Applications and Development of LEDs as Supplementary Lighting for Tomato at Different Latitudes

High-tech greenhouses and artificial light applications aim to improve food production, in line with one of the sustainable development goals of the UN Agenda 2030, namely, “zero hunger”. In the past, the incandescent lamps have been used for supplementary lighting (SL) at higher latitudes to increase greenhouse production during the dark season. Light-emitting diodes (LED) have been replacing gas discharge and incandescent lamps, and their development is expanding SL applications in different agricultural scenarios (e.g., urban farming, middle latitudes). In fact, recent research on LED applications in Mediterranean greenhouses have produced encouraging results. Since middle latitudes have a higher daily light integral (DLI) than higher latitudes in the dark season and climate conditions influence the installed power load of greenhouses, LED installation and management in Mediterranean greenhouses should be different and less expensive in terms of investment and energy consumption. Accordingly, the aim of this review is to outline the state of the art in LED applications and development, with a focus on latitude-related requirements. Tomato was used as a representative crop

Survival and Prognostic Factors in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated by Percutaneous Ethanol Injection: A 10-Year Experience

The treatment of early and intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still debated. Surgical treatments are considered to be the only curative procedures available, and only for a minority of patients. Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) is an established technique for the ablation of HCC nodules, and shows survival rates similar to those of resection. The efficacy of PEI in patients with biopsy-proven viral cirrhosis and small to intermediate inoperable HCC was evaluated. One hundred twenty-seven patients (85 men, 42 women, mean age 63 years, range 51 to 92 years, 115 hepatitis C virus-positive, 12 hepatitis B virus-positive) were enrolled between January 1993 and December 2002. They all underwent a standard PEI procedure and were prospectively followed-up. Overall median survival rate was 28 months (range six to 112 months). The following parameters were associated with a significantly longer survival: nodule diameter smaller than 30 mm (P=0.0480), the presence of a perinodular boundary (P=0.0008), serum alpha-fetoprotein less than 20 ng/mL (P=0.0104), a Child-Pugh A class score (PÃ0.0001) or a Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score of 0 (PÃ0.0001) and the presence or absence of small esophageal varices (P=0.013). The 19 patients with all these favourable characteristics showed an overall median survival of 61 months. An alpha-fetoprotein below 20 ng/mL was associated with significantly longer disease-free survival (P=0.0009). The Child-Pugh and Cancer of the Liver Italian Program scores were effective in predicting prognosis of these patients. In conclusion, PEI still represents a safe and economically sound treatment for HCC

Effect of Schistosoma mansoni Infection on Innate and HIV-1-Specific T-Cell Immune Responses in HIV-1-Infected Ugandan Fisher Folk.

In Uganda, fisher folk have HIV prevalence rates, about four times higher than the national average, and are often coinfected with Schistosoma mansoni. We hypothesized that innate immune responses and HIV-specific Th1 immune responses might be downmodulated in HIV/S. mansoni-coinfected individuals compared with HIV+/S. mansoni-negative individuals. We stimulated whole blood with innate receptor agonists and analyzed supernatant cytokines by Luminex. We evaluated HIV-specific responses by intracellular cytokine staining for IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α. We found that the plasma viral load and CD4 count were similar between the HIV+SM+ and HIV+SM- individuals. In addition, the TNF-α response to the imidazoquinoline compound CL097 and β-1, 3-glucan (curdlan), was significantly higher in HIV/S. mansoni-coinfected individuals compared with HIV only-infected individuals. The frequency of HIV-specific IFN-γ+IL-2-TNF-α- CD8 T cells and IFN-γ+IL-2-TNF-α+ CD4 T cells was significantly higher in HIV/S. mansoni-coinfected individuals compared with HIV only-infected individuals. These findings do not support the hypothesis that S. mansoni downmodulates innate or HIV-specific Th1 responses in HIV/S. mansoni-coinfected individuals

Good survival outcome of metastatic SDH-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors harboring SDHA mutations

Purpose:A subset of patients with KIT/PDGFRA wild-type gastrointestinal stromal tumors show loss of function of succinate dehydrogenase, mostly due to germ-line mutations of succinate dehydrogenase subunits, with a predominance of succinate dehydrogenase subunit A. The clinical outcome of these patients seems favorable, as reported in small series in which patients were individually described. This work evaluates a retrospective survival analysis of a series of patients with metastatic KIT/PDGFRA wild-type succinate dehydrogenase-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors.Methods:Sixty-nine patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors were included in the study (11 KIT/PDGFRA wild-type, of whom 6 were succinate dehydrogenase deficient, 5 were non-succinate dehydrogenase deficient, and 58 were KIT/PDGFRA mutant). All six succinate dehydrogenase-deficient patients harbored SDHA mutations. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to compare the survival of patients with succinate dehydrogenase subunit A-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumors with that of KIT/PDGFRA wild-type patients without succinate dehydrogenase deficiency and patients with KIT/PDGFRA-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumors.Results:Follow-up ranged from 8.5 to 200.7 months. The difference between succinate dehydrogenase subunit A-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumors and KIT/PDGFRA-mutant or KIT/PDGFRA wild-type non-succinate dehydrogenase deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors was significant considering different analyses (P = 0.007 and P = 0.033, respectively, from diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor for the whole study population; P = 0.005 and P = 0.018, respectively, from diagnosis of metastatic disease for the whole study population; P = 0.007 for only patients who were metastatic at diagnosis).Conclusion:Patients with metastatic KIT/PDGFRA wild-type succinate dehydrogenase-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors harboring succinate dehydrogenase subunit A mutations present an impressively long survival. These patients should be identified in clinical practice to better tailor treatments and follow-up over time A subset of patients with KIT/PDGFRA wild-type gastrointestinal stromal tumors show loss of function of succinate dehydrogenase, mostly due to germ-line mutations of succinate dehydrogenase subunits, with a predominance of succinate dehydrogenase subunit A. The clinical outcome of these patients seems favorable, as reported in small series in which patients were individually described. This work evaluates a retrospective survival analysis of a series of patients with metastatic KIT/PDGFRA wild-type succinate dehydrogenase-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors.Methods:Sixty-nine patients with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors were included in the study (11 KIT/PDGFRA wild-type, of whom 6 were succinate dehydrogenase deficient, 5 were non-succinate dehydrogenase deficient, and 58 were KIT/PDGFRA mutant). All six succinate dehydrogenase-deficient patients harbored SDHA mutations. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to compare the survival of patients with succinate dehydrogenase subunit A-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumors with that of KIT/PDGFRA wild-type patients without succinate dehydrogenase deficiency and patients with KIT/PDGFRA-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumors.Results:Follow-up ranged from 8.5 to 200.7 months. The difference between succinate dehydrogenase subunit A-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumors and KIT/PDGFRA-mutant or KIT/PDGFRA wild-type non-succinate dehydrogenase deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors was significant considering different analyses (P = 0.007 and P = 0.033, respectively, from diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor for the whole study population; P = 0.005 and P = 0.018, respectively, from diagnosis of metastatic disease for the whole study population; P = 0.007 for only patients who were metastatic at diagnosis).Conclusion:Patients with metastatic KIT/PDGFRA wild-type succinate dehydrogenase-deficient gastrointestinal stromal tumors harboring succinate dehydrogenase subunit A mutations present an impressively long survival. These patients should be identified in clinical practice to better tailor treatments and follow-up over time

Effect of high-intensity versus low-intensity praziquantel treatment on HIV disease progression in HIV and Schistosoma mansoni co-infected patients: a randomised controlled trial

Background: It has been hypothesised that Schistosoma co-infection exacerbates HIV progression, and hence anthelminthic intervention in co-infected individuals will delay it. We evaluated effects of high-intensity versus low-intensity praziquantel treatment of schistosomiasis on HIV disease progression among co-infected patients from fishing populations around Lake Victoria, Uganda. Methods: Between August 2012 and September 2015, we conducted an open-label randomised, controlled trial. Adults, antiretroviral therapy-naïve, CD4 counts ≥350 cells/μl, HIV and S. mansoni co-infected, were randomised 1:1 to praziquantel (40mg/kg) given quarterly (starting at enrolment) or annually (starting 12 weeks after enrolment; such that low-intensity participants were still untreated when sampled at 12 weeks). A non-randomised HIV-positive S. mansoni-negative comparison group was recruited. The primary outcome was mean change in plasma viral load at 12 and 60 weeks. Results: In total 363 participants (high-intensity 113, low-intensity 113, comparison group 137) were recruited; 96 (85.0%), 97 (85.8%) and 107 (78.1%) completed 60 weeks of follow up, respectively. Adjusting for baseline age and viral load, the geometric mean ratio (aGMR [95%CI]) viral load for high-intensity vs low-intensity groups at 12 weeks was 0.90 [0.65, 1.25] p=0.55 and at 60 weeks 1.88 [0.78, 4.53] p=0.16. Results in the comparison group were similar to trial arms. High-intensity, compared to low-intensity, treatment resulted in substantially lower S. mansoni prevalence at all follow up visits (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: In communities with a high burden of both S. mansoni and HIV infection, high-intensity treatment of S. mansoni does not delay HIV progression despite relevant benefit for parasite clearance. Trial registration: ISRCTN15371662 (17/11/2016)</ns4:p

The impact of the revised 17 O(p, \u3b1)14 N reaction rate on 17 O stellar abundances and yields

Context. Material processed by the CNO cycle in stellar interiors is enriched in 17O. When mixing processes from the stellar surface reach these layers, as occurs when stars become red giants and undergo the first dredge up, the abundance of 17O increases. Such an occurrence explains the drop of the 16O/17O observed in RGB stars with mass larger than solar mass 1:5M solar mass. As a consequence, the interstellar medium is continuously polluted by the wind of evolved stars enriched in 17O . Aims. Recently, the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) collaboration released an improved rate of the 17O(p; a)14N reaction. In this paper we discuss the impact that the revised rate has on the 16O/17O ratio at the stellar surface and on 17O stellar yields. Methods.We computed stellar models of initial mass between 1 and 20M solar mass and compared the results obtained by adopting the revised rate of the 17O(p; a)14N to those obtained using previous rates. Results. The post-first dredge up 16O/17O ratios are about 20% larger than previously obtained. Negligible variations are found in the case of the second and the third dredge up. In spite of the larger 17O(p; a)14N rate, we confirm previous claims that an extra-mixing process on the red giant branch, commonly invoked to explain the low carbon isotopic ratio observed in bright low-mass giant stars, marginally affects the 16O/17O ratio. Possible effects on AGB extra-mixing episodes are also discussed. As a whole, a substantial reduction of 17O stellar yields is found. In particular, the net yield of stars with mass ranging between 2 and 20 solar mass is 15 to 40% smaller than previously estimated. Conclusions. The revision of the 17O(p; a)14N rate has a major impact on the interpretation of the 16O/17O observed in evolved giants, in stardust grains and on the 17O stellar yields

Immune monitoring-guided vs fixed duration of antiviral prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus in solid-organ transplant recipients. A Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND The use of assays detecting cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T-cell-mediated immunity may individualize the duration of antiviral prophylaxis in transplant recipients. METHODS In this open-label randomized trial, adult kidney and liver transplant recipients from six centers in Switzerland were enrolled if they were CMV-seronegative with seropositive donors or CMV-seropositive receiving anti-thymocyte globulins. Patients were randomized to a duration of antiviral prophylaxis based on immune-monitoring (intervention) or a fixed duration (control). Patients in the control group were planned to receive 180 days (CMV-seronegative) or 90 days (CMV-seropositive) of valganciclovir. Patients were assessed monthly with a CMV-specific interferon gamma release assay (T-Track® CMV); prophylaxis in the intervention group was stopped if the assay was positive. The primary outcomes were the proportion of patients with clinically significant CMV infection and reduction in days of prophylaxis. Between-group differences were adjusted for CMV serostatus. RESULTS Overall, 193 patients were randomized (92 in the immune-monitoring and 101 in the control group) of which 185 had evaluation of the primary endpoint (87 and 98 patients, respectively). Clinically significant CMV infection occurred in 26/87 (adjusted percentage, 30.9%) in the immune-monitoring group and in 32/98 (adjusted percentage, 31.1%) in the control group (adjusted risk difference -0.1, 95%CI -13.0%, 12.7%; p = 0.064). The duration of antiviral prophylaxis was shorter in the immune-monitoring group (adjusted difference -26.0 days, 95%-CI -41.1 to -10.8 days, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Immune monitoring resulted in a significant reduction of antiviral prophylaxis, but we were unable to establish noninferiority of this approach on the co-primary endpoint of CMV infection