HCC biomarkers – state of the old and outlook to future promising biomarkers and their potential in everyday clinical practice

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and deadly tumors worldwide. Management of HCC depends on reliable biomarkers for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of the disease, as well as predicting response towards therapy and safety. To date, imaging has been the established standard technique in the diagnosis and follow-up of HCC. However, imaging techniques have their limitations, especially in the early detection of HCC. Therefore, there is an urgent need for reliable, non/minimal invasive biomarkers. To date, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the only serum biomarker used in clinical practice for the management of HCC. However, AFP is of relatively rather low quality in terms of specificity and sensitivity. Liquid biopsies as a source for biomarkers have become the focus of clinical research. Our review highlights alternative biomarkers derived from liquid biopsies, including circulating tumor cells, proteins, circulating nucleic acids, and exosomes, and their potential for clinical application. Using defined combinations of different biomarkers will open new perspectives for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring HCC

Leaf Trait-Environment Relationships in a Subtropical Broadleaved Forest in South-East China

Although trait analyses have become more important in community ecology, trait-environment correlations have rarely been studied along successional gradients. We asked which environmental variables had the strongest impact on intraspecific and interspecific trait variation in the community and which traits were most responsive to the environment. We established a series of plots in a secondary forest in the Chinese subtropics, stratified by successional stages that were defined by the time elapsed since the last logging activities. On a total of 27 plots all woody plants were recorded and a set of individuals of every species was analysed for leaf traits, resulting in a trait matrix of 26 leaf traits for 122 species. A Fourth Corner Analysis revealed that the mean values of many leaf traits were tightly related to the successional gradient. Most shifts in traits followed the leaf economics spectrum with decreasing specific leaf area and leaf nutrient contents with successional time. Beside succession, few additional environmental variables resulted in significant trait relationships, such as soil moisture and soil C and N content as well as topographical variables. Not all traits were related to the leaf economics spectrum, and thus, to the successional gradient, such as stomata size and density. By comparing different permutation models in the Fourth Corner Analysis, we found that the trait-environment link was based more on the association of species with the environment than of the communities with species traits. The strong species-environment association was brought about by a clear gradient in species composition along the succession series, while communities were not well differentiated in mean trait composition. In contrast, intraspecific trait variation did not show close environmental relationships. The study confirmed the role of environmental trait filtering in subtropical forests, with traits associated with the leaf economics spectrum being the most responsive ones

Die Regulation der Ectoinbiosynthese in "Marinococcus halophilus" auf Proteinebene

Für die Enzyme L-2,4-Diaminobuttersäure-Acetyltransferase und L-Ectoinsynthase des Ectoinbiosynthesewegs von Marinococcus halophilus wurden heterologe Expressionssysteme entwickelt. Die Enzyme wurden als Fusionsproteine durch Ni-Ionen-Chelat-Affinitätschromatographie aufgereinigt. Die Charakterisierung der beiden Enzyme zeigte eine große Übereinstimmung der Aktivitätsoptima bezüglich pH-Wert und Kationenkonzentration. Es wurde eine Methode zur Messung des cytoplasmatischen pH-Wertes auf Basis des pH-sensitiven Fluoreszenzfarbstoff Snarf-1 erarbeitet, der in membrangängiger Form eines Acetomethoxy-Succinimidylester einer Bakteriensuspension zugesetzt wurde. Die Bestimmung des cytoplasmatischen pH zeigte, dass M. halophilus einen Mechanismus zur Regulation des cytoplasmatischen pH-Wertes besitzt, und auf hyperosmotischen Stress mit einer Alkalisierung des Cytoplasma reagiert, die wahrscheinlich als ein Regulator bei der Ectoinbiosynthese fungiert

Further genetic characterization of the two Trypanosoma cruzi Berenice strains (Be-62 and Be-78) isolated from the first human case of Chagas disease (Chagas, 1909).

We describe here an extension of a previous genetic characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi strains (Be-62 and Be-78) isolated from the patient Berenice, the first human case of Chagas disease [Chagas, C., 1909. Nova Tripanom´ıase humana. Estudos sobre morfologia e o ciclo evolutivo do Schizotrypanum cruzi, n. gen., n. sp., agente etiol´ojico da nova entidade morbida do homem. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz 1, 159–218]. We wanted to verify the composition of T. cruzi populations originated from these two isolates. In the present work, 22 enzymatic loci (MLEE), nine RAPD primers and 7 microsatellite loci were analyzed. Clones from both strains were also characterized to verify whether these strains are mono or polyclonal. Be-62 and Be-78 strains were different in 3 out of 22 enzymatic systems, in 3 out of 9 RAPD primers tested and in all microsatellite loci investigated. However, our data suggests that both strains are phylogenetically closely related, belonging to genetic group 32 from Tibayrenc and Ayala [Tibayrenc, M., Ayala, F.J., 1988. Isoenzime variability in Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas’ disease: genetical, taxonomical, and epidemiological significance. Evolution 42, 277–292], equivalent to zymodeme 2 and T. cruzi II major lineage which, in Brazil, comprises parasites from the domestic cycle of the disease. Microsatellite analyses showed differences betweenthe parental strains but suggested that both populations are monoclonal since each strain and their respective clones showed the same amplification products