ABSTRACT
Reynoutria japonica Houtt (RJ) is an extremely invasive plant species, found nowadays in a wide range of habitats, including those polluted with heavy metals (HM). The aim of this study was to investigate HM dynamics in RJ-soil interactions in five habitats historically polluted with HM located in Baia Mare city, Romania. The concentrations of major metal elements (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) in plant tissues (roots, stems, leaves) and soil samples collected from the study sites were analyzed via portable ED-XRF spectroscopy (converted), and the translocation factor (TF) and bioconcentration factor (BCF) were calculated. The mean values of HM in soil samples collected from the study sites exceeded the threshold limit values established by Romanian legislation. Generally, the highest concentration of Cd was recorded in the above-ground part of the plant (stem and leaves), while for Cu, Pb and Zn, the highest values (with few exceptions) were recorded in the root. The metal transfer was highly effective from soil to RJ, such that all four of the HM studied exceeded the normal range of metals in a plant. Analysis of metal concentrations in plant tissues showed an efficient movement of Cd and Zn to the above-ground parts of the plant, a tendency particularly pronounced in the case of Cd (TF and BCF > 1), while Pb was the least bioaccumulated HM. It may be concluded that RJ is able to tolerate high concentrations of HM, being a good phytoextractor for Cd and Zn.
ABSTRACT
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a growing role in the clinical workup of prostate cancer. However, manual three-dimensional (3D) segmentation of the prostate is a laborious and time-consuming task. In this scenario, the use of automated algorithms for prostate segmentation allows us to bypass the huge workload of physicians. In this work, we propose a fully automated hybrid approach for prostate gland segmentation in MR images using an initial segmentation of prostate volumes using a custom-made 3D deep network (VNet-T2), followed by refinement using an Active Shape Model (ASM). While the deep network focuses on three-dimensional spatial coherence of the shape, the ASM relies on local image information and this joint effort allows for improved segmentation of the organ contours. Our method is developed and tested on a dataset composed of T2-weighted (T2w) MRI prostatic volumes of 60 male patients. In the test set, the proposed method shows excellent segmentation performance, achieving a mean dice score and Hausdorff distance of 0.851 and 7.55 mm, respectively. In the future, this algorithm could serve as an enabling technology for the development of computer-aided systems for prostate cancer characterization in MR imaging.
ABSTRACT
It has been proven that vitamins play an essential role in preventing certain diseases since ancient times. It is thus fruitless to approach the roles of vitamins without making reference to the techniques used in evaluating the effects of these micronutrients. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to summarize the immunological effects of E, K, B5, B6, and B9 vitamins evaluated by flow cytometry. Some of these significant effects were presented and discussed: (a) The role of vitamins E in the prevention and treatment of different types of cancer. (b) The properties of K vitamins in the development and maintenance of pheochromocytoma Cell Line 12 (PC12) cells in Parkinson's disease; (c) The improvement effect of vitamin B5 on the loss of bone mass in low estrogen conditions; (d) The anticancer role of vitamins B6. (e) The role of Vitamin B9 in the regulation of Treg cells. As such, the flow cytometry technique used to assess these properties is essential to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of certain vitamins. The technique undergoes constant improvement which makes it possible to determine several parameters with a role in the modulation of the immune function and at the same time increase the accuracy of the methods that highlight them.
ABSTRACT
We describe the case of a 6-year-old boy with both fragile X syndrome and Robertsonian Translocation (45, XY, der (13; 22) (q10; q10)). This is the first reported case of a patient with fragile X syndrome with this Robertsonian translocation. Facial features and macroorchidism were consistent with fragile X syndrome. Cognitive impairment is more significant than in his sibling with fragile X syndrome, and the patient also has a prior diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. We emphasize the challenges in his behavioral management and outline future directions for his management.
ABSTRACT
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a very large set of neurodevelopmental issues with diverse clinical outcomes. Various hypotheses have been put forth for the etiology of autism spectrum disorder, including issues pertaining to oxidative stress. In this study, we conducted measurements of serum 8-Iso-Prostaglanding F2 α (8-iso-PGF2α, which is the results of non-enzimatically mediated polyunsaturated fatty acid oxidation) in a population of individuals with autism and a control group of age and sex matched controls. A quantitative assay of Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) was conducted. Data regarding comorbidities, structural MRI scans, medication, intelligence quotient (IQ) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale scores (CARS) were also included in our study. Our results show that patients diagnosed with autism have higher levels of 8-iso-PGF2α than their neurotypical counterparts. Levels of this particular metabolite, however, do not correlate with quantitative serum levels of Paraoxonase 1, which has been shown to be altered in individuals with autism. Neither 8-iso-PGF2α nor quantitative levels of PON1 provide any meaningful correlation with clinical or neuroimaging data in this study group. Future research should focus on providing data regarding PON 1 phenotype, in addition to standard quantitative measurements, in relation to 8-iso-PGF2α as well as other clinical and structural brain findings.
