Modelling phosphorus dynamics in the soil–plant system

International audienc

Hydraulic and mechanical dysfunction of Norway spruce sapwood due to extreme summer drought in Scandinavia

Projected climate change scenarios such as frequently occurring dry summer spells are an enormous threat to the health of boreal conifer forests. We identified visible features indicating wood with tracheids predisposed for hydraulic and mechanical dysfunction in Norway spruce, suggest why this is formed during severe summer drought and hypothesised on mechanism that would cause tracheid collapse and stem cracks. Trees from southern Sweden that showed signs of severe reaction to drought, i.e. stem cracks along the trunk, were compared to healthy, undamaged trees. Rings investigated included those formed in 2006, a year with an extremely dry summer season in the study region. In southern Norway, we investigated trees with and without drought-induced top dieback symptoms. We analysed anatomical features such as tracheid lumen diameter, thickness of cell wall and its various layers (S1, S2 and S3), applied Raman imaging in order to get information on the lignin distribution in the cell wall and the compound middle lamellae and performed hydraulic flow and shrinkage experiments. Although tracheids in annual rings with signs of collapse had higher tangential lumen diameters than those in “normal” annual rings, we conclude that collapse of tracheid walls depends mainly on wall thickness, which is genetically determined to a large extent. Spruce trees that produce earlywood with extremely thin cell walls can develop wall collapse and internal cracks under the impact of dry spells. We also present a new diagnostic tool for detecting individuals that are prone to cell wall collapse and stem cracks: Lucid bands, i.e. bands in the fresh sapwood with very thin cell walls and inhomogeneous lignin distribution in the S-layers and the compound middle lamellae that lost their hydraulic function due to periods of severe summer drought. The detection of genotypes with lucid bands could be useful for an early selection against individuals that are prone to stem cracks under the impact of severe summer drought, and also for early downgrading of logs prone to cracking during industrial kiln dryingacceptedVersio

Assessment of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms where an undiagnosed neurological disease is suspected: A report from an International Continence Society consensus working group

Aim Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are a common urological referral, which sometimes can have a neurological basis in a patient with no formally diagnosed neurological disease (“occult neurology”). Early identification and specialist input is needed to avoid bad LUTS outcomes, and to initiate suitable neurological management. Methods The International Continence Society established a neurological working group to consider: Which neurological conditions may include LUTS as an early feature? What diagnostic evaluations should be undertaken in the LUTS clinic? A shortlist of conditions was drawn up by expert consensus and discussed at the annual congress of the International Neurourology Society. A multidisciplinary working group then generated recommendations for identifying clinical features and management. Results The relevant conditions are multiple sclerosis, multiple system atrophy, normal pressure hydrocephalus, early dementia, Parkinsonian syndromes (including early Parkinson's Disease and Multiple System Atrophy) and spinal cord disorders (including spina bifida occulta with tethered cord, and spinal stenosis). In LUTS clinics, the need is to identify additional atypical features; new onset severe LUTS (excluding infection), unusual aspects (eg, enuresis without chronic retention) or “suspicious” symptoms (eg, numbness, weakness, speech disturbance, gait disturbance, memory loss/cognitive impairment, and autonomic symptoms). Where occult neurology is suspected, healthcare professionals need to undertake early appropriate referral; central nervous system imaging booked from LUTS clinic is not recommended. Conclusions Occult neurology is an uncommon underlying cause of LUTS, but it is essential to intervene promptly if suspected, and to establish suitable management pathways

Targeting a cell state common to triple‐negative breast cancers

International audienceSome mutations in cancer cells can be exploited for therapeutic intervention. However, for many cancer subtypes, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), no frequently recurring aberrations could be identified to make such an approach clinically feasible. Characterized by a highly heterogeneous mutational landscape with few common features, many TNBCs cluster together based on their 'basal-like' transcriptional profiles. We therefore hypothesized that targeting TNBC cells on a systems level by exploiting the transcriptional cell state might be a viable strategy to find novel therapies for this highly aggressive disease. We performed a large-scale chemical genetic screen and identified a group of compounds related to the drug PKC412 (midostaurin). PKC412 induced apoptosis in a subset of TNBC cells enriched for the basal-like subtype and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. We employed a multi-omics approach and computational modeling to address the mechanism of action and identified spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) as a novel and unexpected target in TNBC. Quantitative phosphoproteomics revealed that SYK inhibition abrogates signaling to STAT3, explaining the selectivity for basal-like breast cancer cells. This non-oncogene addiction suggests that chemical SYK inhibition may be beneficial for a specific subset of TNBC patients and demonstrates that targeting cell states could be a viable strategy to discover novel treatment strategies