Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin on sexual maturation, sex steroids and thyroid hormone levels in Caspian lamprey (Caspiomyzon wagneri Kessler, 1870)

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on sexual maturation, plasma sex steroids [17β-estradiol, (E2) and 17α-hydroxy progesterone (17α_OHP)] and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine, T3 and thyroxin, T4) levels in upstream - migrating Caspian lamprey. During the experiment, 36 fish (24 females and 12 males) in spring 2013 and 36 fish (24 females and 12 males) in fall 2013 were collected from the Shirud River estuary in Mazandaran Province, the Southern Caspian Sea during their upstream migration to the freshwater. All fish were injected with hCG at the doses of 1000, 1500 and 2000 IU.kg BW-1. The injection was a two - step process (50% of hormone in each step) by 12 h interval. After the first injection, fish were retained in the cages in the river beds and 24 hours after the second injection, fish were checked for egg and sperm release after mild abdomen pressure. Blood samples were taken for determining sex steroid levels. Results showed that hCG hormone injections caused increase in migration of germinal vesicle in the oocyte of female and sperm release in males. Significant differences were found in the serum E2 and 17α-OHP levels in hCG - injected fish compared to the control. However, no significant differences were found in serum T3 and T4 levels in the hCG -injected fish. According to the results, the appropriate hCG dosage to induce the reproduction acceleration in Caspian lamprey is 1500-2000 IU.kg BW-1

Synthesis of PANi nanoarrays anchored on 2D BiOCl nanoplates for photodegradation of Congo Red in visible light region

Photocatalytic processes have attained considerable attention of late years, especially for environmental remediation. Despite extensive research in this area, the need for safer, more efficient, and cost-effective processes has encouraged researchers to develop novel photocatalysis. However, the low active surface area and narrow bandgap limit their photocatalytic performances. In the present research, the 2D BiOCl sheets were successfully synthesized by a new hydrothermal method and decorated by PANi nanoarrays through in-situ oxidative polymerization of aniline. The UV�vis diffuse-re�ectance and photoluminescence spectroscopy revealed the synergistic effects between PANi nanoarrays and 2D BiOCl by enhancing the absorption in the visible light region and reduction of bandgap down to 2.9 eV. Furthermore, the morphology analysis showed the proper decoration of PANi nanoarrays on 2D BiOCl nanoplates. The synthesized nanocomposite with different weight loadings of PANi was taken to evaluate the decolorization efficiency of it. The result exhibited an optimum value of 88.35 at 60 min irradiation under visible light in the photodegradation of Congo Red (CR). Moreover, the probable photocatalytic mechanism for degradation of CR by PANi/BiCOl photocatalyst was proposed based on the scavenger experiments. The outcomes indicated that the PANi promoted the absorption intensity of the pure BiOCl in the visible region. To that, the well-arranged array and considerably high specific surface area of PANi could encourage the transfer of electrons witch generated by the photo to 2D BiOCl substrate and repel the recombination of electron-hole pairs. © 2019 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistr

A multisite blinded study for the detection of BRAF mutations in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded malignant melanoma

Melanoma patients with BRAF mutations respond to treatment with vemurafenib, thus creating a need for accurate testing of BRAF mutation status. We carried out a blinded study to evaluate various BRAF mutation testing methodologies in the clinical setting. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded melanoma samples were macrodissected before screening for mutations using Sanger sequencing, single-strand conformation analysis (SSCA), high resolution melting analysis (HRM) and competitive allele-specific TaqMan® PCR (CAST-PCR). Concordance of 100% was observed between the Sanger sequencing, SSCA and HRM techniques. CAST-PCR gave rapid and accurate results for the common V600E and V600K mutations, however additional assays are required to detect rarer BRAF mutation types found in 3-4% of melanomas. HRM and SSCA followed by Sanger sequencing are effective two-step strategies for the detection of BRAF mutations in the clinical setting. CAST-PCR was useful for samples with low tumour purity and may also be a cost-effective and robust method for routine diagnostics

Impact of technology foresight on the policy-making process in Iran

Technology foresight as a policy intelligence tool, can offer vital inputs for policy-making in various domains. The relationship between foresight and policy-making has been presented in the literature by the policy-related functions of foresight, but the literature reflects a theoretical gap with the systematic evaluation of the impact of foresight on policy-making. So this study tries to bridge the existing gap by development an evaluation model. The data collection tool is a questionnaire and in order to test the proposed model; a sample of fifteen experts is included. In this article a case study is conducted to implement the confirmed model in the real word and Partial Least Squares (PLSs) path analysis is used to advance our understanding of the relationships and the structure of the proposed model. The results confirm the proposed dimensions of the model and provide insight for those who are concerned with this topic

Blood-based detection of RAS mutations to guide anti-EGFR therapy in colorectal cancer patients: concordance of results from circulating tumor DNA and tissue-based RAS testing

An accurate blood-based RAS mutation assay to determine eligibility of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients for anti-EGFR therapy would benefit clinical practice by better informing decisions to administer treatment independent of tissue availability. The objective of this study was to determine the level of concordance between plasma and tissue RAS mutation status in patients with mCRC to gauge whether blood-based RAS mutation testing is a viable alternative to standard-of-care RAS tumor testing. RAS testing was performed on plasma samples from newly diagnosed metastatic patients, or from recurrent mCRC patients using the highly sensitive digital PCR technology, BEAMing (beads, emulsions, amplification, and magnetics), and compared with DNA sequencing data of respective FFPE (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded) tumor samples. Discordant tissue RAS results were re-examined by BEAMing, if possible. The prevalence of RAS mutations detected in plasma (51%) vs. tumor (53%) was similar, in accord with the known prevalence of RAS mutations observed in mCRC patient populations. The positive agreement between plasma and tumor RAS results was 90.4% (47/52), the negative agreement was 93.5% (43/46), and the overall agreement (concordance) was 91.8% (90/98). The high concordance of plasma and tissue results demonstrates that blood-based RAS mutation testing is a viable alternative to tissue-based RAS testing

Molecular Marker for Predicting Treatment Response in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma: Does the Promise Fulfill Clinical Need?

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is largely diagnosed incidentally on imaging taken for unrelated reasons. The management of localized lesions is primarily extirpative with excellent results. Treatment of advanced RCC has evolved over recent years with the use of targeted therapies such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, and antibody-mediated therapies. The treatment response to these targeted therapies is highly variable, with no clear clinical method of identifying patients who will benefit from or not tolerate therapy. The field of molecular markers has evolved significantly in the last decade, with a multitude of markers identified that predict treatment response and drug toxicity. The following review critically evaluates those molecular markers that have been assessed for their utility in predicting treatment response in patients with advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Identifying the ideal treatment for these patients will improve responses to therapy, minimize morbidity, and save significant healthcare dollars