FLP Recombinase-Mediated Site-Specific Recombination in Silkworm, Bombyx mori

A comprehensive understanding of gene function and the production of site-specific genetically modified mutants are two major goals of genetic engineering in the post-genomic era. Although site-specific recombination systems have been powerful tools for genome manipulation of many organisms, they have not yet been established for use in the manipulation of the silkworm Bombyx mori genome. In this study, we achieved site-specific excision of a target gene at predefined chromosomal sites in the silkworm using a FLP/FRT site-specific recombination system. We first constructed two stable transgenic target silkworm strains that both contain a single copy of the transgene construct comprising a target gene expression cassette flanked by FRT sites. Using pre-blastoderm microinjection of a FLP recombinase helper expression vector, 32 G3 site-specific recombinant transgenic individuals were isolated from five of 143 broods. The average frequency of FLP recombinase-mediated site-specific excision in the two target strains genome was approximately 3.5%. This study shows that it is feasible to achieve site-specific recombination in silkworms using the FLP/FRT system. We conclude that the FLP/FRT system is a useful tool for genome manipulation in the silkworm. Furthermore, this is the first reported use of the FLP/FRT system for the genetic manipulation of a lepidopteran genome and thus provides a useful reference for the establishment of genome manipulation technologies in other lepidopteran species

Harnessing citizen science through mobile phone technology to screen for immunohistochemical biomarkers in bladder cancer

Background: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is often used in personalisation of cancer treatments. Analysis of large data sets to uncover predictive biomarkers by specialists can be enormously time-consuming. Here we investigated crowdsourcing as a means of reliably analysing immunostained cancer samples to discover biomarkers predictive of cancer survival. Methods: We crowdsourced the analysis of bladder cancer TMA core samples through the smartphone app ‘Reverse the Odds’. Scores from members of the public were pooled and compared to a gold standard set scored by appropriate specialists. We also used crowdsourced scores to assess associations with disease-specific survival. Results: Data were collected over 721 days, with 4,744,339 classifications performed. The average time per classification was approximately 15 s, with approximately 20,000 h total non-gaming time contributed. The correlation between crowdsourced and expert H-scores (staining intensity × proportion) varied from 0.65 to 0.92 across the markers tested, with six of 10 correlation coefficients at least 0.80. At least two markers (MRE11 and CK20) were significantly associated with survival in patients with bladder cancer, and a further three markers showed results warranting expert follow-up. Conclusions: Crowdsourcing through a smartphone app has the potential to accurately screen IHC data and greatly increase the speed of biomarker discovery

Local Products Dynamics and the Determinants of Purchasing Behaviour

In recent years the redistribution of economic activities due to the volatile economic and business environment has led to the return of part of the urban population back to the countryside. This resulted in a renewed interest by consumers in authentic local products and services related to tradition, heritage and culture. The rise of local products characterized by some peculiarity in their ingredients can be an essential advantage in developing the agricultural economy, as there will be an improvement in farmers' income, whilst attracting visitors if combined with actions to highlight a place's natural and cultural elements. The present study investigates local products' dynamics in urban markets and explores the socio-demographic characteristics shaping consumer attitudes towards local products. Primary data, collected through a quantitative survey to a sample of 503 consumers, were assessed through exploratory factor analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis and Cluster Analysis. The results indicate that the consumer's education, the products' marketplace, the product labelling and the consumer information about these products define their purchasing behaviour. The study's findings may help formulate policy proposals to increase the demand and consumption of local products, thus creating a greater penetration of local products in the market. © 2021 Karelakis Christos et al., published by Sciendo

A retrospective epidemiological study of skin diseases among pediatric population attending a tertiary dermatology referral center in Northern Greece

Efstratios Vakirlis, Grigorios Theodosiou, Zoe Apalla, Michael Arabatzis, Elizabeth Lazaridou, Elena Sotiriou, Aimilios Lallas, Demetrios Ioannides First Department of Dermatology, Aristotle University Medical School, Thessaloniki, Greece Background: The incidence of skin diseases in children is influenced by hereditary, social, and environmental factors. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of pediatric dermatoses at a University Hospital in Northern Greece. Patients and methods: We reviewed epidemiologic data of 940 patients, aged 0–18 years, who were referred to the outpatient clinic of a University Hospital between January 2013 and December 2015. Demographic data and the frequency of the various diagnoses in various age groups were studied. Results: Nine hundred and forty children and adolescents with 1020 diagnoses were included in the study (52.8% females and 47.2% males). The 10 most frequent diagnoses were: dermatitis/eczema (31.5%), viral infections (12.5%), pigmentary disorders (7.4%), melanocytic nevi (5.8%), alopecia areata (5.8%), acne (5.6%), nail disorders (3.3%), vascular malformations and hemangiomas (2.9%), psoriasis (2.6%), and bacterial infections (2.6%). Atopic dermatitis was the most prevalent dermatosis in all age groups accounting for a total of 20.9% of the study population. A remarkably high incidence of various forms of mastocytosis (2.2%) was seen in our data. Conclusion: Atopic dermatitis is the most frequent pediatric dermatosis in all age groups. Viral infections, pigmentary disorders, and nevi account for a significant proportion of the referrals. The high incidence of mastocytosis in our study may be attributed to overdiagnosis, overestimation due to the relatively small study population, or it may represent the real incidence of mastocytosis in our region. The low incidence of acne in our study may be attributed to the fact that only severe cases are referred to our hospital. Keywords: epidemiology, pediatric dermatology, atopic dermatitis, infection-viral, mastocytosi