Antifungalna aktivnost hitosana prema Alternaria alternata i Colletotrichum gloeosporoides

Chitosan and its derivatives have been reported as a promising alternative for control of postharvest fungal pathogens. The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro and in situ antifungal activity of chitosan against Alternaria alternata and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolated from decayed apple fruits. The fungi were tested in vitro using PDA medium with three concentrations of chitosan (1, 2 and 3 mg/ml). Fungal growth of the test pathogens was significantly affected by all chitosan doses (P lt 0.05) after 7 days of incubation at 25°C. Water solution of 3 mg/ml of chitosan inhibited completely the conidial germination of A. alternata and C. gloeosporioides after 18 h incubation at 25°C. The results obtained from biocontrol assay indicate that the inhibition of postharvest decay of A. alternata and C. gloeosporioides was significantly influenced by chitosan concentrations. Disease incidence in chitosan-treated fruit after 7 days incubation at 25°C was significantly lower than in the positive control for both fungi tested (P lt 0.05). A. alternata and C. gloeosporioides used in this study were progressively inhibited in vitro and in situ with increasing concentrations of chitosan from 1 to 3 mg/ml.Istraživanja pokazuju da su hitosan i njegovi derivati dobra alternativa u kontroli skladišnih fitopatogenih gljiva. Cilj ovog rada bio je da ispita antifungalnu aktivnost hitosana prema Alternaria alternata i Colletotrichum gloeosporoides, izolovanih sa inficiranih plodova jabuke, u in vitro i in situ uslovima. Rast gljiva je testiran in vitro koristeći PDA podlogu sa različitim koncentracijama hitosana (1, 2 i 3 mg/ml). Porast oba patogena je bio značajno smanjen (P lt 0.05) u svim koncentracijama hitosana nakon 7 dana inkubacije na 25°C. Vodeni rastvor hitosana koncentracije 3 mg/ml je u potpunosti inhibirao klijanje konidija A. alternata i C. gloeosporoides nakon inkubacije od 18 sati na temperaturi od 25°C. Rezultati ogleda in situ ukazuju da inhibicija propadanja plodova inficiranih sa A. alternata i C. gloeosporoides zavisi od koncentracije rastvora hitosana. Pojava bolesti na plodovima jabuka tretiranih rastvorom hitosana nakon 7 dana inkubacije na 25°C bila je značajno smanjena za obe vrste gljiva (P lt 0.05) u odnosu na pozitivnu kontrolu. Rast A. alternata i C. gloeosporoides je bio progresivno inhibiran in vitro i in situ sa povećanjem koncentracije rastvora hitosana, od 1 do 3 mg/ml

Pseudomonas syringae - prouzrokovač nekroze plodova trešnje

Severe symptoms of necrosis sweet cherry fruits was recorded during 2014. in region of Šabac. About 30 % of fruits (cv. Summit) were affected and necrosis cover 1/3 of fruit surface in average. Gram negative, fluorescent, oxidative bacterial strains were isolated from diseased tissues. Symptoms similar to those, observed in natural infection were recorded on artificial inoculated cherry fruits (cv. Summit and cv. Summbarst). Isolated strains were HR positive, oxidase, pectinase, arginin dehidrolase negative and levan positive (LOPAT +---+). Same characteristics also own check strains Pseudomonas syringae (CFBP 11). According obtained results it was concluded that necrosis of sweet cherry fruits is caused by Pseudomonas syringae. Further characteristic in order proper detection of pathogens, including molecular methods are underway.U radu su prikazani rezultati proučavanja sojeva bakterija izolovanih iz nekrotičnih plodova trešnje sorte Samit (područje Šapca). Nekroza zahvata u proseku oko 1/3 ploda koji potpuno gubi tržišnu vrednost. Bolešću biva zahvaćeno oko 30% plodova. Primenom standardnih bakterioloških metoda (izolacijom na hranljivim podlogama), proverom patogenosti i proučavanjem bakterioloških karakteristika, zaključeno je da pomenute simptome prouzrokuje fitopatogena bakterija Pseudomonas syringae, široko rasprostranjen patogen naročito koštičavih voćaka

Targeted therapy in renal cell carcinoma: moving from molecular agents to specific immunotherapy

Non-specific immunotherapy has been for a long time a standard treatment option for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma but was redeemed by specific targeted molecular therapies, namely the VEGF and mTOR inhibitors. After moving treatment for mRCC to specific molecular agents with a well-defined mode of action, immunotherapy still needs this further development to increase its accuracy. Nowadays, an evolution from a rather non-specific cytokine treatment to sophisticated targeted approaches in specific immunotherapy led to a re-launch of immunotherapy in clinical studies. Recent steps in the development of immunotherapy strategies are discussed in this review with a special focus on peptide vaccination which aims at a tumor targeting by specific T lymphocytes. In addition, different combinatory strategies with immunomodulating agents like cyclophosphamide or sunitinib are outlined, and the effects of immune checkpoint modulators as anti-CTLA-4 or PD-1 antibodies are discussed

Usluge zdravstvene skrbi i usluge koje pruža zajednica za stanovništvo s ratnim traumama u Hrvatskoj: istraživanje u zajednici o korišenju usluga i mentalnom zdravlju

AIM: To explore the use of health care and community-based services in war-affected regions of Croatia and its relation to mental health. METHODS: A sample of 719 adults exposed to at least one war-related traumatic event were selected by random-walk technique from three Croatian counties and interviewed for socio-demographic data, mental health status (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview), and service use (Matrix for the Assessment of Community and Healthcare Services) in the period from 1991 to 2006. Descriptive analysis of service use was performed. Relations between service use, current mental health, and recovery from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were analyzed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: The traumatized population used a wide range of health care and community-based services. Health care was the most frequently used service category, especially primary health care (92.5%), followed by accommodation support (57.9%), financial support (57.7%), and employment support (32.5%). Compared with participants without mental disorders, participants with current PTSD were more likely to use only legal support (odds ratio [OR], 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-3.99), while participants with other mental disorders were more likely to use social support and contacts (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.08-2.75). Receiving accommodation support (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.03-4.06) was the only significant predictor of recovery from PTSD, while seeking legal support (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.08-0.92) was related to slower recovery. CONCLUSION: Although a wide range of services were organized to help the traumatized population in Croatia, only the solution of housing issue significantly predicted recovery. The organization of help services should take into consideration the existing infrastructure and local specificities, and respect the needs of people in war-affected areas.CILJ: Istražiti korištenje usluga zdravstvene skrbi i usluga koje pruža zajednica u područjima koja su bila zahvaćena ratom u Hrvatskoj i utjecaj tih intervencija na mentalno zdravlje. POSTUPCI: Uzorak odraslih osoba koje su bili izložene barem jednoj ratnoj traumi izabran je tehnikom nasumičnog hoda, u tri hrvatske županije. Podatci o sociodemografskim značajkama, mentalnom zdravlju (Međunarodni mini-neuropsihijatrijski intervju, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) i korištenju usluga (Matrica za procjenu usluga koje pruža zajednica i usluga zdravstvene skrbi, Matrix for the Assessment of Community and Healthcare Services) prikupljeni su između 1991. i 1996. Provedena je deskriptivna analiza usluga. Povezanost između korištenja usluga, mentalnog zdravlja i oporavka od posttraumatskog stresnog poremećaja (PTSD) analizirani su uz pomoć logističkih regresijskih modela. REZULTATI: Ispitanici su koristili širok raspon usluga koje pruža zajednica i usluga zdravstvene skrbi. Najčešće korištena vrsta usluge bila je primarna zdravstvena zaštita (92,5%), a za njom su slijedili pomoć u rješavanju stambenog pitanja (57,9%), financijska potpora (57,7%) i pomoć u nalaženju zaposlenja (32,5%). U usporedbi s ispitanicima bez mentalnih poremećaja, ispitanici s PTSD-om češće su se koristili pravnim uslugama (omjer izgleda [OR], 2,15; 95% raspon pouzdanosti [CI], 1,15-3,99), dok su se ispitanici s ostalim psihičkim poremećajima češće koristili uslugama socijalne potpore (OR, 1,72; 95% CI, 1,08-2,75). Pomoć u rješavanju stambenog pitanja (OR, 2,05; 95% CI, 1,03-4,06) bila je jedini značajan prediktor oporavka od PTSD-a, dok je traženje pravnih usluga (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0,08-0,92) bilo povezano sa sporijim oporavkom. ZAKLJUČAK: Iako postoji širok raspon usluga za pomoć traumatiziranom stanovništvu u Hrvatskoj, jedino je rješenje stanbenog pitanja značajno predviđalo oporavak. Organizacija usluga za pružanje pomoći trebala bi uzeti u obzir postojeću infrastrukturu i lokalne specifičnosti i poštovati potrebe stanovništva u područjima zahvaćenim rato

Machine learning chemometric model for Raman spectroscopy based honey quality assessment

INTRODUCTION: According to Codex Alimentarius (2001), “Honey is the natural sweet substance, produced by honeybees from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants, or excretions of plant-sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in honeycombs to ripen and mature”. Honey is mostly made up of sugars, as well as enzymes, amino acids, organic acids, vitamins, aromatic compounds, minerals and carotenoids. It contains a lot of flavonoids and phenolic acids, which have a lot of biological effects and functions such as natural antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Its composition is particularly variable, depending on its botanical and geographical origins Because of its exclusive flavor and high dietary value, natural honey is more expensive than other sweeteners. This is the reason why honey is a target of adulteration. The problem is that counterfeiting honey is relatively easy, but detection is difficult. Further, the authenticity of honey is a global important problem for commercial producers and consumers. Accordingly, a fast and non-destructive method of detecting counterfeits is needed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to verify the possibility of Raman spectroscopy and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classification of two different honeys and their fake duplicates. For this purpose, meadow and acacia honeys were selected. METHOD / DESIGN: Spectra of homemade and counterfeits honey were recorded using XploRA Raman spectrometer (Horiba Jobin Yvon). Raman scattering was excited by laser at a wavelength of 785 nm equipped with a 600 lines/mm grating; spectra were recorded by applying exposure time 10 s and accumulated from 10 times scans, using 100% filter. Spectral resolution was 3 cm−1 and autocalibration was done each time before recording of spectra by 520.47 cm−1 line of silicon. In order to assess a possible sample inhomogeneity, thirty Raman spectra in the region from 200-3400 cm-1 were recorded for each sample. All spectra were baseline-corrected, normalized and smoothed. After that PCA (Principal component analysis) was conducted and obtained PCs (first two PCs) served as a features for support vector machine (SVM) classification method. Data were divided into training model (70 %) and training data (30 %). Pre-processing was done by Unscrambler X 10.4 software (CAMO software, Norway). In order to determine the best shape of the hyperplane and decision boundary, several kernel function were used: linear, radial basis and polynomial function. The SVM was conducted by Python and Scikit-learn package. RESULTS: Support vector machine showed high accuracy in classification of different honey samples. Accordingly, the best discrimination power showed SVM with polynomial function (100%), followed by radial basis (96.67%) and linear (81.82%)

HLA-DR15-derived self-peptides are involved in increased autologous T cell proliferation in multiple sclerosis

The HLA-DR15 haplotype confers the largest part of the genetic risk to develop multiple sclerosis, a prototypic CD4+ T cell-mediated autoimmune disease. The mechanisms how certain HLA-class II molecules functionally contribute to autoimmune diseases are still poorly understood, but probably involve shaping an autoimmune-prone T cell repertoire during central tolerance in the thymus and subsequently maintaining or even expanding it in the peripheral immune system. Self-peptides that are presented by disease-associated HLA-class II molecules most likely play important roles during both processes. Here, we examined the functional involvement of the HLA-DR15 haplotype in autologous proliferation in multiple sclerosis and the contribution of HLA-DR15 haplotype-derived self-peptides in an in vitro system. We observe increased autologous T cell proliferation in patients with multiple sclerosis in relation to the multiple sclerosis risk-associated HLA-DR15 haplotype. Assuming that the spectrum of self-peptides that is presented by the two HLA-DR15 allelic products is important for sustaining autologous proliferation we performed peptide elution and identification experiments from the multiple sclerosis-associated DR15 molecules and a systematic analysis of a DR15 haplotype-derived self-peptide library. We identify HLA-derived self-peptides as potential mediators of altered autologous proliferation. Our data provide novel insights about perturbed T cell repertoire dynamics and the functional involvement of the major genetic risk factor, the HLA-DR15 haplotype, in multiple sclerosi

TAPBPR bridges UDP-glucose : glycoprotein glucosyltransferase 1 onto MHC class I to provide quality control in the antigen presentation pathway

Funding Wellcome: Senior Research Fellowship 104647, Andreas Neerincx, Louise H Boyle Royal Society: University Research Fellowship, UF100371, Janet E Deane Cancer Research UK: Programme Grant, C7056A, Andy van Hateren, Tim Elliott Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: SFB 685, Nico Trautwein, Stefan Stevanović Wellcome: PhD studentship, 089563, Clemens Hermann Wellcome: Strategic Award 100140, Robin Antrobus Wellcome: Programme grant, WT094847MA, Huan Cao Acknowledgements We are extremely grateful to Peter Cresswell and Najla Arshad (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT) for valuable advice, tapasin and TAP-specific antibody reagents, and the recombinant calreticulin proteins. We thank John Trowsdale (University of Cambridge, UK) for his mentorship and critical reading of this manuscript, and Jim Kaufman (University of Cambridge, UK) for useful discussions. We also thank Yi Cao (Cranfield University, UK) for MATLAB programming for densitometry analysis, and Mark Vickers and Sadie Henderson (Scottish National Blood Transfusion Services, UK) for permitting the use of and assistance with the Amersham WB system. The reagent ARP7099 FEC peptide pool was obtained from the Centre for AIDS Reagents, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), and was donated by the NIH AIDS Reagent Program, Division of AIDS, NIAID, NIH.Peer reviewedPublisher PD