Improved Bladder Tumor RNA Isolation from Archived Tissues Using Methylene Blue for Normalization,Multiplex RNA Hybridization,Sequencing and Subtyping

Methylene blue (MB) is a dye used for histology with clinical importance and intercalates into nucleic acids. After MB staining of formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and normal urothelium, specific regions could be microdissected. It is not known if MB influences RNA used for gene expression studies. Therefore, we analyzed MIBC using five different RNA isolation methods comparing patient matched FFPE and fresh frozen (FF) tissues pre-stained with or without MB. We demonstrate a positive impact of MB on RNA integrity with FF tissues using real time PCR with no interference of its chemical properties. FFPE tissues showed no improvement of RNA integrity, which we propose is due to formalin induced nucleotide crosslinks. Using direct multiplex RNA hybridization the best genes for normalization of MIBC and control tissues were identified from 34 reference genes. In addition, 5SrRNA and 5.8SrRNA were distinctive reference genes detecting <200 bp fragments important for mRNA analyses. Using these normalized RNAs from MB stained MIBC and applying multiplex RNA hybridization and mRNA sequencing, a minimal gene expression panel precisely identified luminal and basal MIBC tumor subtypes, important for diagnosis, prognosis and chemotherapy response.     

Pretest-posttest field studies on psychological restoration: a descriptive review and reflections for the future

Almost four decades ago, Attention Restoration Theory and Stress Recovery Theory postulated that nature could help people to recover from the attentional fatigue and the emotional negative outcomes coming from their daily performance. Since then, these theories have inspired a great amount of research. In this review, 19 restoration pretest-posttest field studies were selected. A systematic analysis of the papers was conducted using two rating tools to assess the quality of the studies and to detect their main strengths and weaknesses. The results allowed us to synthesise the results of this sample of studies, to reflect about the nature of the research conducted until today and to point to some issues and challenges that might be addressed in future studies.     

梦想之居 意大利希利亚尔山脚下某住宅

<正>该住宅坐落于风景如画的希利亚尔山脚下,属于阿尔卑斯山脉,住宅的前身是一座建于1850年左右的谷仓,其设计保留了当地南蒂罗尔传统建筑的精神内核,与极具特色的内部空间相结合,呈现出充满远见和令人意想不到的居住氛围,而这一切都是受到业主兼设计师Stefan Rier童年记忆的启发。在保留传统记忆的同时,又要创建一个保有本源特征的建筑、一种全新的生活方式、一个与众不同的内部空间结构,并从     

Review characterization of edible films formulated with sodium alginate and low-methoxyl pectin in osmotic dehydration applications

The aim of this work was to evaluate the behaviour of two edible films (sodium alginate and low-methoxyl pectin) under different osmotic conditions (solutions: sucrose, glucose syrup and maltodextrin; concentrations: 40 °Brix and 60 °Brix; temperature 40 °C and processing times: 0.5, 1 and 2 h). From the experimental water loss and solid uptake kinetics, effective diffusion coefficients and the dehydration performance ratio were obtained. The microstructural characteristics of the osmodehydrated films were also analysed using pear as a food matrix. The results showed that films osmodehydrated with maltodextrin and glucose syrup solutions presented higher dehydration performance ratio values than those osmodehydrated with sucrose. A reduction in the thicknesses of edible coatings was observed. The best formulation was sodium alginate 2% and calcium lactate 5% according to the microstructural analysis and structural integrity for at least up to 16 h of osmotic dehydration.     

The application of metabolomics to ascertain the significance of prolonged maturation in the production of lager‐style beers

NMR‐focused metabolomic analysis has been employed to ascertain the extent to which a diversity of non‐volatile substances change in level during maturation and storage on a pilot and commercial scale. No substantive changes were observed, leading to the conclusion that, once materials such as vicinal diketones and acetaldehyde have been dealt with, there is no merit in the prolonged storage of beer. © 2019 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Bench Test of a Hydraulic Biofluid Based on Refined Pomace Oil

This paper aims at investigating the possibility of replacing conventional hydraulic fluids with refined olive pomace oil added with a common food grade antioxidant, as hydraulic fluid for agricultural machinery. The fluid efficiency test is carried out using an experimental test rig based on a hydraulic system designed to apply severe work cycles (pressure values up to 40 MPa; temperatures up to 100 °C) to small oil volumes with the aim of strongly accelerating the ageing of the tested fluid. The fluid, added with 2 g kg⁻¹ of antioxidant, apparently does not undergo any changes in chemical-physical properties and maintains stable the technical performance of the test equipment during 530 h work cycle. This research has four different goals: i) to contribute to the circular economy, by using olive oil byproducts in agricultural environment; ii) to contribute to the reduction of environmental contamination by substituting petroleum products with natural biodegradable ones; iii) to contribute to avoid the presence of mineral products (such as saturated hydrocarbons, which could accumulate in human organs, and aromatic hydrocarbons, which are potentially genotoxic), as a residue in food products and in vegetable oils. iv) to identify alternative market possibilities for such a by-product. Practical applications : The results of the study seem to indicate the possibility of using the olive pomace oil as hydraulic fluid, for example, in agricultural machinery, opening new market perspectives which would increase its added value.