The effect of within-crop habitat manipulations on the conservation biological control of aphids in field-grown lettuce

Within-crop habitat manipulations have the potential to increase the biological control of pests in horticultural field crops. Wildflower strips have been shown to increase the abundance of natural enemies, but there is little evidence to date of an impact on pest populations. The aim of this study was to determine whether withincrop wildflower strips can increase the natural regulation of pests in horticultural field crops. Aphid numbers in plots of lettuce grown adjacent to wildflower strips were compared with those in plots grown in the absence of wildflowers. The presence of wildflower strips led to a decrease in aphid numbers on adjacent lettuce plants during June and July, but had less impact in August and September. The decrease in aphid numbers was greatest close to the wildflower strips and, the decrease in aphid numbers declined with increasing distance from the wildflower strips, with little effect at a distance of ten metres. The main natural enemies found in the crop were those that dispersed aerially, which is consistent with data from previous studies on cereal crops. Analysis and interpretation of natural enemy numbers was difficult due to low recovery of natural enemies, and the numbers appeared to follow changes in aphid abundance rather than being directly linked to the presence of wildflower strips. Cutting the wildflower strips, to remove floral resources, had no impact on the reduction in aphid numbers achieved during June and July, but decreased the effect of the wildflower strips during August and September. The results suggest that wildflower strips can lead to increased natural regulation of pest aphids in outdoor lettuce crops, but more research is required to determine how this is mediated by natural enemies and how the impact of wildflower strips on natural pest regulation changes during the growing season

The possibilities of the utilization of the polymetallic concentrate Čoka Marin

This paper presents the results of calculations of the composition of composite concentrates used as the charge in the Copper Smelter in Bor, from the aspect of the behavior of zinc, lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. These elements have extremely harmful effects on the environment and human health; hence it is crucial to comply with legal values of their emission into the environment

<i>EPS8</i> Inhibition Increases Cisplatin Sensitivity in Lung Cancer Cells

Cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic, is associated with ototoxicity, renal toxicity and neurotoxicity, thus identifying means to increase the therapeutic index of cisplatin may allow for improved outcomes. A SNP (rs4343077) within EPS8, discovered through a genome wide association study of cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs), provided impetus to further study this gene. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the role of EPS8 in cellular susceptibility to cisplatin in cancerous and non-cancerous cells. We used EPS8 RNA interference to determine the effect of decreased EPS8 expression on LCL and A549 lung cancer cell sensitivity to cisplatin. EPS8 knockdown in LCLs resulted in a 7.9% increase in cisplatin-induced survival (P = 1.98×10−7) and an 8.7% decrease in apoptosis (P = 0.004) compared to control. In contrast, reduced EPS8 expression in lung cancer cells resulted in a 20.6% decrease in cisplatin-induced survival (P = 5.08×10−5). We then investigated an EPS8 inhibitor, mithramycin A, as a potential agent to increase the therapeutic index of cisplatin. Mithramycin A decreased EPS8 expression in LCLs resulting in decreased cellular sensitivity to cisplatin as evidenced by lower caspase 3/7 activation following cisplatin treatment (42.7%±6.8% relative to control P = 0.0002). In 5 non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines, mithramycin A also resulted in decreased EPS8 expression. Adding mithramycin to 4 NSCLC cell lines and a bladder cancer cell line, resulted in increased sensitivity to cisplatin that was significantly more pronounced in tumor cell lines than in LCL lines (pEPS8, such as mithramycin A, could improve cisplatin treatment by increasing sensitivity of tumor relative to normal cells.</p

Genome-Wide Local Ancestry Approach Identifies Genes and Variants Associated with Chemotherapeutic Susceptibility in African Americans

Chemotherapeutic agents are used in the treatment of many cancers, yet variable resistance and toxicities among individuals limit successful outcomes. Several studies have indicated outcome differences associated with ancestry among patients with various cancer types. Using both traditional SNP-based and newly developed gene-based genome-wide approaches, we investigated the genetics of chemotherapeutic susceptibility in lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from 83 African Americans, a population for which there is a disparity in the number of genome-wide studies performed. To account for population structure in this admixed population, we incorporated local ancestry information into our association model. We tested over 2 million SNPs and identified 325, 176, 240, and 190 SNPs that were suggestively associated with cytarabine-, 5′-deoxyfluorouridine (5′-DFUR)-, carboplatin-, and cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, respectively (p≤10−4). Importantly, some of these variants are found only in populations of African descent. We also show that cisplatin-susceptibility SNPs are enriched for carboplatin-susceptibility SNPs. Using a gene-based genome-wide association approach, we identified 26, 11, 20, and 41 suggestive candidate genes for association with cytarabine-, 5′-DFUR-, carboplatin-, and cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity, respectively (p≤10−3). Fourteen of these genes showed evidence of association with their respective chemotherapeutic phenotypes in the Yoruba from Ibadan, Nigeria (pTP53I11, COPS5 and GAS8, which are known to be involved in tumorigenesis. Although our results require further study, we have identified variants and genes associated with chemotherapeutic susceptibility in African Americans by using an approach that incorporates local ancestry information.</p

The Development of Heat Substation for Drying Waste Heat Utilisation

The problem solution of waste heat utilization at the tobacco factory is considered in this work. The analysis of the possibility of waste heat utilization and appropriate calculations of plate heat exchangers were carried out. The method for multi component mixture condensation calculation is used. This allows obtaining optimal parameters for the working conditions of the heat exchangers according to the energy efficiency retrofit of industrial enterprises. The design of heat substation for waste heat utilisation was developed

Effect of sodium bicarbonate solution on methyltrimethoxysilane-derived silica aerogels dried at ambient pressure

Here we present an economical ambient pressure drying method of preparing monolithic silica aerogels from methyltrimethoxysilane precursor while using sodium bicarbonate solution as the exchanging solvent. We prepared silica aerogels with a density and a specific surface area of 0.053 g·cm−3 and 423 m2·g−1, respectively. The average pore diameter of silica aerogels is 23 nm as the pore specific volume is 1.11 cm3·g−1. Further, the contact angle between water droplet and the surface of silica aerogels in specific condition can be as high as 166°, which indicates a super-hydrophobic surface of aerogels

Ugt1a1 (ta)(n) promoter genotype: diagnostic and population pharmacogenetic marker in Serbia

The UGT1A1 enzyme is involved in the metabolism of bilirubin and numerous medications. Unconjugated hyper-bilirubinemia, commonly presented as Gilbert syndrome (GS), is a result of decreased activity of the UGT1A1 enzyme, variable number of TA repeats in the promoter of the UGT1A1 gene affects enzyme activity. Seven and eight TA repeats cause a decrease of UGT1A1 activity and risk GS alleles, while six TA repeats contribute to normal UGT I Al activity and non-risk GS allele. Also, the UGT1A1 (TA)(n) promoter genotype is recognized as a clinically relevant phannacogenetic marker. The aim of this study was to access diagnostic value of UGTIAI (TA) n promoter genotyping in pediatric GS patients. Correlation of the UGT1A1(TA)(n) genotypes and level of unconjugated bilirubin at diagnosis and after hypocaloric and phenobarbitone tests in these patients was analyzed. Another aim of the study was to assess phannacogenetic potential ofUGT1A1 (TA)(n) variants in Serbia. Fifty-one pediatric GS patients and 100 healthy individuals were genotyped using different methodologies, polymerise chain reaction (PCR) followed by acrylamide electrophoresis, fragment length analysis and/or DNA sequencing. Concordance of the UGT1A1 (TA)(n) promoter risk GS genotypes with GS was found in 80.0% of patients. Therefore, UGT1A1 (TA)(n) promoter genotyping is not a reliable genetic test for GS, but it is useful for differential diagnosis of diseases associated with hyperbilirubinemia. Level of bilimbin in pediatric GS patients at diagnosis wasUGT1A1 (TA)(n) promoter genotype-dependent. We found that the frequency of phannacogenetic relevant UGT1A1 (TA)(n) promoter genotypes was 63.0%, pointing out that UGT1A1 (TA)(n) promoter genoty ping could be recommended for preemptive pharmacogendic testing in Serbia

Glycogen and gold nanoparticle bioconjugates: controlled plasmon resonance via glycogen-induced nanoparticle aggregation

Hybrid nanosystems composed of glycogen biopolymers and gold nanoparticles were prepared by an in situ non-toxic synthetic procedure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and various spectroscopic methods (optical absorption, X-ray photoelectron and photoluminescence spectroscopy) were used for the characterization of the obtained bioconjugates. The gold nanoparticles formed in the presence of glycogen were spherical in shape and approximately 15 nm in diameter. The TEM micrographs show that the nanoparticles aggregated on the surface of the glycogen biomolecules. This effect induced a shift of the surface plasmon resonance band towards higher wavelengths on an increase in gold ion concentration. Effective medium theory calculations were carried out in order to explain the observed redshift of the plasmon band in the absorption spectra of the Au-glycogen colloids. The interactions of the gold nanoparticles with glycogen strongly affected the photoluminescence of the glycogenin protein incorporated into its structure. The Au-glycogen hydrocolloids exhibited good chemical stability in the presence of saline, phosphate buffered saline, alanine, histidine and D-glucose

PAR1 (Protease-Activated Receptor 1) Pepducin Therapy Targeting Myocardial Necrosis in Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Study

OBJECTIVE: Arterial thrombosis leading to ischemic injury worsens the prognosis of many patients with cardiovascular disease. PZ-128 is a first-in-class pepducin that reversibly inhibits PAR1 (protease-activated receptor 1) on platelets and other vascular cells by targeting the intracellular surface of the receptor. The TRIP-PCI (Thrombin Receptor Inhibitory Pepducin in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) trial was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of PZ-128 in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization with intent to perform percutaneous coronary intervention. Approach and Results: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial, 100 patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive PZ-128 (0.3 or 0.5 mg/kg), or placebo in a 2-hour infusion initiated just before the start of cardiac catheterization, on top of standard oral antiplatelet therapy. Rates of the primary end point of bleeding were not different between the combined PZ-128 doses (1.6%, 1/62) and placebo group (0%, 0/35). The secondary end points of major adverse coronary events at 30 and 90 days did not significantly differ but were numerically lower in the PZ-128 groups (0% and 2% in the PZ-128 groups, 6% and 6% with placebo, p=0.13, p=0.29, respectively). In the subgroup of patients with elevated baseline cardiac troponin I, the exploratory end point of 30-day major adverse coronary events + myocardial injury showed 83% events in the placebo group versus 31% events in the combined PZ-128 drug groups, an adjusted relative risk of 0.14 (95% CI, 0.02-0.75); P=0.02. CONCLUSIONS: In this first-in-patient experience, PZ-128 added to standard antiplatelet therapy appeared to be safe, well tolerated, and potentially reduced periprocedural myonecrosis, thus providing the basis for further clinical trials. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02561000