Antiangiogenic mechanisms and factors in breast cancer treatment.

Breast cancer is known to metastasize in its latter stages of existence. The different angiogenic mechanisms and factors that allow for its progression are reviewed in this article. Understanding these mechanisms and factors will allow researchers to design drugs to inhibit angiogenic behaviors and control the rate of tumor growth.

Probe-based real-time PCR method for multilocus melt typing of Xylella fastidiosa strains.

Epidemiological studies of Pierce's disease (PD) can be confounded by a lack of taxonomic detail on the bacterial causative agent, Xylella fastidiosa (Xf). PD in grape is caused by strains of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa, but is not caused by other subspecies of Xf that typically colonize plants other than grape. Detection assays using ELISA and qPCR are effective at detecting and quantifying Xf presence or absence, but offer no information on Xf subspecies or strain identity. Surveying insects or host plants for Xf by current ELISA or qPCR methods provides only presence/absence and quantity information for any and all Xf subspecies, potentially leading to false assessments of disease threat. This study uses a series of adjacent-hybridizing DNA melt analysis probes that are capable of efficiently discriminating Xf subspecies and strain relationships in rapid real-time PCR reactions.

High-throughput DNA isolation method for detection of Xylella fastidiosa in plant and insect samples.

We report an inexpensive, high-throughput method for isolating DNA from insect and plant samples for the purpose of detecting Xylella fastidiosa infection. Existing methods often copurify inhibitors of DNA polymerases, limiting their usefulness for PCR-based detection assays. When compared to commercially available kits, the method provides enhanced pathogen detection at a fraction of the cost.