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Abstract: Background. Electrochemotherapy has good local effectiveness in the treatment of vulvar cancer. Most studies have reported the safety and effectiveness of electrochemotherapy for palliative treatment of gynecological cancers and mostly vulvar squamous cell carcinoma. Some tumors, however, fail to respond to electrochemotherapy. The biological features/determinants for the nonresponsiveness are not determined yet. Patient and methods. A recurrence of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma was treated by electrochemotherapy using intravenous administration of bleomycin. The treatment was performed by hexagonal electrodes according to standard operating procedures. We analyzed the factors that could determine nonresponsiveness to electrochemotherapy. Results. Based on the presented case of nonresponsive vulvar recurrence to electrochemotherapy, we hypothesize that the vasculature of the tumors prior to treatment may predict the response to electrochemotherapy. The histological analysis showed minimal presence of blood vessels in the tumor. Thus, low perfusion may reduce drug delivery and lead to a lower response rate because of the minor antitumor effectiveness of vascular disruption. In this case, no immune response in the tumor was elicited by electrochemotherapy. Conclusions. In this case, of nonresponsive vulvar recurrence treated by electrochemotherapy, we analyzed possible factors that could predict treatment failure. Based on histological analysis, low vascularization of the tumor was observed, which hampered drug delivery and distribution and resulted in no vascular disrupting action of electrochemotherapy. All these factors could contribute to ineffective treatment with electrochemotherapy.
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, bleomycin, vulvar cancer
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 269; Downloads: 160
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Keywords: locally advanced lung cancer, volumetric image verification, tumour registration, adaptive radiotherapy
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 753; Downloads: 131
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Abstract: Climate change threatens the role of European forests as a long-term carbon sink. Assisted migration aims to increase the resilience of forest tree populations to climate change, using species-specific climatic limits and local adaptations through transferring seed provenances. We modelled assisted migration scenarios for seven main European tree species and analysed the effects of species and seed provenance selection, accounting for environmental and genetic variations, on the annual above-ground carbon sink of regrowing juvenile forests. To increase forest resilience, coniferous trees need to be replaced by deciduous species over large parts of their distribution. If local seed provenances are used, this would result in a decrease of the current carbon sink (40 TgC yr−1) by 34–41% by 2061–2080. However, if seed provenances adapted to future climates are used, current sinks could be maintained or even increased to 48–60 TgC yr−1.
Keywords: forest resilience, forest, Europe, carbon sink, climate change, assisted migration, transferring seed provenances
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 291; Downloads: 225
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Abstract: The genetic platforms of Deinococcus species remain the only systems in which massive ionizing radiation (IR)-induced genome damage can be investigated in vivo at exposures commensurate with cellular survival. We report the whole genome sequence of the extremely IR-resistant rod-shaped bacterium Deinococcus ficus KS 0460 and its phenotypic characterization. Deinococcus ficus KS 0460 has been studied since 1987, first under the name Deinobacter grandis, then Deinococcus grandis. The D. ficus KS 0460 genome consists of a 4.019 Mbp sequence (69.7% GC content and 3894 predicted genes) divided into six genome partitions, five of which are confirmed to be circular. Circularity was determined manually by mate pair linkage. Approximately 76% of the predicted proteins contained identifiable Pfam domains and 72% were assigned to COGs. Of all D. ficus KS 0460 proteins, 79% and 70% had homologues in Deinococcus radiodurans ATCC BAA-816 and Deinococcus geothermalis DSM 11300, respectively. The most striking differences between D. ficus KS 0460 and D. radiodurans BAA-816 identified by the comparison of the KEGG pathways were as follows: (i) D. ficus lacks nine enzymes of purine degradation present in D. radiodurans, and (ii) D. ficus contains eight enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism, including nitrate and nitrite reductases, that D. radiodurans lacks. Moreover, genes previously considered to be important to IR resistance are missing in D. ficus KS 0460, namely, for the Mn-transporter nramp, and proteins DdrF, DdrJ and DdrK, all of which are also missing in Deinococcus deserti. Otherwise, D. ficus KS 0460 exemplifies the Deinococcus lineage.
Keywords: Deinococcus-Thermus, Deinococcaceae, Deinococcus ficus, radiation-resistant, rod-shaped, phenotype characterization, genome analysis, phylogenetic analysis
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 299; Downloads: 210
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Abstract: Jasmine (Jasminum sambac L.) is an ornamental crop grown in South and Southeast Asia for its flowers for garlands, tea and essential oil production. However, certain fungal foliar and floral diseases significantly reduce its yield. In this study, Colletotrichum sp.-like (cylindrical conidia) and Fusarium sp.- like (lunate conidia) isolates causing leaf spot disease were characterized based on the ingression process and fungal germination in planta. Four-day single-spore cultures in PDA of isolating C1 (Colletotrichum sp.-like) and F2 (Fusarium sp.-like) were obtained. Suspensions of 108 conidia mL-1 were made and sprayed onto young leaves of jasmine. Specimen collection was done at 2, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h after inoculation (hai). Formalin-acetic acid was used to clear the tissues and fungal structures are selectively stained using lactophenol-acid fuschin. Average ingression sites (IS) were counted for each time point under 50X magnification, then IS per leaf area (cm2) was calculated. Fungal isolates remain at the surface of the leaf until 36 h. IS of C1 and F2 almost doubled at 48 hai. However, ingression sites declined at 72 hai for both pathogens, which either imply a progression of sub surface colonization or unsuccessful penetration. Leaf yellowing and a few spots were observed at 48 hai for F2 and at 60 hai for C1. More severe necrotic leaf spots with yellow halo (severity rating of 5) were seen in plants inoculated with Fusarium sp.-like isolated than in those inoculated with Colletotrichum sp.-like isolated. Lastly, at 48 to 60 hai, it was evident that the pathogen started to seek for stomata, which seemed to be the preferred penetration site for both fungal pathogens.
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 260; Downloads: 139
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