Zr-doped TiO2 as a Thermostabilizer in Plasmon-Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Harvesting solar energy is a promising solution toward meeting the world’s evergrowing energy demand. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are hybrid organic–inorganic solar cells with tremendous potential for commercial application, but they are plagued by in efficiency due to their poor sunlight absorption. Plasmonic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been shown to enhance the absorptive properties of DSSCs, but their plasmonic resonance can cause thermal damage resulting in cell deterioration. Hence, the influence of Zr-doped TiO2 on the efficiency of plasmon-enhanced DSSCs was studied, showing that 5 mol.% Zr-doping of the photoactive TiO2 material can improve the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs by 44%. By examining three different DSSC designs, it became clear that the efficiency enhancing effect of Zr strongly depends on the proximity of the Zr-doped material to the plasmonic AgNPs

Constitutively decreased TGFBR1 allelic expression is a common finding in colorectal cancer and is associated with three TGFBR1 SNPs

Purpose: Constitutively decreased TGFBR1 allelic expression is emerging as a potent modifier of colorectal cancer risk in mice and humans. This phenotype was first observed in mice, then in lymphoblastoid cell lines from patients with microsatellite stable colorectal tumors. Patients and Methods: We assessed the frequency of constitutively decreased TGFBR1 allelic expression and association with SNPs covering the TGFBR1 locus using RNA and DNA extracted from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 118 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven adenocarcinoma of the colon or the rectum. Results: We found that 11(9.3%) of 118 patients exhibited decreased TGFBR1 allelic expression (TGFBR1 ASE). TGFBR1 ASE was strongly associated with three SNPs in linkage disequilibrium with each other: rs7034462 (p = 7.2 × 10-4), TGFBR1*6A (p = 1.6 × 10-4) and rs11568785 (p = 1.4 × 10-4). Conclusion: These results confirm the high prevalence of constitutively decreased TGFBR1 allelic expression among patients with colorectal cancer. The association of this phenotype with TGFBR1*6A, rs7034462 and rs1156875 suggests an association between TGFBR1 SNPs and colorectal cancer, which warrants additional studies

Treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with very low levels of amplitude-modulated electromagnetic fields

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic options for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited. There is emerging evidence that the growth of cancer cells may be altered by very low levels of electromagnetic fields modulated at specific frequencies. METHODS: A single-group, open-label, phase I/II study was performed to assess the safety and effectiveness of the intrabuccal administration of very low levels of electromagnetic fields amplitude modulated at HCC-specific frequencies in 41 patients with advanced HCC and limited therapeutic options. Three-daily 60-min outpatient treatments were administered until disease progression or death. Imaging studies were performed every 8 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was progression-free survival >= 6 months. Secondary efficacy end points were progression-free survival and overall survival. RESULTS: Treatment was well tolerated and there were no NCI grade 2, 3 or 4 toxicities. In all, 14 patients (34.1%) had stable disease for more than 6 months. Median progression-free survival was 4.4 months (95% CI 2.1-5.3) and median overall survival was 6.7 months (95% CI 3.0-10.2). There were three partial and one near complete responses. CONCLUSION: Treatment with intrabuccally administered amplitude-modulated electromagnetic fields is safe, well tolerated, and shows evidence of antitumour effects in patients with advanced HCC. British Journal of Cancer (2011) 105, 640-648. doi:10.1038/bjc.2011.292 www.bjcancer.com Published online 9 August 2011 (C) 2011 Cancer Research U

Quantification of Field Resistance to Verticillium dahliae in Eight Russet-Skinned Potato Cultivars Using Real-Time PCR

Abstract Changes in potato production over the past 10 to 20 years, have resulted in increased emphasis being placed on breeding for resistance to Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb. While many russet-skinned cultivars recently have been released with reported resistance to Verticillium wilt, information is lacking on the level of pathogen colonization, and therefore, the level of true genetic resistance is not known. Eight russet-skinned cultivars were grown in field trials with low and high levels of V. dahliae in the soil, and evaluated for wilt, stem colonization, yield, and tuber vascular discoloration. A recently developed QPCR assay was validated, with strong relationships to culture plating assays over three stem sampling dates. Additionally, stem colonization levels, as determined by QPCR, were related to wilt and tuber vascular discoloration. However, total yield did not exhibit a strong relationship to any other parameter evaluated in this study. Results from these studies indicate that varying levels of true resistance are present in the russet-skinned cultivars evaluated, and that the QPCR assay can be reliable in rapidly evaluating resistance to V. dahliae under field conditions. Based on pathogen quantification using stem colonization derived from traditional plating assays and QPCR, the resistance level of several cultivars is more clearly defined and discussed. Resumen Los cambios en la producción de papa en los pasados 10 a 20 años, han resultado en un aumento en el énfasis ubicado en el mejoramiento para la resistencia al marchitamiento por Verticillium, causado por Verticillium dahliae Kleb. Mientras que muchos cultivares de piel tipo russet se han liberado recientemente con resistencia reportada al marchitamiento por Verticillium, la información carece del nivel de colonización del patógeno, y de aquí que no se conozca el nivel de resistencia genética verdadera. Se sembraron ocho cultivares con piel tipo russet en ensayos de campo con niveles bajo y alto de V. dahliae en el suelo, y evaluados para marchitez, colonización del tallo, rendimiento, y decoloración vascular del tubérculo. Se evaluó recientemente un ensayo QPCR, con relaciones fuertes a ensayos de cultivos en placas sobre tres fechas de muestreo del tallo. Adicionalmente, los niveles de colonización del tallo, como se determinaron por QPCR, se relacionaron al marchitamiento y a la decoloración vascular del tubérculo. No obstante, el rendimiento total no exhibió una relación fuerte a ningún otro parámetro evaluado en este estudio. Los resultados de estos estudios indican que están presentes diversos niveles de resistencia verdadera en las variedades de piel tipo russet evaluadas, y que el ensayo de QPCR puede ser confiable en la evaluación rápida de resistencia a V. dahliae bajo condiciones de campo. Con base en la cuantificación del patógeno mediante el uso de la colonización del tallo derivada de los ensayos tradicionales de placas y QPCR, el nivel de resistencia de varios cultivares está más claramente definido y discutido

No association between germline allele-specific expression of TGFBR1 and colorectal cancer risk in Caucasian and Ashkenazi populations

Background: germline allele-specific expression (ASE) of the TGFBR1 gene has been reported as a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) with an odds ratio close to 9. Considering the potential implications of the finding, we undertook the task of validating the initial results in this study. Methods: allele-specific expression was measured using the highly quantitative and robust technique of pyrosequencing. Individuals from two different populations were studied, one Caucasian-dominated and the other of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, with different sources of non-tumoral genetic material in each. Results: our results showed no statistically significant differences in the degree of ASE between CRC patients and controls, considering ASE as either a quantitative or a binary trait. Using defined cutoff values to categorise ASE, 1.0% of blood lymphocytes from informative Israeli cases (total n=96) were ASE positive (median 1.00; range 0.76-1.31) and 2.2% of informative matched controls (total n=90) were ASE positive (median 1.00; range 0.76-1.87). Likewise, normal mucosae from Spanish patients (median 1.03; range: 0.68-1.43; n=75) did not show significant differences in the degree of ASE when compared with the Israeli patients or controls. Conclusions: taken together, these results suggest that ASE of TGFBR1 does not confer an increased risk of CRC

NETTAB 2012 on “Integrated Bio-Search”

The NETTAB 2012 workshop, held in Como on November 14-16, 2012, was devoted to "Integrated Bio-Search", that is to technologies, methods, architectures, systems and applications for searching, retrieving, integrating and analyzing data, information, and knowledge with the aim of answering complex bio-medical-molecular questions, i.e. some of the most challenging issues in bioinformatics today. It brought together about 80 researchers working in the field of Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biology, Computer Science and Engineering. More than 50 scientific contributions, including keynote and tutorial talks, oral communications, posters and software demonstrations, were presented at the workshop. This preface provides a brief overview of the workshop and shortly introduces the peer-reviewed manuscripts that were accepted for publication in this Supplement