Physiological aspects of lime-induced chlorosis in some Vitis species. 2. Genotype response to stress conditions

Research NoteOne-year-old cuttings from 7 Vitis species (V. amurensis Rupr., V. berlandieri Planch., V. californica Bentham, V. cinerea Engelm., V. longii Prince, V. monticola Buckl., V. riparia Michx.) were grown in pots containing non-calcareous and calcareous soil. Leaves selected in the middle of the second year's growing season were assayed to test the iron concentration of the dry matter and the total iron uptake. The most significant findings of the trial were: a) shoot growth of V. amurensis, V. longii, V. monticola and V. riparia was strongly depressed by the calcareous soil; b) V. berlandieri and V. californica took up higher amounts of iron when growing in the calcareous soil; c) a high ash alkalinity occurred in chlorotic leaves of V. riparia compared to non-chlorotic leaves at the same iron concentration

In vitro method to screen grapevine genotypes for tolerance to lime-induced chlorosis

Herbaceous nodes of four grapevine genotypes with different tolerance to lime-induced chlorosis (V. berlandieri x V. rupestris 140 Ru; V. berlandieri x V. riparia SO 4; V, riparia MICH. Gloire de Montpellier; V. vinifera L. cv. Chardonnay) were cultured in vitro. The effects of three levels of FeNaEDTA (5, 15, 30 mg/l) and of four mixtures of iron and bicarbonate in the MS medium were compared and chlorosis rating, ferrous iron content of the leaves and fresh weight of the plantlets were assayed. The chlorosis rating of the tested genotypes ranked according to their known degree of tolerance/susceptibility to lime-induced chlorosis

Effect of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer on induced resveratrol synthesis in two grapevine genotypes

Research NoteOne-year-old grapevine cuttings of the interspecific hybrid Castor and V. vinifera L. cv. Bacchus were grown in pots with 4 combined doses of nitrogen and potassium, in order to test their effect on the resveratrol synthesis of the leaves, after elicitation with mucic acid (0.01 %). The tests were performed on leaf discs, inside bio-assay dishes. The most significant findings were:  the fertilizer treatments had a higher effect on the resveratrol synthesis of Castor than in Bacchus;high potassium supply together with low nitrogen rate promoted the resveratrol synthesis of Castor;high potasium rates did not balance the negative effect of high nitrogen supply on resveratrol synthesis

Physiological aspects of lime-induced chlorosis in some Vitis species. I. Pot trial calareous soil

One-year-old cutting from eleven Vitis spp. (V. aestivalis Michx., V. amurensis Rupr., V. andersonii Rehder, V. arizonica Engelm., V. berlandieri Planch., V. californica Bentham, V. champini Plancch., V. cinerea Engelm., V. longii Prince, V. monticola Buckl., V. riparia Michx.) were grown in pot of a calcareous soil. Leaves selected in the middle of the annual growing season were assayed for total chlorophyll, macronutrients, oligo-element and ash alkalinity. At the end of the annual growing cycle the whole plants were analyzed for the iron concentration of the dry matter. The most significant findings were:V. berlandieri, V champini and V. cinerea ranked in the high tolerant group; V. arizonica, V. californica, V. longii and V. monticola in the tolerant group; V. aestivalis, V. amurensis, V. andersonii and V. riparia in the susceptible group;it is likely to exist two different mechanisms of tolerance to lime-induced chlorosis: an adaptive one for V. berlandieri and V. cinerea and a protective one for V. champin

Constitutive stilbene contents of grapevine cluster stems as potential source of resveratrol in wine

Ripe clusters of 8 Vitis vinifera L. varieties (Cabernet franc, Gewürztraminer, Marzemino, Merlot, Moscato, Pinot gris, Sauvignon, Tocai friulano) were analysed to determine the constitutional levels of trans- and cis-resveratrol, ε-viniferin and pterostilbene. Grape stems were extracted by an hydroalcoholic solution, in order to simulate the resveratrol extraction from stems that might occur during alcoholic fermentation, due to the presence of little pieces of stems in the fermenting must. The average stem concentrations of constitutive trans-, cis-resveratrol and ε-viniferin were 142, 0.30, and 70 mu g.g-1 FW, respectively; pterostilbene was not found. Varieties differed significantly in their stilbene content. The percentage of trans-resveratrol extracted from the stems by a hydroalcoholic solution varied from 2.5 % (Gewürztraminer) to 32.9 % (Marzemino), the contribution of the stems to the trans-resveratrol concentration of the hydroalcoholic solution being, on the average, 34 mu g.l-1

Relationships between seed number, gibberellin and abscisic acid levels and ripening in Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries

In grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, berry growth, content of anthocyanin and hormonal composition affected by seed number were investigated.Gibberellin-like substance content showed highest values 45 d after anthesis, while abscisic acid content (on a per-berry basis) had two peaks, the first one just after berry set, the second coinciding with ripening phenomenon.Seed number was positively correlated with the cöncentrations of gibberellinlike substances and abscisic acid (on a per-berry basis). One-seeded berries, however, had a higher amount of anthocyanin than two or three-seeded ones.Beziehungen zwischen Anzahl der Samen sowie Gibberellin- und Abscisinsäuregehalt und Reifeverlauf der Traubenbeeren bei Cabernet SauvignonBei den Trauben von Cabernet Sauvignon wurden das Beerenwachstum, der Anthocyangehalt und die Zusammensetzung der Phytohormone in Beziehung zur Anzahl der Samen untersucht.Die Gibberellinaktivität erreichte 45 d nach der Anthese ihren höchsten Stand, während der Abscisinsäuregehalt (je Beere) zwei Maxima zeigte; das erste trat kurz nach dem Beerenansatz auf, das zweite fiel mit dem Beginn der Beerenreife zusammen. Die Anzahl der Samen war positiv mit der Gibberellinaktivität und der Abscisinsäurekonzentration (je Beere) korreliert. Einsamige Beeren. wiesen jedoch einen höheren Anthocyangehalt als zwei- oder dreisamige Beeren auf

Photochemistry in the strong coupling regime: A trajectory surface hopping scheme

The strong coupling regime between confined light and organic molecules turned out to be promising in modifying both the ground state and the excited states properties. Under this peculiar condition, the electronic states of the molecule are mixed with the quantum states of light. The dynamical processes occurring on such hybrid states undergo several modifications accordingly. Hence, the dynamical description of chemical reactivity in polaritonic systems needs to explicitly take into account the photon degrees of freedom and nonadiabatic events. With the aim of describing photochemical polaritonic processes, in the present work, we extend the direct trajectory surface hopping scheme to investigate photochemistry under strong coupling between light and matter

The occurrence of the stilbene piceatannol in grapes

Piceatannol (trans-3,3',4,5'-tetrahydroxy-stilbene) is a natural stilbene occurring in a number of plant species, and it has been shown to have beneficial effects on human health. The compound can seldom be consumed by humans, because it occurs in non-food plants, or in non-edible organs. Here we show for the first time that grapes (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) have significant amounts of piceatannol (0.052 µg g-1 fresh wt). The identity of piceatannol was confirmed by HPLC and LC-MS.

Prognostic relevance of serum beta2 microglobulin in patients with follicular lymphoma treated with anthracycline-containing regimens. A GISL study.

Background and ObjectivesAlthough serum b2 microglobulin (b2M) is an easy parameter to measure, and overexpressedin a large number of lymphoproliferative diseases, its prognostic value hasbeen largely underestimated. The present study examined the influence of b2M levelson overall survival (OS) of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL).Design and MethodsThe prognostic role of b2M was evaluated in 236 patients with FL identified from thedatabases of the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio dei Linfomi (GISL) and treated withanthracycline-based regimens from 1993 to 2003.ResultsElevated serum b2M levels were found in 82 patients (35%). According to multivariatelogistic regression analysis, elevated b2M levels were associated with elevatedlactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p=0.021), age (p=0.029), and number of involvednodal areas (p<0.001). The percentage of elevated b2M levels increased progressivelywith increasing FLIPI scores (17%, 38%, and 63% in the low-, intermediate-, andhigh-risk groups, respectively). Five-year OS was 61% (95% CI, 47-73%) and 89% (95%CI, 82-93%) for patients with elevated vs normal b2M levels respectively (p<0.001).Cox regression analysis showed that b2M level had an independent and stable prognosticvalue (HR=3.0; 95%CI, 1.6-5.7). In a multivariate analysis the impact of b2Mlevel on survival was independent of FLIPI score, with a HR of 2.94 (95% CI, 1.54-5.62).Interpretation and ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that in patients treated in the pre-rituximab era, b2M levelwas an independent prognostic marker in addition to FLIPI score. We thus suggestthat b2M be routinely assessed and tested in future prognostic studies of FL patientstreated with combination chemotherapy and anti-CD20 agents

Cisplatin-based first-line treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: Joint analysis of MILES-3 and MILES-4 phase III trials

Purpose: To test the efficacy of adding cisplatin to first-line treatment for elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) within a combined analysis of two parallel phase III trials, MILES-3 and MILES-4. Patients and Methods: Patients with advanced NSCLC who were older than age 70 years with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 1 were randomly assigned to gemcitabine or pemetrexed, without or with cisplatin. In each trial, 382 events were required to detect a hazard ratio (HR) of death of 0.75, with 80% power and two-tailed a of .05. Trials were closed prematurely because of slow accrual, but the joint database allowed us to analyze the efficacy of cisplatin on the basis of intention-to-treat and adjusted by trial, histotype, non-platinum companion drug, stage, performance status, sex, age, and size of the study center. Results: From March 2011 to August 2016, 531 patients (MILES-3, 299; MILES-4, 232) were assigned to gemcitabine or pemetrexed without (n = 268) or with cisplatin (n = 263). Median age was 75 years, 79% were male, and 70% had nonsquamous histology. At a median 2-year follow-up, 384 deaths and 448 progression-free survival events were recorded. Overall survival was not significantly prolonged with cisplatin (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.05; P = .14) and global health status score of quality of life was not improved, whereas progression-free survival (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.92; P = .005) and objective response rate (15.5% v 8.5%; P = .02) were significantly better. Significantly more severe hematologic toxicity, fatigue, and anorexia were found with cisplatin. Conclusion: The addition of cisplatin to single-agent chemotherapy does not significantly prolong overall survival, and it does not improve global health status score of quality of life in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC