Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OTSCC): alcohol and tobacco consumption versus non-consumption. A Study in a Portuguese population.

There has been an increase in the incidence of carcinoma of the tongue, particularly among alcohol and tobacco non-users. However, he number of studies that would allow a better understanding of etiological factors and clinical features, particularly in the Portuguese population, is very limited. This study was based on patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anterior two thirds of the tongue that were treated at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery of the "Instituto Portugues de Oncologia de Lisboa - Francisco Gentil" (IPOLFG) in Lisbon, Portugal, between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2009. The patients were divided in alcohol and tobacco users and non-users in order to evaluate the differences between these 2 groups based on gender, age, tumor location, denture use, and tumor size, metastasis and stage. Of the 354 cases, 208 were users and 146 were non-users. The main location in both groups was the lateral border of the tongue. Denture use showed no significant effect in both study groups. It was possible to conclude that patients who did not drink or smoke were older and presented with smaller tumor size, lower incidence of ganglion metastasis and lower tumor stage compared with alcohol and tobacco users

Enhanced wheat yield by biochar addition under different mineral fertilization levels

Climate change and global warming have worldwide adverse consequences. Biochar production and its use in agriculture can play a key role in climate change mitigation and help improve the quality and management of waste materials coming from agriculture and forestry. Biochar is a carbonaceous material obtained from thermal decomposition of residual biomass at relatively low temperature and under oxygen limited conditions (pyrolysis). Biochar is currently a subject of active research worldwide because it can constitute a viable option for sustainable agriculture due to its potential as a long-term sink for carbon in soil and benefits for crops. However, to date, the results of research studies on biochar effects on crop production show great variability, depending on the biochar type and experimental conditions. Therefore, it is important to identify the beneficial aspects of biochar addition to soil on crop yield in order to promote the adoption of this practice in agriculture. In this study, the effects of two types of biochar from agricultural wastes typical of Southern Spain: wheat straw and olive tree pruning, combined with different mineral fertilization levels on the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum durum L. cv. Vitron) were evaluated. Durum wheat was pot-grown for 2 months in a growth chamber on a soil collected from an agricultural field near Córdoba, Southern Spain. Soil properties and plant growth variables were studied in order to assess the agronomic efficiency of biochar. Our results show that biochar addition to a nutrientpoor, slightly acidic loamy sand soil had little effect on wheat yield in the absence of mineral fertilization. However, at the highest mineral fertilizer rate, addition of biochar led to about 20–30 % increase in grain yield compared with the use of the mineral fertilizer alone. Both biochars acted as a source of available P, which led to beneficial effects on crop production. In contrast, the addition of biochar resulted in decreases in available N and Mn. A maximum reduction in plant nutrient concentration of 25 and 80% compared to nonbiochar-treated soils for N and Mn, respectively, was detected. This fact was related to the own nature of biochar: low available nitrogen content, high adsorption capacity, and low mineralization rate for N; and alkaline pH and high carbonate content for Mn. Our results indicate that biochar-based soil management strategies can enhance wheat production with the environmental benefits of global warming mitigation. This can contribute positively to the viability and benefits of agricultural production systems. However, the nutrient–biochar interactions should receive special attention due to the great variability in the properties of biochar-type materials

MYC activation impairs cell-intrinsic IFNγ signaling and confers resistance to anti-PD1/PD-L1 therapy in lung cancer

Elucidating the adaptive mechanisms that prevent host immune response in cancer will help predict efficacy of anti-programmed death-1 (PD1)/L1 therapies. Here, we study the cell-intrinsic response of lung cancer (LC) to interferon-y (IFNy), a cytokine that promotes immunoresponse and modulates programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels. We report complete refractoriness to IFNy in a subset of LCs as a result of JAK2 or IFNGR1 inactivation. A submaximal response affects another subset that shows constitutive low levels of IFNy-stimulated genes (IySGs) coupled with decreased H3K27ac (histone 3 acetylation at lysine 27) depo-sition and promoter hypermethylation and reduced IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) recruitment to the DNA on IFNy stimulation. Most of these are neuroendocrine small cell LCs (SCLCs) with oncogenic MYC/MYCL1/ MYCN. The oncogenic activation of MYC in SCLC cells downregulates JAK2 and impairs IySGs stimulation by IFNy. MYC amplification tends to associate with a worse response to anti-PD1/L1 therapies. Hence alterations affecting the JAK/STAT pathway and MYC activation prevent stimulation by IFNy and may predict anti-PD1/L1 efficacy in LC

Effects of biochar amendment on root traits and contaminant availability of maize plants in a copper and arsenic impacted soil

Biochar has been proposed as a tool to enhance phytostabilisation of contaminated soils but little data are available to illustrate the direct effect on roots in contaminated soils. This work aimed to investigate specific root traits and to assess the effect of biochar amendment on contaminant availability. Amendment with two different types of biochar, pine woodchip and olive tree pruning, was assessed in a rhizobox experiment with maize planted in a soil contaminated with significant levels of copper and arsenic. Amendment was found to significantly improve root traits compared to the control soil, particularly root mass density and root length density. Copper uptake to plants and ammonium sulphate extractable copper was significantly less in the biochar amended soils. Arsenic uptake and extractability varied with type of biochar used but was not considered to be the limiting factor affecting root and shoot development. Root establishment in contaminated soils can be enhanced by biochar amendment but choice of biochar is key to maximising soil improvement and controlling contaminant availability

El compostaje de orujo de oliva de dos fases, estudio del proceso y evaluación de los productos obtenidos / José Antonio Alburquerque Méndez ; dirección Juan Cegarra Rosique.

Tesis-Universidad de Murcia.Consulte la tesis en: BCA. GENERAL. ARCHIVO UNIVERSITARIO. T.M. 2475

Discurso y reflexiones criticas/ hechas por ... Don Antonio Joseph Alburquerque Teruél ...

MU-AM, 9-E-12(1). -- Enc. perg.Fecha de la dedicatoria: 1741Sign.: A-E4, F3Port. con orla tip