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The expansion in global cellphone network coverage coupled with advances in cellphone imaging capabilities present an opportunity for the advancement of cellphone microscopy as a low-cost alternative to conventional microscopy for disease detection in resource-limited regions. The development of cellphone microscopy has also benefitted from the availability of low-cost miniature microscope components such as low-power light-emitting diodes and ball lenses. As a result, researchers are developing hardware and software techniques that would enable such microscopes to produce high-resolution, diagnostic-quality images. This approach may lead to more widespread delivery of diagnostic services in resource-limited areas where there is a shortage of the skilled labour required for conventional microscopy and where prevalence of infectious and other diseases is still high. In this paper, we review current techniques, clinical applications and challenges faced in the field of cellphone microscopy.The application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, 600MPa, 8 min) on brined green asparagus and the changes in bacterial diversity after treatments and during storage at 4 °C (30 days) or 22 °C (10 days) were studied. check details HHP treatments reduced viable cell counts by 3.6 log cycles. The residual surviving population did not increase during storage at 4 °C. However, bacterial counts significantly increased at 22 °C by day 3, leading to rapid spoilage. The microbiota of green asparagus was composed mainly by Proteobacteria (mainly Pantoea and Pseudomonas), followed by Firmicutes (mainly Lactococcus and Enterococcus) and to a less extent Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. During chill storage of untreated asparagus, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria as well as Enterococcus and Lactococcus decreased while Lactobacillus increased. During storage of untreated asparagus at 22 °C, the abundance of Bacteroidetes decreased while Proteobacteria increased during late storage. The HHP treatment determined a reduction of the Proteobacteria both early after treatment and during chill storage. In the HHP treated samples stored at 22 °C, the relative abundance of Pseudomonas rapidly decreased at day 1, with an increase of Bacteroidetes. This was followed by a marked increase in Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia) simultaneously with increase in viable counts and spoilage. Results from the study indicate that the effect of HHP treatments on the viability ofmicrobial populations in foods also has an impact on the dynamics of microbial populations during the storage of the treated foods.The increased invasiveness of colorectal cancer cells is important for progression and metastasis to the surrounding organs. According to recent molecular biological studies, signaling through transmembrane Prokineticin-Receptor2(PK-R2) is likely involved in the ability of tumor cell to invade. However, no studies have evaluated the relationship between PK-R2 expression, ability of cancer to invade/metastasize, and patient prognosis in cases of resected colorectal cancer. Accordingly, we have examined these factors in the present study.Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect PK-R2 in the primary lesion and adjacent normal large intestine mucosa of 324 colorectal cancer patients who underwent resection surgery at our department. Additionally, we conducted clinicopathologic examinations and analyzed patient prognoses with the Kaplan-Meier method. Further, multivariate analysis was conducted using a cox-proportional hazard model.PK-R2 expression was observed on the cellular membrane of the primary lesion in 147 of 324 cases (45.3%) of human colorectal cancer. PK-R2 expression was associated with a higher incidence of vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, hepatic metastasis, and hematogenous metastasis. Further, prevalence of PK-R2 expression increased as tumor stage increased. In stage III curative resection cases, where recurrence is the most serious problem, cases that expressed PK-R2 had a significantly lower 5-year survival rate (82.1% versus 66.8%) and higher recurrence compared to those cases with no PK-R2 expression. In the multivariate analysis for prognosis, PK-R2 expression was found to be an independent factor(ratio2.621).PK-R2 expression could be one of the new prognostic factors in human colorectal cancer.The heterogeneous nature of breast cancer is a result of intrinsic tumor complexity and also of the tumor microenvironment, which is known to be hypoxic. We found that hypoxia expands different breast stem/progenitor cell populations (cells with increased aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (Aldefluor+), high mammosphere formation capacity and CD44+CD24-/low cells) both in primary normal epithelial and tumor cells. The presence of the estrogen receptor (ER) limits hypoxia-dependent CD44+CD24-/low cell expansion.We further show that the hypoxia-driven cancer stem-like cell enrichment results from a dedifferentiation process. The enhanced mammosphere formation and Aldefluor+ cell content observed in breast cancer cells relies on hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α). In contrast, the CD44+CD24-/low population expansion is HIF1α independent and requires prolyl hydroxylase 3 (PHD3) downregulation, which mimics hypoxic conditions, leading to reduced CD24 expression through activation of NFkB signaling. These studies show that hypoxic conditions expand CSC populations through distinct molecular mechanisms. Thus, potential therapies that combine current treatments for breast cancer with drugs that target CSC should take into account the heterogeneity of the CSC subpopulations.Chromosome instability (CIN) in solid tumours results in multiple numerical and structural chromosomal aberrations and is associated with poor prognosis in multiple tumour types. Recent evidence demonstrated CEP17 duplication, a CIN marker, is a predictive marker of anthracycline benefit. An analysis of the BR9601 and MA.5 clinical trials was performed to test the role of existing CIN gene expression signatures as predictive markers of anthracycline sensitivity in breast cancer. Univariate analysis demonstrated, high CIN25 expression score was associated with improved distant relapse free survival (DRFS) (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.54-0.99, p = 0.046). High tumour CIN70 and CIN25 scores were associated with aggressive clinicopathological phenotype and increased sensitivity to anthracycline therapy compared to low CIN scores. However, in a prospectively planned multivariate analysis only pathological grade, nodal status and tumour size were significant predictors of outcome for CIN25/CIN70. A limited gene signature was generated, patients with low tumour CIN4 scores benefited from anthracycline treatment significantly more than those with high CIN4 scores (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.20-0.56, p = 0.001). In multivariate analyses the treatment by marker interaction for CIN4/anthracyclines demonstrated hazard ratio of 0.35 (95% CI 0.15-0.80, p = 0.012) for DRFS. This data shows CIN4 is independent predictor of anthracycline benefit for DRFS in breast cancer.The tumor suppressor p53 is a transcription factor that coordinates the cellular response to DNA damage. Here we provide an integrated analysis of p53 genomic occupancy and p53-dependent gene regulation in the splenic B and non-B cell compartments of mice exposed to whole-body ionizing radiation, providing insight into general principles of p53 activity in vivo. In unstressed conditions, p53 bound few genomic targets; induction of p53 by ionizing radiation increased the number of p53 bound sites, leading to highly overlapping profiles in the different cell types. Comparison of these profiles with chromatin features in unstressed B cells revealed that, upon activation, p53 localized at active promoters, distal enhancers, and a smaller set of unmarked distal regions. At promoters, recognition of the canonical p53 motif as well as binding strength were associated with p53-dependent transcriptional activation, but not repression, indicating that the latter was most likely indirect. p53-activated targets constituted the core of a cell type-independent response, superimposed onto a cell type-specific program. Core response genes included most of the known p53-regulated genes, as well as many new ones. Our data represent a unique characterization of the p53-regulated response to ionizing radiation in vivo.Previously, we have identified the branched chain amino-acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1) gene as notably hypomethylated in low-malignant potential (LMP) and high-grade (HG) serous epithelial ovarian tumors, compared to normal ovarian tissues. Here we show that BCAT1 is strongly overexpressed in both LMP and HG serous epithelial ovarian tumors, which probably correlates with its hypomethylated status. Knockdown of the BCAT1 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells led to sharp decrease of cell proliferation, migration and invasion and inhibited cell cycle progression. BCAT1 silencing was associated with the suppression of numerous genes and pathways known previously to be implicated in ovarian tumorigenesis, and the induction of some tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). Moreover, BCAT1 suppression resulted in downregulation of numerous genes implicated in lipid production and protein synthesis, suggesting its important role in controlling EOC metabolism. Further metabolomic analyses were indicative for significant depletion of most amino acids and different phospho- and sphingolipids following BCAT1 knockdown. Finally, BCAT1 suppression led to significantly prolonged survival time in xenograft model of advanced peritoneal EOC. Taken together, our findings provide new insights about the functional role of BCAT1 in ovarian carcinogenesis and identify this transaminase as a novel EOC biomarker and putative EOC therapeutic target.Prophylactic azithromycin treatment has been demonstrated to improve freedom from bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) 2 years after lung transplantation (LTx). In the current study, we re-evaluated the long-term effects of this prophylactic approach in view of the updated classification system for chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). A retrospective, intention-to-treat analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing prophylactic treatment with placebo (n = 43) versus azithromycin (n = 40) after LTx was performed. Graft dysfunction (CLAD), graft loss (retransplantation, mortality), evolution of pulmonary function and functional exercise capacity were analyzed 7 years after inclusion of the last study subject. Following LTx, 22/43 (51%) patients of the placebo group and 11/40 (28%) patients of the azithromycin group ever developed CLAD (p = 0.043). CLAD-free survival was significantly longer in the azithromycin group (p = 0.024). No difference was present in proportion of obstructive versus restrictive CLAD between both groups. Graft loss was similar in both groups 23/43 (53%) versus 16/40 (40%) patients (p = 0.27). Long-term pulmonary function and functional exercise capacity were significantly better in the azithromycin group (p  less then  0.05). Prophylactic azithromycin therapy reduces long-term CLAD prevalence and improves CLAD-free survival, pulmonary function, and functional exercise capacity after LTx.