosed premalignant and malignant lesions, and b) benign lesions (n=93). The ABH antigens were investigated by the modified specific immunoadherence technique. Adherence to the vascular tissue was used as a positive control, whereas adherence to the fat tissue was considered as a negative control. The results were semiquantified from strongly positive to negative adherence. A significant relation between the ABH antigen expression and the degree of malignancy of the analyzed lesions (P Yates= 0.005) was observed. The loss of ABH reactivity in the sites of greater tumoral invasiveness is correlated with the tumor development degree, the histological degree and its malignancy

The Use of Mixed Composed Amendments to Improve Soil Water Content and Peach Growth (<i>Prunus persica</i> (L.) Batsch) in a Mediterranean Environment

Reduction of water availability imposes the agronomic issues of increasing the storage capacity of the soil and improving the use of rainwater or irrigation water. A field experiment in 2021 was conducted in a 5-year-old peach orchard in a Mediterranean environment to study the effect of mixed composed amendments (ACM), applied in different amounts, on the dynamics of soil water status. Water balance was monitored during the peach vegetative reproductive cycle on a daily scale. Three treatments of mixed composed amendments (ACM) were compared: A0, control; A1, with amendment (10 t ha−1); and A2, with half dose of amendment (5 t ha−1). On a seasonal scale, soil water content increased by 27% and 33% in A1 and A2 compared to A0, while relative extractable water varied between 0.41 (A0) and 0.65 (A1 and A2). Both soil water balance indicators show that storage capacity increases with the addition of amendment. Improved soil storage capacity was associated with higher values of stem water potential (throughout the growing season) and stomatal conductance (at the end of the season). Shoot and fruit growth observations were consistent with soil water content dynamics

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved