Dilution cultivation of marine heterotrophic bacteria abundant after a spring phytoplankton bloom in the North Sea.

The roles of individual bacterioplankton species in the re-mineralization of algal biomass are poorly understood. Evidence from molecular data had indicated that a spring diatom bloom in the German Bight of the North Sea in 2009 was followed by a rapid succession of uncultivated bacterioplankton species, including members of the genera Ulvibacter, Formosa, Polaribacter (class Flavobacteria) and Reinekea (class Gammaproteobacteria). We isolated strains from the same site during the diatom bloom in spring 2010 using dilution cultivation in an artificial seawater medium with micromolar substrate and nutrient concentrations.

Cytotoxic efficacy of photodynamic therapy in osteosarcoma cells in vitro.

In recent years, there has been the difficulty in finding more effective therapies against cancer with less systemic side effects. Therefore Photodynamic Therapy is a novel approach for a more tumor selective treatment. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) that makes use of a nontoxic photosensitizer (PS), which, upon activation with light of a specific wavelength in the presence of oxygen, generates oxygen radicals that elicit a cytotoxic response(1).

Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition attenuates liver fibrosis and development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most rapidly increasing cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. Because of the lack of viable treatment options for HCC, prevention in high-risk patients has been proposed as an alternative strategy. The main risk factor for HCC is cirrhosis and several lines of evidence implicate epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the progression of cirrhosis and development of HCC.

Comparison of bacterial communities on limnic versus coastal marine particles reveals profound differences in colonization.

Marine and limnic particles are hotspots of organic matter mineralization significantly affecting biogeochemical element cycling. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes were combined to investigate bacterial diversity and community composition on limnic and coastal marine particles > 5 and > 10 μm respectively. Limnic particles were more abundant (average: 1 × 10(7) l(-1)), smaller in size (average areas: 471 versus 2050 μm(2)) and more densely colonized (average densities: 7.

Nonmammalian model systems to investigate fungal biofilms.

Medical advances have resulted in an increase in the number of patients in immunocompromised states, vulnerable to infection, or individuals fitted with medical devices that form niches for microbial infections. These infections are difficult to treat and have significant morbidity and mortality rates. An important factor in the pathogenesis of fungal diseases is the development of biofilm-forming communities, enabling the invasion of host tissues and resistance to antimicrobial compounds.

Recent advances in osteosarcoma.

Although osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare malignancy, it is ranked among the leading causes of cancer-related death in the pediatric age group. The cancer's low prevalence and its large tumor heterogeneity make it difficult to obtain meaningful progress in patient survival. In this review we present an overview of current clinical trials which largely focus on stimulation of the immune system or rely on the inhibition of kinases such as Src and mTOR.

Distribution of a consortium between unicellular algae and the N2 fixing cyanobacterium UCYN-A in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The globally abundant, uncultured unicellular cyanobacterium UCYN-A was recently discovered living in association with a eukaryotic cell closely related to a prymnesiophyte. Here, we established a double CAtalysed Reporter Deposition-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (CARD-FISH) approach to identify both partners and provided quantitative information on their distribution and abundance across distinct water masses along a transect in the North Atlantic Ocean. The N2 fixation activity coincided with the detection of UCYN-A cells and was only observed in oligotrophic (< 0.

Whole animal automated platform for drug discovery against multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus, the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections in the United States, is also pathogenic to the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The C. elegans-S.

Correlation between Candida albicans biofilm formation and invasion of the invertebrate host Galleria mellonella.

Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate whether biofilm production by Candida albicans clinical isolates could be a hallmark of virulence in vivo.

Materials & Methods: Twenty clinical isolates of C. albicans were examined via histological studies on larvae infected with various fungal doses (from 10(3) to 10(5) CFU/larva) of biofilm producer and nonproducer strains.

Stationary phase thickness determines the quality of thin-layer chromatography/matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization mass spectra of lipids.

Normal phase thin-layer chromatography (NP TLC) is an established method of (phospho)lipid analysis. The determination of the fatty acyl composition is, however, a more challenging task by NP TLC. The direct coupling of TLC separation with mass spectrometric detection (e.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition predicts prognosis in clinical gastric cancer.

Background: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered to play an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis.

Methods: The mRNA levels of an epithelial marker (E-cadherin), mesenchymal marker (vimentin), and Zeb-1 were measured in 11 gastric cancer cell lines. Functional analysis was performed using Zeb-1 knockdown.

Regulation of polyp-to-jellyfish transition in Aurelia aurita.

Background: The life cycle of scyphozoan cnidarians alternates between sessile asexual polyps and pelagic medusa. Transition from one life form to another is triggered by environmental signals, but the molecular cascades involved in the drastic morphological and physiological changes remain unknown.

Results: We show in the moon jelly Aurelia aurita that the molecular machinery controlling transition of the sessile polyp into a free-swimming jellyfish consists of two parts.

Response of an aggressive periosteal aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) of the radius to denosumab therapy.

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC), once considered a reactive lesion, has been proven to be a neoplasia characterized by rearrangements of the USP6-gene. Aggressive local growth and recurrences are common and therapeutic options may be limited due to the vicinity of crucial structures. We describe a case of a locally aggressive, multinucleated giant cell-containing lesion of the forearm of a 21-year old woman, treated with denosumab for recurrent, surgically uncontrollable disease.

CXCR4 antibody treatment suppresses metastatic spread to the lung of intratibial human osteosarcoma xenografts in mice.

Current combined surgical and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of primary metastatic osteosarcoma (OS) is ineffective, reflected by a 5-year survival rate of affected patients of less than 20 %. Studies in experimental OS metastasis models pointed to the CXCR4/CXCL12 homing axis as a novel target for OS metastasis-suppressive treatment. The present study investigated for the first time the CXCR4-blocking principle in a spontaneously metastasizing human 143B OS cell line-derived orthotopic xenograft mouse model.

Reduced Latency in the Metastatic Niche Contributes to the More Aggressive Phenotype of LM8 Compared to Dunn Osteosarcoma Cells.

Metastasis is the major cause of death of osteosarcoma patients and its diagnosis remains difficult. In preclinical studies, however, forced expression of reporter genes in osteosarcoma cells has remarkably improved the detection of micrometastases and, consequently, the quality of the studies. We recently showed that Dunn cells equipped with a lacZ reporter gene disseminated from subcutaneous primary tumors as frequently as their highly metastatic subline LM8, but only LM8 cells grew to macrometastases.

A functional polymorphism in the epidermal growth factor gene predicts hepatocellular carcinoma risk in Japanese hepatitis C patients.

Background: A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene (rs4444903) has been associated with increased risk of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the EGF SNP genotype and the development and prognosis of HCC, in a Japanese population.

Methods: Restriction fragment-length polymorphism was used to determine the presence of the EGF SNP genotype in 498 patients, including 208 patients with HCC.

Mass spectrometry and inflammation--MS methods to study oxidation and enzyme-induced changes of phospholipids.

Many diseases such as arthritis or atherosclerosis are accompanied by inflammatory processes. Inflammation is characterized by the infiltration of cells such as neutrophilic granulocytes and (a) the release of phospholipases [particularly phospholipase A2 (PLA2)] and (b) the generation of reactive oxygen as well as nitrogen species (ROS and RNS). While PLA2 leads to defined lyso products (lacking one acyl residue), lipid oxidation is characterized by much more complex product patterns, including lipid peroxides, aldehydes (by double bond cleavage), and many others.

Classical transient receptor potential channel 1 in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

Rationale: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening disease, characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling. Abnormal smooth muscle cell proliferation is a primary hallmark of chronic hypoxia-induced PH. Essential for cell growth are alterations in the intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis.

Peramine and lolitrem B from endophyte-grass associations cascade up the food chain.

Endophytic fungi in cool-season grass species produce herbivore-toxic alkaloids, which are assumed to harm higher trophic levels along food chains. Previous studies have shown fitness disadvantages for higher trophic levels that feed on aphids that were exclusively reared on perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) infected with the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium lolii. However, it is unknown whether the alkaloids produced by the fungus-grass association can be assimilated by plant sap-sucking insects like aphids.

The association of body mass index with time to target temperature and outcomes following post-arrest targeted temperature management.

Background: Evidence suggests that more rapid attainment of target temperature (32-34°C) improves neurologic outcome following cardiac arrest and targeted temperature management (TTM). It is unclear to what extent body mass index (BMI) is associated with the time to reach target temperature and subsequent clinical outcomes.

Objective: We sought to determine whether the time to target temperature was affected by BMI.

Giant cell angioblastoma in an adult: a unique presentation.

Giant cell angioblastoma is a very rare, locally destructive vascular tumor of intermediate malignancy without metastatic potential. There are only a few cases reported in the literature exclusively in the soft tissue of children. For the first time, we report on an adult patient with a giant cell angioblastoma in the popliteal fossa.

The Mortality Review Committee: a novel and scalable approach to reducing inpatient mortality.

Background: Despite the importance of reducing inpatient mortality, little has been reported about establishing a hospitalwide, systematic process to review and address inpatient deaths. In 2006 the University of Pennsylvania Health System's Mortality Review Committee was established and charged with reducing inpatient mortality as measured by the mortality index--observed/expected mortality.

Methods: Between 2006 and 2012, through interdisciplinary meetings and analysis of administrative data and chart reviews, the Mortality Review Committee identified a number of opportunities for improvement in the quality of patient care.

Glycosaminoglycan degradation by selected reactive oxygen species.

Significance: Inflammatory diseases (such as arthritis) of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are of considerable socioeconomic significance. There is clear evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species released by, for instance, neutrophils contribute to the degradation of the ECM. Here we will focus on the ROS-induced degradation of the glycosaminoglycans, one important component of the ECM.

Selective photoinactivation of Candida albicans in the non-vertebrate host infection model Galleria mellonella.

Background: Candida spp. are recognized as a primary agent of severe fungal infection in immunocompromised patients, and are the fourth most common cause of bloodstream infections. Our study explores treatment with photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an innovative antimicrobial technology that employs a nontoxic dye, termed a photosensitizer (PS), followed by irradiation with harmless visible light.