A survey of cherry leaf roll virus in intensively managed grafted english (Persian) walnut trees in Italy

Blackline disease, caused by Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV), is considered a serious threat limiting English walnut (Juglans regia) production in Italy and the EU if walnut species other than J. regia e.g. \u2018Paradox\u2019 hybrid (J. regia 7 J. hindsii), French hybrid (J. regia 7 J. major or J. regia 7 J. nigra) or northern California black walnut (J. hindsii) are used as the rootstock. The virus transmissibility by pollen as well as latent infections can result in the spread of CLRVcontaminated propagative material, which is a major means of the virus dispersal by human activities. In 2014 and 2015 to ascertain the presence and the distribution of blackline symptoms in commercial orchards and to provide a description of the symptomatology, visual inspections and double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) analyses were carried out on 1,684 walnut trees in four different intensively managed grafted English walnut orchards in northeast Italy (Veneto Region). Trees with clear blackline symptoms at the scion-rootstock junction, often associated with general decline of the plant, were found only in one commercial orchard in northeast Italy on trees older than ten years of cvs. \u2018Tulare\u2019 and \u2018Chandler\u2019, grafted onto \u2018Paradox\u2019 rootstock. To our knowledge this is the first report of CLRV (blackline) decline and death in a commercial walnut orchard in Italy

The effects of transurethral resection and cystoprostatectomy on dissemination of epithelial cells in the circulation of patients with bladder cancer

This study was undertaken to evaluate the risk of haematogenous dissemination of epithelial cells induced by endoscopic resection and/or cystoprostatectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Thirty-three patients were studied. Thirty-one had different stages and grades of bladder cancer and two patients had benign bladder conditions. Twenty-five cancer patients required transurethral resection of their bladder tumour. Of those, 20 had superficial disease (pTaG1–G2: n = 19; pT1G2: n = 1) and five had muscle invasive tumours (pT2G3: n = 2; pT3aG3: n = 1; pT4G3: n = 2). Five patients underwent radical cystoprostatectomy for muscle invasive cancers (pT2G3: n = 3; pT3bG3: n = 1; pT4G3: n = 1) and one man received chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Venous blood (10 ml) was obtained from the antecubital fossa in each patient, before and 1–2 h after completion of surgery, and prior to treatment in the metastatic patient. An indirect immunocytochemical technique was used to detect circulating epithelial cells after centrifugation on Ficoll gradient and fixation of mononuclear cells on slides, using a monoclonal antibody directed against three cytokeratins: CK8, CK18 and CK19. Circulating epithelial cells were detected only in the patient with metastatic disease. None of the other patients had evidence of epithelial circulating cells before or after surgery. The results suggest that irrespective of disease stage and grade, neither endoscopic nor open bladder surgery leads to detectable dissemination of urothelial cells in the peripheral circulation. These procedures are therefore unlikely to increase the risk of progression and metastasis in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

Morphological and biochemical changes in maize under drought and salinity stresses in a semi-arid environment

This study investigated some morphological and biochemical responses of maize to drought and salinity in open field in Tunisia with the aim of gaining insights into tolerance mechanisms. After seedling emergence, five treatments were applied until maturity: optimal water supply (control, 100% of maximum evapotranspiration - ETM); irrigation at 70% ETM (moderate drought) and at 35% ETM (severe drought); optimal supply of water containing 3 g NaCl L 121 (moderate salinity) and 6 g NaCl L 121 (severe salinity). Here, we demonstrated that extreme drought and salinity severely decreased the leaf area ( 1274% and 1255%, respectively) and the above-ground biomass ( 1235% and 1231%, respectively) at silking stage, indicating that the photosynthetic leaf apparatus is highly sensitive and that drought has a greater effect than salinity. Grain yield losses were also exacerbated under extreme stress conditions, viz. severe drought ( 1285% versus controls) and severe salinity ( 1273%), while productivity under moderate salinity approximated that of moderate drought, possibly due to increases in leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content and K/Na ratio. The leaf area and its relative water content were positively correlated with grain yield under both salinity and drought stresses, and may therefore be used as markers for effective screening of maize genotypes for better stress tolerance

Effective delivery of recombinant proteins to rod photoreceptors via lipid nanovesicles.

The potential of liposomes to deliver functional proteins in retinal photoreceptors and modulate their physiological response was investigated by two experimental approaches. First, we treated isolated mouse retinas with liposomes encapsulating either recoverin, an important endogenous protein operating in visual phototransduction, or antibodies against recoverin. We then intravitrally injected in vivo liposomes encapsulating either rhodamin B or recoverin and we investigated the distribution in retina sections by confocal microscopy. The content of liposomes was found to be released in higher amount in the photoreceptor layer than in the other regions of the retina and the functional effects of the release were in line with the current model of phototransduction. Our study sets the basis for quantitative investigations aimed at assessing the potential of intraocular protein delivery via biocompatible nanovesicles with promising implications for the treatment of retinal diseases affecting the photoreceptor layer

Use of liquid culture and cell cycle analysis to compare drug damage following in vitro treatment of normal human bone marrow cells with adriamycin, arabinosyl-cytosine, and etoposide

The effects of adriamycin (ADM), arabinosyl-cytosine (ARA-C) and etoposide (VP16) were studied on human bone marrow mononucleated cells using colony formation in agar, a modified liquid culture system, and flow cytometry analysis of the cell cycle. Drug concentrations tested during a l-h incubation ranged from 0.1 to 4 \u3bcg/ml for ADM, from 0.3 to 30 \u3bcg/ml for VP16, and from 10-7 to 10-3 M for ARA-C. Regression analysis of the dose-response curves was used to to assess the drug concentration that inhibited 90% \ub1 5% (LD90) of colony growth. LD90s were 0.4 \u3bcg/ml for ADM, 20 \u3bcg/ml for VP16, and 10-4 M for ARA-C. LD90-surviving cells were cultured in liquid medium for 3 weeks. Surviving cells over this time were 13% of the control for ADM, 22% for VP16, and 95.7% for ARA-C. Although cells decreased drastically in ADM- and VP16-treated samples, granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) per 10*5 surviving cells rose to twice the control fro ADM, to 60% for VP16, and to 150% for ARA-C. Flow cytometry analysis of the cell cycle was performed at day 0 and at day 4 after treatment with the LD90 dose. It showed a rapid and reversible effect of ARA-C on cells in the S-phase, whereas the action of VP16 concerned all cells, regardless of their cycle phase. We conclude that the direct effects of the three drugs on CFU-GM in agr are poorly predictive of hematopoietic reconstitution capacity, except for VP16. Liquid culture gives a much more accurate appraisal of the long-term damage and recovery due to anticancer drugs

Adenolinfoma della parotide. (Osservazioni personali)

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Weevils of Monte Grappa Biosphere Reserve

An annotated catalogue of Coleoptera Curculionoidea of “Monte Grappa” Biosphere Reserve is presented. The 528 species surveyed, divided into 7 families and 283 genera and subgenera, include the 265 species already known, plus the 263 are reported for the first time for the area. Faunistic, chorological and ecological information is given for all the species together with 1.015 illustrations of distinctive species, collecting techniques and selected habitats. In addition the database of 20.000 specimens collected can be found at: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.749769