P-Glycoprotein Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cells at Diagnosis: Its relationship to Daunorubicin or Idarubicin Induction Therapy and Survival.

We investigated the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in 50 adults with de novo diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and the relationship between presence of P-gp in leukaemic cells and efficacy, as remission induction and survival rate, of two different anthracyclines, daunorubicin (DNR) and idarubicin (IDR). We found that 30 out of 50 patients (60%) were negative (Group 1) and 20 (40%) were positive (Group 2) for P-gp expression evaluated by mean of MRK16 MoAb using a cut-off of 10% positive cells. Thirty-five out of 50 patients (70%) obtained complete remission (CR); depending on P-gp expression, the CR rate was 80% for group 1 and 45% for group 2 (p < 0.005). The median duration of overall survival was 20 months for patients in Group 1 as compared with 10 months for patients of Group 2 (p < 0.005). Regarding the anthracycline used, no significant difference in CR was observed in patients of Group 1 (75% of CR with DNR vs. 90% with IDR); Group 2 obtained 40% of CR with DNR vs. 70% with IDR (p < 0.005). The median duration of overall survival (OS) with the two regimens was comparable in Group 1, while it was significantly longer in patients of Group 2 treated with IDR compared with DNR regimen (p < 0.005). These results confirm the prognostic value of P-gp expression in AML at first appearance and we suggest that idarubicin could be a valid anthracycline drug in the treatment of AML to be evaluated as potential drug of choice in patients with primary or drug-induced multidrug resistance

Garlic (Allium spp.) viruses: detection, distribution and remediation attempts in a European garlic collection

Garlic is an important vegetable crop in numerous countries used as food and natural based medicine. Similar to the majority of vegetatively propagated plants, garlic may be affected by several viruses that can cause severe crop losses. The present study aimed to screen 105 garlic accessions (mother plants) from 5 European countries (Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and France) for possible presence of Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV), Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV), Garlic common latent virus (GCLV) and Shallot latent virus (SLV). The occurrence of three Allexiviruses (GarV-A, GarV-B and GarV-C) in mixed assays was also investigated. Meristem-tip culture assays were performed in order to attempt eradication of the studied viruses. Garlic viruses identification was made by ELISA and RT-PCR. ELISA outcomes showed that all 105 garlic accessions were infected by different virus combinations. The OYDV and LYSV were identified, by ELISA, in all countries at 96% and 88,6% respectively and by RT-PCR at 99% and 96%. Furthermore, GCLV and SLV were detected by ELISA in about 88% and by RT-PCR at 89% and 90%, respectively with the exception of the studied Allexiviruses which were not amplified by RT-PCR with ALLEX1/ALLEX2 primers. Smaller meristem size (0,3-1,5 mm) led to better virus elimination efficiency (29%) compared to 8% obtained for the larger size (2-2,5 mm). The outcomes were opposite (16% vs. 90%) for plants regeneration. Virus elimination efficiency was linked to the virus type, e.g., OYDV and LYSV were eradicated at 90% while GCLV and Allexiviruses were difficult to eliminate (57,4% and 55,6% of eradication). Given the economic relevance of garlic crops worldwide and the frequently reported incidence of viral infections, it is important to make virusfree germplasm available. Therefore, investigating the garlic germplasm sanitary status and constantly improving it is of crucial importance aiming to increase the overall garlic production

Optimization of Planck/LFI on--board data handling

To asses stability against 1/f noise, the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) onboard the Planck mission will acquire data at a rate much higher than the data rate allowed by its telemetry bandwith of 35.5 kbps. The data are processed by an onboard pipeline, followed onground by a reversing step. This paper illustrates the LFI scientific onboard processing to fit the allowed datarate. This is a lossy process tuned by using a set of 5 parameters Naver, r1, r2, q, O for each of the 44 LFI detectors. The paper quantifies the level of distortion introduced by the onboard processing, EpsilonQ, as a function of these parameters. It describes the method of optimizing the onboard processing chain. The tuning procedure is based on a optimization algorithm applied to unprocessed and uncompressed raw data provided either by simulations, prelaunch tests or data taken from LFI operating in diagnostic mode. All the needed optimization steps are performed by an automated tool, OCA2, which ends with optimized parameters and produces a set of statistical indicators, among them the compression rate Cr and EpsilonQ. For Planck/LFI the requirements are Cr = 2.4 and EpsilonQ <= 10% of the rms of the instrumental white noise. To speedup the process an analytical model is developed that is able to extract most of the relevant information on EpsilonQ and Cr as a function of the signal statistics and the processing parameters. This model will be of interest for the instrument data analysis. The method was applied during ground tests when the instrument was operating in conditions representative of flight. Optimized parameters were obtained and the performance has been verified, the required data rate of 35.5 Kbps has been achieved while keeping EpsilonQ at a level of 3.8% of white noise rms well within the requirements.Comment: 51 pages, 13 fig.s, 3 tables, pdflatex, needs JINST.csl, graphicx, txfonts, rotating; Issue 1.0 10 nov 2009; Sub. to JINST 23Jun09, Accepted 10Nov09, Pub.: 29Dec09; This is a preprint, not the final versio

A ready-to-use single- and Duplex-TaqMan-qPCR assay to detect and quantify the biocontrol agents Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma gamsii

Trichoderma asperellum strain icc012 and Trichoderma gamsii strain icc080, the microbial active ingredients of Remedier™ (ISAGRO, Novara, Italy), are biocontrol agents (BCAs) employable for crop protection against a wide range of fungal pathogens, including soil-borne pathogens and fungi involved in grapevine trunk disease. In this study, single and duplex real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods to detect and quantify T. asperellum and T. gamsii were developed. Primers/probe sets were designed on the T. asperellum and T. gamsii rpb2 genes and tested for specificity on a panel of microorganisms commonly associated with grape wood and soil. No differences were observed comparing single- and duplex-qPCR assays on different BCAs, 1 pg of target DNA was detected approximately at Cq= 34. R2-values and the efficiency were always equal to 0.99 and &gt; 80%, respectively. The detection limit of the duplex-qPCR assay on artificially inoculated samples was 2 × 103and 4 × 104conidia g-1of grape wood tissue and soil, respectively. The methods will be useful to better schedule BCA application in the field and in grapevine nurseries, as well as for investigating the dynamic of BCA populations

First Report of Pseudomonas Grapevine Bunch Rot Caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae .

Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae, a Gammaproteobacterium belonging to genomospecies 2 within the P. syringae complex, is distributed worldwide, and it is responsible for bacterial canker on >100 different hosts, including the grapevine. P. syringae pv. syringae induces necrotic lesions in the leaf blades, veins, petioles, shoots, rachis, and tendrils on grapevine cultivars in different areas. P. syringae pv. syringae has been associated with severe economic losses in different grape cultivars in Australia, where it causes inflorescence rot. In midsummer to late summer 2017, symptoms of berry rots differing from those caused by the common berry rots agents were observed in different cultivar Red Globe vineyards of Apulia (southern Italy). As proven by fulfillment of Koch's postulates, these symptoms were caused by a bacterium that, according to the results of biochemical, physiological, nutritional, antimicrobial activity, and pathogenicity tests and sequencing of 16S ribosomal DNA, gyrB, rpoB, and rpoD genes, was identified as P. syringae pv. syringae. This is the first report of Pseudomonas grapevine bunch rot

Thermal susceptibility of the Planck-LFI receivers

This paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jinst . This paper describes the impact of the Planck Low Frequency Instrument front end physical temperature fluctuations on the output signal. The origin of thermal instabilities in the instrument are discussed, and an analytical model of their propagation and impact on the receivers signal is described. The experimental test setup dedicated to evaluate these effects during the instrument ground calibration is reported together with data analysis methods. Finally, main results obtained are discussed and compared to the requirements.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Instrumentation. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at 10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T1201

The linearity response of the Planck-LFI flight model receivers

In this paper we discuss the linearity response of the Planck-LFI receivers, with particular reference to signal compression measured on the 30 and 44 GHz channels. In the article we discuss the various sources of compression and present a model that accurately describes data measured during tests performed with individual radiomeric chains. After discussing test results we present the best parameter set representing the receiver response and discuss the impact of non linearity on in-flight calibration, which is shown to be negligible.Comment: this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jinst; This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in JINST. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at 10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T12011

Planck-LFI radiometers tuning

"This paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jinst" This paper describes the Planck Low Frequency Instrument tuning activities performed through the ground test campaigns, from Unit to Satellite Levels. Tuning is key to achieve the best possible instrument performance and tuning parameters strongly depend on thermal and electrical conditions. For this reason tuning has been repeated several times during ground tests and it has been repeated in flight before starting nominal operations. The paper discusses the tuning philosophy, the activities and the obtained results, highlighting developments and changes occurred during test campaigns. The paper concludes with an overview of tuning performed during the satellite cryogenic test campaign (Summer 2008) and of the plans for the just started in-flight calibration.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in JINST. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T12013

Planck pre-launch status: calibration of the Low Frequency Instrument flight model radiometers

The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) on-board the ESA Planck satellite carries eleven radiometer subsystems, called Radiometer Chain Assemblies (RCAs), each composed of a pair of pseudo-correlation receivers. We describe the on-ground calibration campaign performed to qualify the flight model RCAs and to measure their pre-launch performances. Each RCA was calibrated in a dedicated flight-like cryogenic environment with the radiometer front-end cooled to 20K and the back-end at 300K, and with an external input load cooled to 4K. A matched load simulating a blackbody at different temperatures was placed in front of the sky horn to derive basic radiometer properties such as noise temperature, gain, and noise performance, e.g. 1/f noise. The spectral response of each detector was measured as was their susceptibility to thermal variation. All eleven LFI RCAs were calibrated. Instrumental parameters measured in these tests, such as noise temperature, bandwidth, radiometer isolation, and linearity, provide essential inputs to the Planck-LFI data analysis.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic