APS8, a Polymeric Alkylpyridinium Salt Blocks α7 nAChR and Induces Apoptosis in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Naturally occurring 3-alkylpyridinium polymers (poly-APS) from the marine sponge Reniera sarai, consisting of monomers containing polar pyridinium and nonpolar alkyl chain moieties, have been demonstrated to exert a wide range of biological activities, including a selective cytotoxicity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. APS8, an analog of poly-APS with defined alkyl chain length and molecular size, non-competitively inhibits α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at nanomolar concentrations that are too low to be acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory or generally cytotoxic. In the present study we show that APS8 inhibits NSCLC tumor cell growth and activates apoptotic pathways. APS8 was not toxic for normal lung fibroblasts. Furthermore, in NSCLC cells, APS8 reduced the adverse anti-apoptotic, proliferative effects of nicotine. Our results suggest that APS8 or similar compounds might be considered as lead compounds to develop antitumor therapeutic agents for at least certain types of lung cancer.     

Cervical lung lobe herniation in dogs identified by fluoroscopy

This study aimed to determine the frequency of cervical lung lobe herniation (CLLH) in dogs evaluated fluoroscopically and to identify associated characteristics. Reports of diagnostic procedures and patient summaries from 2008 to 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Signalment, body weight, duration of cough, presence of heart murmur and airway collapse, and radiographic findings were compared between dogs with and without CLLH. Of the 121 dogs that were examined, CLLH occurred in 85 (70%). The extra-thoracic trachea kinked during herniation in 33 (39%) dogs with CLLH. Collapse of the intra-thoracic trachea (assessed fluoroscopically or bronchoscopically) and collapse of major bronchi (assessed fluoroscopically) were strongly associated with CLLH. Although redundant dorsal tracheal membrane on radiographs was associated with CLLH, extra-thoracic tracheal collapse, assessed fluoroscopically or bronchoscopically, was not. No other associations were found. Cervical lung lobe herniation was present in most dogs evaluated during cough and was associated with intra-thoracic large airway collapse, but not duration of cough.     

The spatiotemporal spread of esca disease in a Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard: a statistical analysis of field data

The occurrence and spread of plants showing esca symptoms were assessed in a vineyard located on the plains of a northern Italian wine‐growing region. Esca disease symptoms were assessed over 16 consecutive years, beginning one year after planting. The number of plants with symptoms was recorded over time, considering both vines with foliar symptoms in the year of assessment (manifest esca) and vines with foliar symptoms in previous years (hidden esca). The sum of manifest and hidden esca was indicated as cumulative esca. The first symptoms of esca appeared in the sixth year of cultivation, with the incidence of manifest esca increasing to approximately 3% nine years after planting. The number of cumulative plants with symptoms increased exponentially in the final period of observation. The aim of this work was to investigate the spatiotemporal spread of esca infection throughout the vineyard and to assess the distribution pattern of plants with symptoms using Bayesian spatiotemporal models. The research results seem to support a higher probability of infection along rows rather than among adjacent rows. This observation may have implications for the technical management of the vineyard.