Genotypic and Phenotypic Changes in Candida albicans as a Result of Cold Plasma Treatment.

We treated Candida albicans cells with a sublethal dose of nonequilibrium (cold) atmospheric-pressure He plasma and studied alterations in the genome of this fungus as well as changes in the phenotypic traits, such as assimilation of carbon from carbohydrates, hydrolytic enzyme activity, and drug susceptibility. There is a general problem if we use cold plasma to kill microorganism cells and some of them survive the process-whether the genotypic and phenotypic features of the cells are significantly altered in this case, and, if so, whether these changes are environmentally hazardous. Our molecular genetic studies have identified six single nucleotide variants, six insertions, and five deletions, which are most likely significant changes after plasma treatment. It was also found that out of 19 tested hydrolytic enzymes, 10 revealed activity, of which nine temporarily decreased their activity and one (naphthol-AS-BI- phosphohydrolase) permanently increased activity as a result of the plasma treatment. In turn, carbon assimilation and drug susceptibility were not affected by plasma. Based on the performed studies, it can be concluded that the observed changes in C. albicans cells that survived the plasma action are not of significant importance to the environment, especially for the drug resistance and pathogenicity of this fungus.

The Usefulness of Cell-Based and Liquid-Based Urine Tests in Clarifying the Diagnosis and Monitoring the Course of Urothelial Carcinoma. Identification of Novel, Potentially Actionable, RB1 and ERBB2 Somatic Mutations.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in global statistics. One of the issues associated with this disease is the high incidence of cases with delayed diagnosis and what factors correlate with worse treatment outcomes. A possible reason for this may be the rather limited availability of non-invasive diagnostic tools. This short communication presents a case of a 68 year old male patient after an ineffective therapy, carried on for several years with symptoms commonly associated with prostate overgrowth that masked a carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder. Implementation of several diagnostic techniques, including urine sediment cytology, immunocytochemistry, the fluorescence in situ hybridisation technique, the Bladder EpiCheck test and whole-genome sequencing, enabled the establishment of a correct diagnosis, implementation of appropriate treatment and provision of patient-friendly monitoring. The described case emphasises the usefulness of cell-based and liquid-based urine tests in bladder cancer diagnostic procedures.