Contrasting congener profiles for persistent organic pollutants and PAH monitoring in European storm petrels ( Hydrobates pelagicus ) breeding in Ireland: a preen oil versus feathers approach

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are anthropogenic contaminants of environmental concern due to their persistence in the environment and capacity to accumulate in biota. Many of these contaminants have been found to have ill effects over wildlife and humans. Birds are known to be particularly affected through endocrine disruption and eggshell thinning. POPs have been banned or restricted through the Stockholm Convention (2001), making monitoring essential for tracking effects of regulation. Seabirds have been used as monitoring tools for being top predators and consuming a diverse array of prey in different trophic levels. Non-destructive sampling has become widely popular using feathers and preen oil, as opposed to carcasses and internal organs. This study aimed to set baseline levels of POP and PAH concentration in a highly pelagic and abundant seabird in Ireland and the Atlantic, the European storm petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus, and to investigate the profiles of contaminant congeners in preen oil and feathers, comparatively. Mean concentrations in preen oil followed: PCB (10.1 ng/g ww) > PAH (7.1 ng/g ww) > OCP (5.4 ng/g ww) > PBDE (3.9 ng/g ww), whilst mean concentrations in feathers followed the order: PAH (38.9 ng/g ww) > PCB (27.2 ng/g ww) > OCP (17.9 ng/g ww) > PBDE (4.5 ng/g ww). Congener profiles highly differed between preen oil and feathers, and little correlation was found between the matrices. These results demonstrate that the sampling of a single matrix alone (preen oil or feathers) might produce confounding results on contamination in seabirds and that more than one matrix is recommended to obtain a full picture of contamination by persistent organic pollutants.

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La tuberculose pseudotumorale, un diagnostic difficile

Publication date: Available online 5 April 2018
Source:Revue des Maladies Respiratoires
Author(s): H. Snene, A. Ben Mansour, S. Toujani, N. Ben Salah, M. Mjid, Y. Ouahchi, N. Mehiri, M. Beji, J. Cherif, B. Louzir
IntroductionLa tuberculose dans sa forme pseudotumorale est une entité rare. Quelle que soit sa localisation, elle peut simuler une néoplasie par sa présentation radiologique et/ou endoscopique. À travers ce travail, nous cherchons à mettre en exergue les difficultés diagnostiques de cette pathologie.MéthodesIl s'agit d'une étude rétrospective menée sur les dossiers de patients hospitalisés de 2003 à 2016, au service de pneumologie de l'hôpital La Rabta, pour tuberculose pseudotumorale thoracique.RésultatsDix-sept patients ont été colligés. L'âge médian était de 41 ans. La symptomatologie était dominée par la toux et le fléchissement de l'état général. Toutes les explorations radiologiques étaient pathologiques dont 10 cas de lésions suspectes. La fibroscopie bronchique avait montré des anomalies endobronchiques dans 11 cas. Le délai diagnostique global médian était de 97jours. Le diagnostic a été confirmé bactériologiquement dans cinq cas, histologiquement dans 14 cas et a été retenu sur des éléments de présomption dans un cas. L'évolution était favorable : 13 patients déclarés guéris et quatre patients sont en cours de traitement.ConclusionLe diagnostic positif de tuberculose pseudotumorale thoracique est difficile. Les prélèvements bactériologiques sont souvent négatifs. Ces difficultés sont à l'origine d'un important retard diagnostique et thérapeutique.IntroductionThe pseudotumorous form of tuberculosis is a rare entity. Whatever its location, it can simulate neoplasia by its radiological and/or endoscopic appearances. We highlight the diagnostic difficulties associated with this type of presentation.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study of inpatient records from 2003 to 2016 in the pneumology department of La Rabta Hospital to identify cases of thoracic tuberculous pseudo-tumor.ResultsSeventeen patients were identified. The median age was 41 years and their symptomatology was dominated by cough and general debility. All had abnormal radiology with 10 cases of suspect lesions. Fibre-optic bronchoscopy revealed endobronchial abnormalities in 11 cases. The median overall diagnostic delay was 97 days. The diagnosis was confirmed bacteriologically in five cases, histologically in 14 cases and based on clinical presumption in one case. The progression was favourable: 13 patients have been declared cured and four patients are still undergoing treatment.ConclusionMaking a positive diagnosis of thoracic tuberculous pseudotumour can be difficult, as bacteriological samples are often negative. This can lead to a significant delay in diagnosis and treatment.



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Intranasal instillation of iron oxide nanoparticles induces inflammation and perturbation of trace elements and neurotransmitters, but not behavioral impairment in rats

Abstract

Over the last decades, engineered nanomaterials have been widely used in various applications due to their interesting properties. Among them, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are used as theranostic agents for cancer, and also as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging. With the increasing production and use of these IONPs, there is an evident raise of IONP exposure and subsequently a higher risk of adverse outcome for humans and the environment. In this work, we aimed to investigate the effects of sub-acute IONP exposure on Wistar rat, particularly (i) on the emotional and learning/memory behavior, (ii) on the hematological and biochemical parameters, (iii) on the neurotransmitter content, and (vi) on the trace element homeostasis. Rats were treated during seven consecutive days by intranasal instillations at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight. The mean body weight increased significantly in IONP-exposed rats. Moreover, several hematological parameters were normal in treated rats except the platelet count which was increased. The biochemical study revealed that phosphatase alkaline level decreased in IONP-exposed rats, but no changes were observed for the other hepatic enzymes (ALT and AST) levels. The trace element homeostasis was slightly modulated by IONP exposure. Sub-acute intranasal exposure to IONPs increased dopamine and norepinephrine levels in rat brain; however, it did not affect the emotional behavior, the anxiety index, and the learning/memory capacities of rats.

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Fluorescent in vivo imaging of reactive oxygen species and redox potential in plants

Publication date: Available online 5 April 2018
Source:Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Author(s): Cristina Ortega-Villasante, Stefan Burén, Alfonso Blázquez-Castro, Ángel Barón-Sola, Luis E. Hernández
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are by-products of aerobic metabolism, and excessive production can result in oxidative stress and cell damage. In addition, ROS function as cellular messengers, working as redox regulators in a multitude of biological processes. Understanding ROS signalling and stress responses requires methods for precise imaging and quantification to monitor local, subcellular and global ROS dynamics with high selectivity, sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. In this review, we summarize the present knowledge for in vivo plant ROS imaging and detection, using both chemical probes and fluorescent protein-based biosensors. Certain characteristics of plant tissues, for example high background autofluorescence in photosynthetic organs and the multitude of endogenous antioxidants, can interfere with ROS and redox potential detection, making imaging extra challenging. Novel methods and techniques to measure in vivo plant ROS and redox changes with better selectivity, accuracy, and spatiotemporal resolution are therefore desirable to fully acknowledge the remarkably complex plant ROS signalling networks.

Graphical abstract

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The Immune Landscape of Cancer

Publication date: Available online 5 April 2018
Source:Immunity
Author(s): Vésteinn Thorsson, David L. Gibbs, Scott D. Brown, Denise Wolf, Dante S. Bortone, Tai-Hsien Ou Yang, Eduard Porta-Pardo, Galen F. Gao, Christopher L. Plaisier, James A. Eddy, Elad Ziv, Aedin C. Culhane, Evan O. Paull, I.K. Ashok Sivakumar, Andrew J. Gentles, Raunaq Malhotra, Farshad Farshidfar, Antonio Colaprico, Joel S. Parker, Lisle E. Mose, Nam Sy Vo, Jianfang Liu, Yuexin Liu, Janet Rader, Varsha Dhankani, Sheila M. Reynolds, Reanne Bowlby, Andrea Califano, Andrew D. Cherniack, Dimitris Anastassiou, Davide Bedognetti, Arvind Rao, Ken Chen, Alexander Krasnitz, Hai Hu, Tathiane M. Malta, Houtan Noushmehr, Chandra Sekhar Pedamallu, Susan Bullman, Akinyemi I. Ojesina, Andrew Lamb, Wanding Zhou, Hui Shen, Toni K. Choueiri, John N. Weinstein, Justin Guinney, Joel Saltz, Robert A. Holt, Charles E. Rabkin, Alexander J. Lazar, Jonathan S. Serody, Elizabeth G. Demicco, Mary L. Disis, Benjamin G. Vincent, llya Shmulevich
We performed an extensive immunogenomic analysis of more than 10,000 tumors comprising 33 diverse cancer types by utilizing data compiled by TCGA. Across cancer types, we identified six immune subtypes—wound healing, IFN-γ dominant, inflammatory, lymphocyte depleted, immunologically quiet, and TGF-β dominant—characterized by differences in macrophage or lymphocyte signatures, Th1:Th2 cell ratio, extent of intratumoral heterogeneity, aneuploidy, extent of neoantigen load, overall cell proliferation, expression of immunomodulatory genes, and prognosis. Specific driver mutations correlated with lower (CTNNB1, NRAS, or IDH1) or higher (BRAF, TP53, or CASP8) leukocyte levels across all cancers. Multiple control modalities of the intracellular and extracellular networks (transcription, microRNAs, copy number, and epigenetic processes) were involved in tumor-immune cell interactions, both across and within immune subtypes. Our immunogenomics pipeline to characterize these heterogeneous tumors and the resulting data are intended to serve as a resource for future targeted studies to further advance the field.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Thorsson et al. present immunogenomics analyses of more than 10,000 tumors, identifying six immune subtypes that encompass multiple cancer types and are hypothesized to define immune response patterns impacting prognosis. This work provides a resource for understanding tumor-immune interactions, with implications for identifying ways to advance research on immunotherapy.


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Expression of p27 and c-Myc by immunohistochemistry in breast ductal cancers in African American women

Publication date: Available online 5 April 2018
Source:Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
Author(s): Farhan Khan, Luisel J. Ricks-Santi, Rabia Zafar, Yasmine Kanaan, Tammey Naab
ObjectivesProteins p27 and c-myc are both key players in the cell cycle. While p27, a tumor suppressor, inhibits progression from G1 to S phase, c-Myc, a proto-oncogene, plays a key role in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. The objective of our study was to determine the association between expression of c-Myc and the loss of p27 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the four major subtypes of breast cancer (BC) (Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2, and Triple Negative) and with other clinicopathological factors in a population of 202 African-American (AA) women.Materials and methodsTissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed from FFPE tumor blocks from primary ductal breast carcinomas in 202 AA women. Five micrometer sections were stained with a mouse monoclonal antibody against p27 and a rabbit monoclonal antibody against c-Myc. The sections were evaluated for intensity of nuclear reactivity (1–3) and percentage of reactive cells; an H-score was derived from the product of these measurements.ResultsLoss of p27 expression and c-Myc overexpression showed statistical significance with ER negative (p < 0.0001), PR negative (p < 0.0001), triple negative (TN) (p < 0.0001), grade 3 (p = 0.038), and overall survival (p = 0.047). There was no statistical significant association between c-myc expression/p27 loss and luminal A/B and Her2 overexpressing subtypes.ConclusionIn our study, a statistically significant association between c-Myc expression and PTEN loss and the triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) was found in AA women. A recent study found that constitutive c-Myc expression is associated with inactivation of the axin 1 tumor suppressor gene. p27 inhibits cyclin dependent kinase2/cyclin A/E complex formation. Axin 1 and CDK inhibitors may represent possible therapeutic targets for TNBC.



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Chitooligosaccharide: An evaluation of physicochemical and biological properties with the proposition for determination of thermal degradation products

Publication date: June 2018
Source:Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 102
Author(s): Lucas Phil, Muhammad Naveed, Imran Shair Mohammad, Li Bo, Di Bin
Being the most versatile biopolymer, chitooligosaccharide/chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) has been extensively studied for a range of exceptional biological activities and potential developments of novel medical devices and systems in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. While possessing intrinsic biocompatibility, mucoadhesiveness, and non-toxicity it gained more interests in the biomedical development of novel systems, devices, and pharmaceutical formulations. The bioactive relativity of chitosan and COS are of highly significant and thus explored in this paper while highlighting its multiple biological activities and promising biomedical applications. More emphasis is on the molecular weight, degree of acetylation/deacetylation, degree of polymerization and reactive groups in relation to chitin and chitosan. Despite COS wide acceptance and utilization, the associated viscosity and instability are crucial factors that posed a great challenge to researchers. The apparent reason attributed to instability and viscosity could be the presence intrinsic variable oligomers within COS. Due to lack of data on safety and impurity analysis of thermal exposure of COS, we hypothesized that different molecules could be generated with thermal treatment of COS, thus finally suggested a prospective determination of thermal degradation product(s)in COS. Hence the aim of this paper is to highlight COS physicochemical and biological significance with reference to its recent developments and propose a further chemical analysis thermal treated COS. This could trigger future researchers for possible isolation and characterization of distinct biomolecules from COS.



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