Genes related to mitochondrial functions are differentially expressed in phosphine-resistant and -susceptible Tribolium castaneum

Background: Phosphine is a valuable fumigant to control pest populations in stored grains and grain products. However, recent studies indicate a substantial increase in phosphine resistance in stored product pests worldwide.Results: To understand the molecular bases of phosphine resistance in insects, we used RNA-Seq to compare gene expression in phosphine-resistant and susceptible laboratory populations of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Each population was evaluated as either phosphine-exposed or no phosphine (untreated controls) in triplicate biological replicates (12 samples total). Pairwise analysis indicated there were eight genes differentially expressed between susceptible and resistant insects not exposed to phosphine (i.e., basal expression) or those exposed to phopshine (>8-fold expression and 90 % C.I.). However, 214 genes were differentially expressed among all four treatment groups at a statistically significant level (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Increased expression of 44 cytochrome P450 genes was found in resistant vs. susceptible insects, and phosphine exposure resulted in additional increases of 21 of these genes, five of which were significant among all treatment groups (p < 0.05). Expression of two genes encoding anti-diruetic peptide was 2- to 8-fold reduced in phosphine-resistant insects, and when exposed to phosphine, expression was further reduced 36- to 500-fold compared to susceptible. Phosphine-resistant insects also displayed differential expression of cuticle, carbohydrate, protease, transporter, and many mitochondrial genes, among others. Gene ontology terms associated with mitochondrial functions (oxidation biological processes, monooxygenase and catalytic molecular functions, and iron, heme, and tetrapyyrole binding) were enriched in the significantly differentially expressed dataset. Sequence polymorphism was found in transcripts encoding a known phosphine resistance gene, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, in both susceptible and resistant insects. Phosphine-resistant adults also were resistant to knockdown by the pyrethroid deltamethrin, likely due to the increased cytochrome P450 expression.Conclusions: Overall, genes associated with the mitochondria were differentially expressed in resistant insects, and these differences may contribute to a reduction in overall metabolism and energy production and/or compensation in resistant insects. These data provide the first gene expression data on the response of phosphine-resistant and -susceptible insects to phosphine exposure, and demonstrate that RNA-Seq is a valuable tool to examine differences in insects that respond differentially to environmental stimuli.Peer reviewedEntomology and Plant Patholog

Current Concepts on Gastric Carcinoid Tumors

Gastric carcinoid tumors (GCs) are rare lesions representing less than 10% of carcinoid tumors and less than 1% of all stomach neoplasms. There are three distinct types of gastric carcinoids; type I includes the vast majority (70–85%) of these neoplasms that are closely linked to chronic atrophic gastritis. Type II which accounts for 5–10 %, is associated with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and often occurs in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Type III, finally, represents 15–25% of gastric carcinoids and is characterized by a far more aggressive course. The optimal clinical approach to GCs remains to be elucidated, depending upon type, size, and number of carcinoids. While there is universal agreement about the surgical treatment of type III GCs, current options for type I and II include simple surveillance, endoscopic polypectomy, surgical excision associated with or without surgical antrectomy, or total gastrectomy. Moreover, the introduction of somatostatin analogues could represent another therapeutic option

Current Concepts on Gastric Carcinoid Tumors

Gastric carcinoid tumors (GCs) are rare lesions representing less than 10% of carcinoid tumors and less than 1% of all stomach neoplasms. There are three distinct types of gastric carcinoids; type I includes the vast majority (70-85%) of these neoplasms that are closely linked to chronic atrophic gastritis. Type II which accounts for 5-10 %, is associated with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and often occurs in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Type III, finally, represents 15-25% of gastric carcinoids and is characterized by a far more aggressive course. The optimal clinical approach to GCs remains to be elucidated, depending upon type, size, and number of carcinoids. While there is universal agreement about the surgical treatment of type III GCs, current options for type I and II include simple surveillance, endoscopic polypectomy, surgical excision associated with or without surgical antrectomy, or total gastrectomy. Moreover, the introduction of somatostatin analogues could represent another therapeutic option

The Role of Genetics in Sporadic GEP-NETs: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are composed of a heterogeneous group of malignancies from neuroendocrine cell compartments, with roles in both the endocrine and the nervous system. The majority of NETs are gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) in origin, arising in the foregut, midgut, or hindgut. The genomic landscape of GEP-NETs has been scarcely studied in terms of genomic profiling.The following algorithm was followed using the keywords neuroendocrine, genomics, targeted therapy, personalized medicine, gastroenteropancreatic and NET. The search was performed in PubMed and ScienceDirect database. Our current knowledge of sporadic GEP-NETs genetics must be further advanced to elucidate the molecular basis and pathogenesis of the disease, improve the accuracy of diagnosis, and guide tailor-made therapies

Which biomaterials may promote periodontal regeneration in intrabony periodontal defects? A systematic review of preclinical studies.

OBJECTIVE To systematically analyze the regenerative effect of the available biomaterials either alone or in various combinations for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects as evaluated in preclinical histologic studies. DATA SOURCES A protocol covered all aspects of the systematic review methodology. A literature search was performed in Medline, including hand searching. Combinations of searching terms and several criteria were applied for study identification, selection, and inclusion. The preliminary outcome variable was periodontal regeneration after reconstructive surgery obtained with the various regenerative materials, as demonstrated through histologic/ histomorphometric analysis. New periodontal ligament, new cementum, and new bone formation as a linear measurement in mm or as a percentage of the instrumented root length were recorded. Data were extracted based on the general characteristics, study characteristics, methodologic characteristics, and conclusions. Study selection was limited to preclinical studies involving histologic analysis, evaluating the use of potential regenerative materials (ie, barrier membranes, grafting materials, or growth factors/proteins) for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects. Any type of biomaterial alone or in various combinations was considered. All studies reporting histologic outcome measures with a healing period of at least 6 weeks were included. A meta-analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity of the data. CONCLUSION Flap surgery in conjunction with most of the evaluated biomaterials used either alone or in various combinations has been shown to promote periodontal regeneration to a greater extent than control therapy (flap surgery without biomaterials). Among the used biomaterials, autografts revealed the most favorable outcomes, whereas the use of most biologic factors showed inferior results compared to flap surgery

Image Based Visual Servoing for Floating Base Mobile Manipulator Systems with Prescribed Performance under Operational Constraints

This paper presents a novel Image-Based Visual Servoing (IBVS) control approach for Floating Base Mobile Manipulator Systems (FBMMSs) that imposes prescribed transient and steady-state response on the image feature coordinate errors while satisfying the visibility constraints that arise owing to the camera’s limited field of view. The proposed control strategy does not incorporate any knowledge on either the FBMMS dynamic model, the exogenous disturbances, or the inevitable camera calibration and depth measurement errors. More specifically, it guarantees: (i) predefined behavior in terms of overshoot, convergence rate, and maximum steady-state error value of the image features and system velocities tracking errors; (ii) satisfaction of camera field of view constraints; (iii) bounded closed-loop control signals, and (iv) reduced design and implementation complexity. Additionally, the performance of the developed scheme is solely determined by certain designer-specified performance functions/parameters, and it is fully decoupled by the control gains selection. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is demonstrated via a realistic simulation study, using an eye-in-hand Underwater Vehicle Manipulator System (UVMS) as a test-bed FBMMS platform

Image Based Visual Servoing for Floating Base Mobile Manipulator Systems with Prescribed Performance under Operational Constraints

This paper presents a novel Image-Based Visual Servoing (IBVS) control approach for Floating Base Mobile Manipulator Systems (FBMMSs) that imposes prescribed transient and steady-state response on the image feature coordinate errors while satisfying the visibility constraints that arise owing to the camera&rsquo;s limited field of view. The proposed control strategy does not incorporate any knowledge on either the FBMMS dynamic model, the exogenous disturbances, or the inevitable camera calibration and depth measurement errors. More specifically, it guarantees: (i) predefined behavior in terms of overshoot, convergence rate, and maximum steady-state error value of the image features and system velocities tracking errors; (ii) satisfaction of camera field of view constraints; (iii) bounded closed-loop control signals, and (iv) reduced design and implementation complexity. Additionally, the performance of the developed scheme is solely determined by certain designer-specified performance functions/parameters, and it is fully decoupled by the control gains selection. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is demonstrated via a realistic simulation study, using an eye-in-hand Underwater Vehicle Manipulator System (UVMS) as a test-bed FBMMS platform

Biomaterials for promoting periodontal regeneration in human intrabony defects: a systematic review

Intrabony periodontal defects are a frequent complication of periodontitis and, if left untreated, may negatively affect long-term tooth prognosis. The optimal outcome of treatment in intrabony defects is considered to be the absence of bleeding on probing, the presence of shallow pockets associated with periodontal regeneration (i.e. formation of new root cementum with functionally orientated inserting periodontal ligament fibers connected to new alveolar bone) and no soft-tissue recession. A plethora of different surgical techniques, often including implantation of various types of bone graft and/or bone substitutes, root surface demineralization, guided tissue regeneration, growth and differentiation factors, enamel matrix proteins or various combinations thereof, have been employed to achieve periodontal regeneration. Despite positive observations in animal models and successful outcomes reported for many of the available regenerative techniques and materials in patients, including histologic reports, robust information on the degree to which reported clinical improvements reflect true periodontal regeneration does not exist. Thus, the aim of this review was to summarize, in a systematic manner, the available histologic evidence on the effect of reconstructive periodontal surgery using various types of biomaterials to enhance periodontal wound healing/regeneration in human intrabony defects. In addition, the inherent problems associated with performing human histologic studies and in interpreting the results, as well as certain ethical considerations, are discussed. The results of the present systematic review indicate that periodontal regeneration in human intrabony defects can be achieved to a variable extent using a range of methods and materials. Periodontal regeneration has been observed following the use of a variety of bone grafts and substitutes, guided tissue regeneration, biological factors and combinations thereof. Combination approaches appear to provide the best outcomes, whilst implantation of alloplastic material alone demonstrated limited, to no, periodontal regeneration

Carcinoid tumors of the duodenum and the ampulla of Vater:current diagnostic and therapeutic approach in a series of 8 patients. Case series

AbstractAimTo describe the specific characteristics of duodenal/perivaterian carcinoids and to analyze the diagnostic/therapeutic approach.Material and methodsEight patients were included in our study. Symptoms on admission included dyspepsia, upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and anemia. All patients underwent upper GI endoscopy and gastrointestinal peptides (gastrin) and neuroendocrine markers (Chromogranin-A, CgA) measurement. Imaging studies were performed in all patients, including OCTREOSCAN, while in patients with ACs MRCP or ERCP was also performed, when necessary. Definite diagnosis was confirmed by histopathologic examination.ResultsPolypoid masses (carcinoids) were revealed at duodenal bulb and ampulla of Vater, in 5 and 3 patients, respectively. Serum gastrin was moderately increased in 4 patients, while in one patient it was more than 1000 pg/ml. Serum CgA was moderately increased in one patient, in whom OCTREOSCAN detected a solitary hepatic metastasis. Two patients with DC, of less than 1 cm of diameter, were treated by endoscopic polypectomy, while all the other patients underwent surgery. The patient with hepatic metastasis and positive OCTREOSCAN received also Octreotide LAR, resulting in stabilization of disease. No recurrence or metastases were observed during follow-up (range : 1.5–9.6 years).ConclusionsIn DC tumors <1 cm endoscopic excision with close follow-up is an adequate treatment, while in tumors >1 cm and in AC, surgical resection is the treatment of choice. In metastatic tumors, resection of the primary lesion with administration of somatostatin analogues may stabilize the disease and improve patient’s quality of life

A robust interaction control approach for underwater vehicle manipulator systems

In underwater robotic interaction tasks (e.g., sampling of sea organisms, underwater welding, panel handling, etc) various issues regarding the uncertainties and complexity of the robot dynamic model, the external disturbances (e.g., sea currents), the steady state performance as well as the overshooting/undershooting of the interaction force error, should be addressed during the control design. Motivated by the aforementioned considerations, this paper presents a force/position tracking control protocol for an Underwater Vehicle Manipulator System (UVMS) in compliant contact with a planar surface, without incorporating any knowledge of the UVMS dynamic model, the exogenous disturbances or the contact stiffness model. Moreover, the proposed control framework guarantees: (i) certain predefined minimum speed of response, maximum steady state error as well as overshoot/undershoot concerning the force/position tracking errors, (ii) contact maintenance and (iii) bounded closed loop signals. Additionally, the achieved transient and steady state performance is solely determined by certain designer-specified performance functions/parameters and is fully decoupled from the control gain selection and the initial conditions. Finally, both simulation and experimental studies clarify the proposed method and verify its efficiency.QC 20190103</p