Improving the Management of Endometrial Cancer Patients through the Use of Liquid Biopsy Analyses: A Case Report

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the 4th most common neoplasm of the female genital tract, with 15–20% of patients being of high risk of recurrence which leads to a significant decrease in patient survival. Current therapeutic options for patients with EC are poor, being the combined therapy of carboplatin and paclitaxel the standard of care, with limited efficacy. Therefore, new therapeutic options and better monitoring tools are needed to improve the management of the disease. In the current case report, we showcase the value of liquid biopsy analyses in a microsatellite instability EC patient with initially good prognosis that however underwent rapid progression disease within 6 months post-surgery; through the study of plasma cfDNA/ctDNA dynamics to assess the tumour evolution during treatment, as well as the study of the uterine aspirate as a valuable sample that captures the intra-tumour heterogeneity that allows a comprehensive genomic profiling of the disease to identify potential therapeutic options. Furthermore, preclinical models were generated at the time of tumour progression to assess the efficacy of the identified targeted therapies.     

RESTful API in Life Science Research Systems and Data Integration Challenges： Linking Metabolic Pathway,Metabolic Network,Gene and Publication

Translational science research development requires life sciences researchers to update their concept on systems integration and data integration. The RESTful API has proven to be very useful in integrating the massive amount of data and tools. This work presents an approach for biological systems analysis based on the semantic web and RESTful API. The integration of this approach in the BioExtract Server engine as a WMS （workflow management system） allows us to apply our work to the linking of several biological levels （metabolic pathway, metabolic network model, genes and publications）. This work shows how HPC infrastructure and RESTful API can be an opportunity in Systems Biology and life science research challenges. We present a use case in BioExtract server as an integrated workflow management system. The use case shows how we can extract data to build a mathematical model for a specific biological system. The two workflow examples provided in this work enhance the flexibility in the workflow for reusability. Then any other researcher can customize the same workflow for different gene name or biological process.     

A laboratory assessment of the potential of different strains of the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) to control Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in stored cowpea

Twelve indigenous and exotic isolates of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were evaluated for their virulence and their ability to suppress populations of Callosobruchus maculatus in stored cowpea. LT₅₀ values ranged from 3.11 to 6.12 days following immersion in aqueous suspensions containing 1×10⁸ conidia ml⁻¹. Indigenous isolates that had been recovered from C. maculatus were more virulent in laboratory bioassays than exotic isolates from other insects. The two isolates with the shortest LT₅₀ values were compared in dose-response assays by immersion and by exposure to cowpea grains treated with dry conidia. In both assays B. bassiana 0362 was consistently more virulent than M. anisopliae 0351. By immersion, LC₅₀ values on day 6 post-treatment were 9.10×10⁴ and 7.10×10⁵ conidia ml⁻¹ for B. bassiana 0362 and M. anisopliae 0351, respectively. Exposure to treated grains gave LC₅₀ values of 1.15×10⁷ and 4.44×10⁷ conidia g⁻¹ grain for B. bassiana 0362 and M. anisopliae 0351, respectively. In 1 kg batches of cowpea stocked with 50 adult C. maculatus, B. bassiana 0362 at both 1×10⁷ and 1×10⁸ conidia g⁻¹ grain led to significant adult mortality and reduced F₁ emergence relative to untreated populations. At 1×10⁸ conidia g⁻¹ the effect of the fungus persisted into the F₁ generation. The net reproductive rates, R₀, measured 26 days after insects were released were 5.16 and 7.32 for the high and low doses compared to 9.52 for the untreated control.     

Effects of casein,sweet white lupin and sweet yellow lupin diet on cholesterol metabolism in rats

The effect of lupin seed protein on rat cholesterol metabolism has been studied with diets high in fat (20% by weight) and containing cholesterol (1%). The proteins used were characterised by their lysine/arginine ratios (sweet white lupin (SWL) 0·5; sweet yellow lupin (SYL) 0·4; and casein 1·8), because the lysine/arginine ratio is one of the parameters suspected to decrease or increase plasma cholesterol depending on the ratio; the diets were also characterised by their total fibre content (casein diet 5%; SWL 22%; SYL 17%) because chronic fibre intake could improve glucose tolerance and modify glucoregulatory hormone levels. Methionine content of diets was balanced. Differences among the total serum cholesterol levels of rat groups fed these diets for 28 days were not significant. But, compared to the casein diet, both lupin diets increased plasma glucagon levels and faeces. Compared to casein and SYL diets, the SWL diet significantly decreased plasma triglyceride levels and the insulin/glucagon ratio, as well as unesterified liver cholesterol and plasma LDL triglycerides levels. The SYL diet significantly increased plasma glucose and insulin, as well as liver total cholesterol compared to the casein and SWL diets. The total fibre content of the diets could indirectly modulate the effect related to the insulin/glucagon ratio on cholesterol metabolism and explain the differences observed between the SWL and SYL diets. © 1998 SCI.     

可以修葺的历史 西班牙Moure酒店改造项目

本案是一个改造项目,原址是一座19世纪的老建筑,坐落在历史名城圣地亚哥的市中心,并且已经在申报世界文化遗产。改造的目的是恢复老酒店的功能,希望酒店能重新开张营业。项目最终包含的工程量比预想的更多,经济危机之下的西班牙基础设施的严重失修和功能质量的下降,使酒店的基础改造变成了整个项目的首要部分,其次才是为酒店配备新的硬件系统和装修。     

On hen egg fractionation: applications of liquid chromatography to the isolation and the purification of hen egg white and egg yolk proteins

Liquid chromatography has been used as a means of egg protein analysis or as a method for the purification of egg proteins. Several Chromatographic methods, including gel permeation, ion-exchange, reversed-phase, hydrophobic interaction, and immobilized-ligand-affinity chromatography, have been carried out for the separation or the purification of egg yolk or egg white proteins. Ion-exchange chromatography appears to be the most frequently used method for protein isolation and it is the easiest to adapt to a process scale. From an analytical point of view reversed-phase chromatography is, at the moment, the recommended method for egg white analysis. Egg white has been fractionated more often by liquid chromatography than has egg yolk. Several Chromatographic methods have been developed on a laboratory scale, but the application of these techniques on an industrial scale remains limited.     

Correlations among soils’ features,forest plant species,and vegetable crops in Tokpli mining zone (South Togo)

ABSTRACT

Agriculture and forestry resources are central to African development. In this study, Tokpli mining zone (Togo) soils were characterised and the ones appropriate to garden crops and reforested species identified and located on a map using several database and literature. Results showed that tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) and chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) are suitable for slightly acidic clay soils of Ahlimegni. Abelmoschus esculentus is suitable for Assou-kondji soil. Solanum macrocarpon was found appropriate to Ziome-kondji and Anagonou-kpota soils. Forest species such as Salix babylonica, Khaya senegalensis, Eucalyptus spp., and Terminalia superba exhibited best growth on slightly acidic clay soils of Ahlimegni area, rich in organic matter. Acacia auriculiformis, Azadirachta indica, Cola gigantea, and Albizia zigya can grow better on the slightly basic sandy soils of Anagonou-kpota and Ziome-kondji. Other species like Gmelina arborea, Mangifera indica, Salix babylonica, and Morinda lucida were found not selective and could be reforested on all soil types.