Contribution of Cyanotoxins to the Ecotoxicological Role of Lichens

The fascinating world of lichens draws the attention of the researchers because of the numerous properties of lichens used traditionally and, in modern times, as a raw material for medicines and in the perfumery industry, for food and spices, for fodder, as dyes, and for other various purposes all over the world. However, lichens being widespread symbiotic entities between fungi and photosynthetic partners may acquire toxic features due to either the fungi, algae, or cyano-procaryotes producing toxins. By this way, several common lichens acquire toxic features. In this survey, recent data about the ecology, phytogenetics, and biology of some lichens with respect to the associated toxin-producing cyanoprokaryotes in different habitats around the world are discussed. Special attention is paid to the common toxins, called microcystin and nodularin, produced mainly by the Nostoc species. The effective application of a series of modern research methods to approach the issue of lichen toxicity as contributed by the cyanophotobiont partner is emphasized.     

Estudio de los mecanismos implicados en la génesis y evolución del asma (proyecto MEGA): creación y seguimiento a largo plazo de una cohorte de pacientes asmáticos

The general aim of this study is to create a cohort of asthma patients with varying grades of severity in order to gain greater insight into the mechanisms underlying the genesis and course of this disease.The specific objectives focus on various studies, including imaging, lung function, inflammation, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, to determine the relevant events that characterize the asthma population, the long-term parameters that can determine changes in the severity of patients, and the treatments that influence disease progression. The study will also seek to identify the causes of exacerbations and how this affects the course of the disease.Patients will be contacted via the outpatient clinics of the 8 participating institutions under the auspices of the Spanish Respiratory Diseases Networking System (CIBER). In the inclusion visit, a standardized clinical history will be obtained, a clinical examination, including blood pressure, body mass index, complete respiratory function tests, and FENO will be performed, and the Asthma Control Test (ACT), Morisky-Green test, Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini AQLQ), the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT-22), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) will be administered. A specific electronic database has been designed for data collection. Exhaled breath condensate, urine and blood samples will also be collected. Non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness testing with methacholine will be performed and an induced sputum sample will be collected at the beginning of the study and every 24 months. A skin prick test for airborne allergens and a chest CT will be performed at the beginning of the study and repeated every 5 years.     

Superior mesenteric artery first approach versus standard pancreaticoduodenectomy:a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The superior mesenteric artery (SMA) first approach was proposed recently as a new modification of the standard pancreaticoduodenectomy. Increasing evidence showed that a periadventiceal dissection of the SMA with early transection of the inflow during pancreaticoduodenec-tomy associates better early perioperative results, and setup the scene for long-term oncological benefits. The objectives of the current study are to compare the operative results and long-term oncological outcomes of SMA first approach pan-creaticoduodenectomy (SMA-PD) with standard pancreatico-duodenectomy (S-PD).DATA SOURCES: Electronic search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was performed until July 2015. We considered randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized comparative studies (NRCSs) comparing SMA-PD with S-PD to be eligible if they included patients with periampullary cancers.RESULTS: A total of one RCT and thirteen NRCSs met the in-clusion criteria, involving 640 patients with SMA-PD and 514 patients with S-PD. The SMA-PD was associated with less in-traoperative bleeding, less blood transfusions and higher rate of associated venous resections. The pancreatic fistula and delayed gastric emptying had a significantly lower rate in the SMA-PD group. There were no differences between the two approaches regarding overall complications, major complica-tion rates and in-hospital mortality. There was no difference regarding R0 resection rate, and one-, two- or three-year over-all survival. The SMA-PD was associated with a lower local, hepatic and extrahepatic metastatic rate.CONCLUSIONS: The SMA-PD is associated with better perioperative outcomes, such as blood loss, transfusion re-quirements, pancreatic fistula, and delayed gastric emptying. Although the one-, two- or three-year overall survival rate is not superior, the SMA-PD has a lower local and metastatic re-currence rate.     

Interprofessionelle Ausbildungsansätze in der Medizin

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Der gesellschaftliche Wandel und die daraus folgende zunehmende Komplexität der Patientenversorgung stellen alle Akteure des...     

Pyrosequencing: applicability for studying DNA damage‐induced mutagenesis

Site‐specifically modified DNAs are routinely used in the study of DNA damage‐induced mutagenesis. These analyses involve the creation of DNA vectors containing a lesion at a pre‐determined position, DNA replication, and detection of mutations at the target site. The final step has previously required the isolation of individual DNA clones, hybridization with radioactively labeled probes, and verification of mutations by Sanger sequencing. In the search for an alternative procedure that would allow direct quantification of sequence variants in a mixed population of DNA molecules, we evaluated the applicability of pyrosequencing to site‐specific mutagenesis assays. The progeny DNAs were analyzed that originated from replication of N⁶‐(deoxy‐D‐erythro‐pentofuranosyl)‐2,6‐diamino‐3,4‐dihydro‐4‐oxo‐5‐N‐methylformamidopyrimidine (MeFapy‐dG)‐containing vectors in primate cells, with the lesion being positioned in the 5′‐GCNGG‐3′ sequence context. Pyrosequencing detected ～8% G to T transversions and ～3.5% G to A transitions, a result that was in excellent agreement with frequencies previously measured by the standard procedure (Earley LF et al. [2013]: Chem Res Toxicol 26:1108–1114). However, ～3.5% G to C transversions and ～2.0% deletions could not be detected by pyrosequencing. Consistent with these observations, the sensitivity of pyrosequencing for measuring the single deoxynucleotide variants differed depending on the deoxynucleotide identity, and in the given sequence contexts, was determined to be ～1–2% for A and T and ～5% for C. Pyrosequencing of other DNA isolates that were obtained following replication of MeFapy‐dG‐containing vectors in primate cells or Escherichia coli, identified several additional limitations. Collectively, our data demonstrated that pyrosequencing can be used for studying DNA damage‐induced mutagenesis as an effective complementary experimental approach to current protocols. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 55:601–608, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.