Predictors of Response to Hydroxyurea and Switch to Ruxolitinib in HU-Resistant Polycythaemia VERA Patients: A Real-World PV-NET Study

In polycythemia vera (PV), the prognostic relevance of an ELN-defined complete response (CR) to hydroxyurea (HU), the predictors of response, and patients' triggers for switching to ruxolitinib are uncertain. In a real-world analysis, we evaluated the predictors of response, their impact on the clinical outcomes of CR to HU, and the correlations between partial or no response (PR/NR) and a patient switching to ruxolitinib. Among 563 PV patients receiving HU for ≥12 months, 166 (29.5%) achieved CR, 264 achieved PR, and 133 achieved NR. In a multivariate analysis, the absence of splenomegaly (p = 0.03), pruritus (p = 0.002), and a median HU dose of ≥1 g/day (p < 0.001) remained associated with CR. Adverse events were more frequent with a median HU dose of ≥1 g/day. Overall, 283 PR/NR patients (71.3%) continued HU, and 114 switched to ruxolitinib. In the 449 patients receiving only HU, rates of thrombosis, hemorrhages, progression, and overall survival were comparable among the CR, PR, and NR groups. Many PV patients received underdosed HU, leading to lower CR and toxicity rates. In addition, many patients continued HU despite a PR/NR; however, splenomegaly and other symptoms were the main drivers of an early switch. Better HU management, standardization of the criteria for and timing of responses to HU, and adequate intervention in poor responders should be advised

The Challenge of Peat Substitution in Organic Seedling Production: Optimization of Growing Media Formulation through Mixture Design and Response Surface Analysis.

Peat replacement is an increasing demand in containerized and transplant production, due to the environmental constraints associated to peat use. However, despite the wide information concerning the use of alternative materials as substrates, it is very complex to establish the best materials and mixtures. This work evaluates the use of mixture design and surface response methodology in a peat substitution experiment using two alternative materials (green compost and palm fibre trunk waste) for transplant production of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.); melon, (Cucumis melo L.); and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in organic farming conditions. In general, the substrates showed suitable properties for their use in seedling production, showing the best plant response the mixture of 20% green compost, 39% palm fibre and 31% peat. The mixture design and applied response surface methodology has shown to be an useful approach to optimize substrate formulations in peat substitution experiments to standardize plant responses

Red Wine-Enriched Olive Oil Emulsions: Role of Wine Polyphenols in the Oxidative Stability

The benefits associated with the consumption of red wine due to its rich pool of phenolic compounds are well-recognized, thanks to the antioxidant activity related to these kinds of molecules. However, wine drinking should be done in moderation, or is forbidden for some populations for ethnic or religious reasons. One way to still enjoy the advantages of red wine is to use its dry extract. In order to test the ability of the red wine dry extract to reveal its antioxidant activity, it was solubilized in water to produce water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions based on olive oil. After the selection of the right emulsion composition, kinetics of oil oxidation were carried out in oil and emulsions in the presence of an increasing amount of red wine extract, whose presence influenced the rate of oxidation by slowing it down. This behavior was confirmed by monitoring the oxidation reaction in two ways; i.e., with the classical method that consists of the determination of the peroxide value, and with an accelerated test making use of 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN) and diphenyl1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP). The first is a molecule that triggers the reaction at 40 °C, and the other is a molecule that by reacting with hydroperoxides becomes fluorescent (DPPP=O). Moreover, by comparing the emulsion structures observed by optical microscopy, no differences in the size of the dispersed aqueous phase were detected with the increase of the wine dry extract, which is an aspect that confirmed that the antioxidant activity was directly proportional to the wine extract concentration, and thus to the phenolic content

Triangular surface response for several physico-chemical (a and b) and physical (c and d) parameters in the substrates elaborated.

<p>(a) pH. (b) EC: electrical conductivity. (c) bulk density. (d) air volume.</p

Desirability functions considering the substrates elaborated for the vegetal species (a—c) and for all the vegetal species studied (d).

<p>The flag reports the highest prediction level of the optimal transplants performance and the corresponding proportions of each component. Green colour in the surface represents the area in which the optimal transplants characteristics are obtained. (a) Tomato. (b) Melon. (c) Lettuce. (d) All the vegetal species studied.</p

Soil fertility management in organic greenhouses in Europe

The management of soil fertility in organic greenhouse systems differs quite widely across Europe. The challenge is to identify and implement strategies which comply with the organic principles set out in (EC) Reg. 834/2007 and (EC) Reg. 889/2008 as well as supporting environmentally, socially and economically sustainable cropping systems. In this paper, written by a group of scientists of different geographical origin and with different background, the state of the art of the sector and the main characteristics of the European organic greenhouse cropping systems are described. The main bottlenecks and constraints are discussed with a particular reference to the regulatory framework in force. The most relevant issues that may influence the enforcement and future development of the sector have been identified as specific knowledge gaps. For each of them, the appropriate research needs were elaborated in a multidisciplinary perspective as forthcoming challenges for the whole sector. Although not exhaustive, given the wide heterogeneity of the implemented systems, this paper is able, for the first time, to give a structured outlook on soil fertility management in protected organic conditions on a European scale

Comparative effects of the different growing media used on the morphological parameters and aerial biomass production for melon, tomato and lettuce seedlings.

<p>GC: green compost, PF: palm fibre trunk wastes, SP: peat.</p><p>H: total length; D: stem diameter; SPAD: values of foliar chlorophyll contents; NL: number of leaves; LA: area of leaves; LAI: leaf area index; FW: fresh weight of seedlings aerial part; DW: dry weight of seedlings aerial part.</p><p>Mean values (n = 15) in rows followed by the same letter are not statistically different according to the Tukey test at P < 0.05.</p><p>Comparative effects of the different growing media used on the morphological parameters and aerial biomass production for melon, tomato and lettuce seedlings.</p