•There are current efforts on develop some junipers as agricultural crops.•J. communis, J. sibirica, and J. pygmaea are taxonomically controversial.•The essential oil of three species was analyzed ...for chemistry and antimicrobial activity.•Oil composition varied among and within species, depended on plant sex and location.•The results may help in conservation and development of juniper species as crops.
Juniperus communis L. is one of the widest spread species on earth, while J. pygmaea C. Koch. and J. sibirica Burgsd. are taxonomically controversial with some authors and the official Flora of Bulgaria recognizing them as separate species and other authors considering them sub-species of J. communis. There are current efforts on developing J. communis as agricultural crop to provide consistency of supply and quality of juniper essential oil (EO) and juniper galbuli (cones or berries). The objective of the study was to evaluate the chemical profile and antimicrobial activity of the leaf EO of juniper species collected in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Slovakia. The leaf EO content and EO composition varied among species and within species and also depended on the plant sex and location. In J. communis EO from Slovakia and Serbia, the major oil constituent was α-pinene (25.1–27.0 % and 21.8–22.2% respectively). However, sabinene (19.8–27.9%) was the major constituent in J. communis EO from Bulgaria. Monoterpene hydrocarbons (MHs) were the main group of EO constituents in J. communis from Bulgaria (17–22% α-pinene, 20–27% sabinene, and 8.8–11.7% γ-terpinene) and Serbia (25–27% α-pinene, 23–25% sabinene, and 4.9 to 5.3% γ-terpinene). J. communis oils originating from Slovakia showed more similarity to those from Bulgaria. The main group of EO constituents in J. pygmaea belonged to MHs (26–28% α-pinene, 17–19% sabinene, and 4.8–6.1% β-phellandrene). The oxygenated sesquiterpenes (OSs) were the second largest group of components in the EO of J. pygmaea, a noted difference compared with J. communis. The main group of EO constituents of J. sibirica from Bulgaria were MHs (36–44% α-pinene, 10–13% δ-3 carene, and 4.5–12% limonene). Eleven components found in the EO of J. sibirica from Bulgaria were not detected in the EOs of other species. In J. sibirica originating in Serbia, the main group of EO constituents belonged to MHs (∼ 24%, sabinene, ∼ 19% α-pinene, and 6% γ-terpinene). The results support the concept that the three junipers should be considered separate species. The leaf EOs of J. communis, J. sibirica, and J. pygmaea did not exhibit significant antimicrobial activity. The results contribute to further understanding of juniper leaf EO in Eastern Europe and can be used by policymakers and industry in conservation planning and in the development of juniper species as agricultural crops.
Distinguishing indolent from clinically significant localized prostate cancer is a major clinical challenge and influences clinical decision-making between treatment and active surveillance. The ...development of novel predictive biomarkers will help with risk stratification, and clinical decision-making, leading to a decrease in over or under-treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Here, we report that Trop2 is a prognostic tissue biomarker for clinically significant prostate cancer by utilizing the Canary Prostate Cancer Tissue Microarray (CPCTA) cohort composed of over 1100 patients from a multi-institutional study. We demonstrate that elevated Trop2 expression is correlated with worse clinical features including Gleason score, age, and pre-operative PSA levels. More importantly, we demonstrate that elevated Trop2 expression at radical prostatectomy predicts worse overall survival in men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Additionally, we detect shed Trop2 in urine from men with clinically significant prostate cancer. Our study identifies Trop2 as a novel tissue prognostic biomarker and a candidate non-invasive marker for prostate cancer.
Intellectual disability is affecting 3.0-4.0% of the general population. Copy number variants (CNVs) are a significant cause leading to neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disability, ...epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders and developmental delay. The use of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-array and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) as diagnostic tools has led to the recognition of new microdeletion/microduplication syndromes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. It is also useful for further characterization of marker chromosomes. Here, we report a girl with mild intellectual disability and mild facial dysmorphisms. Cytogenetic analysis showed a marker chromosome in some percent of the cells and was followed by SNP-array karyotyping that detected, in addition, a 9655 Mb
interstitial deletion at 9q21.1-9q21.2.
Oxygen reduction and evolution have been studied with respect to the development of bifunctional air/oxygen electrode (BFE). Three groups of catalysts have been prepared: (i) Cu
x
Co
3−
x
O
4 by ...thermal decomposition of mixed nitrate and carbonate precursors; (ii) thin films of Co–Ni–Te–O and Co–Te–O were deposited by vacuum co-evaporation of Co, Ni and TeO
2 and (iii) Co
x
O
v
/ZrO
2 films were obtained by electrochemical deposition.
The electrochemical behavior of the chemically synthesized catalysts was studied on classical bilayered gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs), where the catalyst is in form of powder. The GDE catalyzed with vacuum deposited catalysts was prepared by direct deposition of the catalyst on gas-supplying layer, thus creating a ready-to-use gas diffusion electrode. Catalysts prepared electrochemically were first deposited on Ni foam and than pressed onto the gas-supplying layer.
Different catalysts deposited on classical and originally designed GDEs were compared by their electrochemical performances. Cu
0.3Co
2.7O
4 deposited on a classical bilayered GDE with loading of 50
mg
cm
−2 exhibits stable current–voltage characteristics after 200 charge–discharge cycles in a real metal hydride-air battery. The electrochemically and vacuum deposited Co
x
O
v
/ZrO
2, Co–Ni–Te–O and Co–Te–O films exhibit much higher mass activity compared to Cu
0.2Co
2.8O
4 for both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. The difference is that the loading of electrochemically and vacuum deposited films is 0.06
mg
cm
−2 only, which is a substantial advantage from a practical viewpoint.
Breast cancer remains the second most lethal cancer among women in the United States and triple-negative breast cancer is the most aggressive subtype with limited treatment options. Trop2, a cell ...membrane glycoprotein, is overexpressed in almost all epithelial cancers. In this study, we demonstrate that Trop2 is overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and downregulation of Trop2 delays TNBC cell and tumor growth supporting the oncogenic role of Trop2 in breast cancer. Through proteomic profiling, we discovered a metabolic signature comprised of TALDO1, GPI, LDHA, SHMT2, and ADK proteins that were downregulated in Trop2-depleted breast cancer tumors. The identified oncogene-mediated metabolic gene signature is significantly upregulated in TNBC patients across multiple RNA-expression clinical datasets. Our study further reveals that the metabolic gene signature reliably predicts poor survival of breast cancer patients with early stages of the disease. Taken together, our study identified a new five-gene metabolic signature as an accurate predictor of breast cancer outcome.
The reported incidence of intestinal endometriosis varies between 22% and 37%, with bowel obstruction in only 2.3% of cases, but few series report acute obstruction. We report a rare case of acute ...bowel obstruction due to multiple bilateral deep intestinal endometriosis lesions localised in the ileum, ileocaecal valve and upper rectum, requiring synchronous resection in an emergency setting.
A 42-year-old woman was referred to our clinic with a diagnosis of obstructing Crohn’s disease based on abdominal computed tomography with oral contrast showing a thickened terminal ileum with stenosis, compression of the caecum and proximally dilated small bowel loops. Simultaneous ileocaecal resection and segmental resection of the upper rectum with handsewn end-to-end anastomosis between the sigmoid colon and rectum was performed. Owing to the advanced bowel obstruction and significant weight loss, a double barrelled ileoascendostomy was created. The patient had an uneventful recovery. Histological examination revealed transmural endometriosis with involvement of the pericolic fat in both specimens.
Although intestinal endometriosis causing acute bowel obstruction is rare, it should be included among the differential diagnoses in young women with recurrent abdominal pain, intermittent diarrhoea and constipation without a family history for inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. Bleeding synchronous with menstruation is not typical for intestinal endometriosis. Right-sided intestinal endometriosis more frequently causes acute bowel obstruction, in most cases due to intussusception.
In this work, the results of the measurements of characteristics of 40-cm and 2-m scintillation counters irradiated by a particle beam with a momentum of 7 GeV/c from the accelerator of the Institute ...for High Energy Physics are presented. The scintillators used in counters are BC-404 and BC-408 scintillators. The counters are viewed from both ends by R1828-01 photomultiplier tubes. The PMT signal spectra are well described by a convolution of the Landau and Gaussian distributions. Their width is determined mainly by fluctuations of ionization energy losses. The time distributions of the signals obey the Gaussian law. For the 40-cm counter, the time resolution is σ(
T
) = 88 ps; for the 2-m counter, it varies from 120–160 ps in its center to ~100 ps near the end.
The presence of triple phase TiO2 new mixture (Magneli of higher order homologous series, brookite and anatase) containing P dopant ensures positive changes in the structure, in the phase composition ...and in the chemical composition. These changes explained the reasons for the enhanced UV/Vis photocatalytic efficiency towards oxidative degradation of ethylene and acetylsalycylic acid. The samples were characterized by a set of methods: Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Diffuse-Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA-TG), X-ray Photolelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Transmission Electron Microscopy and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM/HRTEM), Electron Paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses. The combination of the optimal set of values of Ti3+, oxygen radicals and vacancies, Ti-O-P bonds, narrower band gap is responsible for the higher quantum yield due to the increased number of charge carriers, while the unique phase mixture prevents the recombination of charge carriers. These factors guarantee enhanced rate of the photocatalytic reaction, and extended response to the visible light region.
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•New hybrid P-TiO2 phase mixture: Magneli (Ti15O29) phase, brookite and anatase.•New hybrid P-TiO2 phase mixture and P dopant increases Ti3+ ions, oxygen defects.•P dopant leads to formation of Ti-O-P bond and decreases the band gap value.•P-TiO2 phase have lower degree of crystallinity compared to the non-doped.•New hybrid mixture and P dopant increase the ethylene and aspirin oxidation.
MRI is the standard modality to assess anatomy and response to treatment in brain and spine tumors given its superb anatomic soft tissue contrast (e.g., T1 and T2) and numerous additional intrinsic ...contrast mechanisms that can be used to investigate physiology (e.g., diffusion, perfusion, spectroscopy). As such, hybrid MRI and radiotherapy (RT) devices hold unique promise for Magnetic Resonance guided Radiation Therapy (MRgRT). In the brain, MRgRT provides daily visualizations of evolving tumors that are not seen with cone beam CT guidance and cannot be fully characterized with occasional standalone MRI scans. Significant evolving anatomic changes during radiotherapy can be observed in patients with glioblastoma during the 6-week fractionated MRIgRT course. In this review, a case of rapidly changing symptomatic tumor is demonstrated for possible therapy adaptation. For stereotactic body RT of the spine, MRgRT acquires clear isotropic images of tumor in relation to spinal cord, cerebral spinal fluid, and nearby moving organs at risk such as bowel. This visualization allows for setup reassurance and the possibility of adaptive radiotherapy based on anatomy in difficult cases. A review of the literature for MR relaxometry, diffusion, perfusion, and spectroscopy during RT is also presented. These techniques are known to correlate with physiologic changes in the tumor such as cellularity, necrosis, and metabolism, and serve as early biomarkers of chemotherapy and RT response correlating with patient survival. While physiologic tumor investigations during RT have been limited by the feasibility and cost of obtaining frequent standalone MRIs, MRIgRT systems have enabled daily and widespread physiologic measurements. We demonstrate an example case of a poorly responding tumor on the 0.35 T MRIgRT system with relaxometry and diffusion measured several times per week. Future studies must elucidate which changes in MR-based physiologic metrics and at which timepoints best predict patient outcomes. This will lead to early treatment intensification for tumors identified to have the worst physiologic responses during RT in efforts to improve glioblastoma survival.
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