Recommendations for implementing lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography in Europe

Lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) was demonstrated in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) to reduce mortality from the disease. European mortality data has recently become available from the Nelson randomised controlled trial, which confirmed lung cancer mortality reductions by 26% in men and 39–61% in women. Recent studies in Europe and the USA also showed positive results in screening workers exposed to asbestos. All European experts attending the “Initiative for European Lung Screening (IELS)”—a large international group of physicians and other experts concerned with lung cancer—agreed that LDCT-LCS should be implemented in Europe. However, the economic impact of LDCT-LCS and guidelines for its effective and safe implementation still need to be formulated. To this purpose, the IELS was asked to prepare recommendations to implement LCS and examine outstanding issues. A subgroup carried out a comprehensive literature review on LDCT-LCS and presented findings at a meeting held in Milan in November 2018. The present recommendations reflect that consensus was reached

Evaluation of non-Saccharomyces yeast for the reduction of alcohol content in wine

10.1128/AEM.03780-13Over recent decades the average ethanol concentration of wine has increased, due largely to consumer preference for wine styles associated with increased grape maturity; sugar content increases with grape maturity and this translates into increased alcohol content in wine. However, high ethanol content impacts on wine sensory properties, reducing the perceived complexity of flavours and aromas. In addition, for health and economic reasons, the wine sector is actively seeking technologies to facilitate the production of wines with lower ethanol content. Non-conventional yeast, in particular non-Saccharomyces yeast, have shown potential for producing wines with lower alcohol content. These yeast species, which are largely associated with grapes pre-harvest, are present in the early stages of fermentation, but in general are not capable of completing alcoholic fermentation. We have evaluated 50 different non-Saccharomyces isolates, belonging to 24 different genera, for their capacity to produce wine with lower ethanol concentration when used in sequential inoculation regimes with a S. cerevisiae wine strain. A sequential inoculation of Metschnikowia pulcherrima AWRI1149 followed by a S. cerevisiae wine strain was the best combination able to produce wine with a lower ethanol concentration than the single-inoculum, wine yeast, control. Sequential fermentations utilising AWRI1149 produced wines with 0.9% (v/v) and 1.6% (v/v) (corresponding to 7.1 g/L and 12.6 g/L) less ethanol concentration in Chardonnay and Shiraz, respectively. In Chardonnay, the total concentration of esters and higher alcohols was higher for wines generated from sequential inoculations, whereas the total concentration of volatile acids was significantly lower. In sequentially inoculated Shiraz wines the