Pharyngeal Pumping Assay v1

The pharynx is a is a neuromuscular pump found at the anterior end of the alimentary tract, consisting of 20 muscles and 20 neurons. A proper feeding rate in worms is coordinated by the precise timing of pharyngeal movements, with one complete cycle of synchronous contraction and relaxation of the corpus and terminal bulb termed a “pump”. A simple way to measure C. elegans feeding is to count how many times worms pump in a minute (pumps per minute). Movement of the grinder (in the terminal bulb) can easily be observed using a stereomicroscope, and because cycles of contraction/relaxation are synchronised along the pharynx, pumps per minute can be measured simply by counting grinder movements.

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor in Adult: A Rare Case

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare neoplasm of intermediate biologic potential. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the alimentary tract often occurs in children or young adults, but may occur at any age. The lung is the most commonly affected location. However, it may appear in small bowel mesentery especially the distal ileum, mesotransverse colon, or greater omentum. A 35 years old female presented to out-patient department with complaint of mass in right abdomen since 1 month associated with loss of weight. Computed tomography of abdomen revealed a solid intraperitoneal mass arising from bowel mesentery. Laparoscopic excision of the tumor was performed and the histopathological examination of the mass revealed it to be an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor arising from the omentum and large bowel mesentery. The post- operative period was uneventful with no evidence of tumor recurrence at follow up at 2 years. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is a rare soft tissue tumor usually arising from lungs but tumor arising from the omental-mesenteric origin has also been documented. The precise diagnosis is made only by the histopathological evidence. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice.

T-2 Toxin—The Most Toxic Trichothecene Mycotoxin: Metabolism, Toxicity, and Decontamination Strategies

Among trichothecenes, T-2 toxin is the most toxic fungal secondary metabolite produced by different Fusarium species. Moreover, T-2 is the most common cause of poisoning that results from the consumption of contaminated cereal-based food and feed reported among humans and animals. The food and feed most contaminated with T-2 toxin is made from wheat, barley, rye, oats, and maize. After exposition or ingestion, T-2 is immediately absorbed from the alimentary tract or through the respiratory mucosal membranes and transported to the liver as a primary organ responsible for toxin's metabolism. Depending on the age, way of exposure, and dosage, intoxication manifests by vomiting, feed refusal, stomach necrosis, and skin irritation, which is rarely observed in case of mycotoxins intoxication. In order to eliminate T-2 toxin, various decontamination techniques have been found to mitigate the concentration of T-2 toxin in agricultural commodities. However, it is believed that 100% degradation of this toxin could be not possible. In this review, T-2 toxin toxicity, metabolism, and decontamination strategies are presented and discussed.

Screening and Molecular Identification of Bacteria from the Midgut of Amphimallon solstitiale Larvae Exhibiting Antagonistic Activity against Bacterial Symbionts of Entomopathogenic Nematodes

Entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) are a group of organisms capable of infecting larvae of insects living in soil, including representatives of the family Scarabaeidae. Their insecticidal activity is related to the presence of symbiotic bacteria Xenorhabdus spp. or Photorhabdus spp. in the alimentary tract, which are released into the insect body, leading to its death caused by bacterial toxins and septicemia. Although the antibacterial activities of symbionts of entomopathogenic nematodes have been well described, there is insufficient knowledge of the interactions between these bacteria and microorganisms that naturally inhabit the alimentary tract of insects infested by nematodes. In this study, 900 bacterial strains isolated from midgut samples of Amphimallon solstitiale larvae were tested for their antagonistic activity against the selected five Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus species. Cross-streak tests showed significant antibacterial activity of 20 isolates. These bacteria were identified as Bacillus [Brevibacterium] frigoritolerans, Bacillus toyonensis, Bacillus wiedmannii, Chryseobacterium lathyri, Chryseobacterium sp., Citrobacter murliniae, Enterococcus malodoratus, Paenibacillus sp., Serratia marcescens and Serratia sp. Since some representatives of the intestinal microbiota of A. solstitiale are able to inhibit the growth of Xenorhabdus and Photorhrhabdus bacteria in vitro, it can be assumed that this type of bacterial interaction may occur at certain stages of insect infection by Steinernema or Heterorhabditis nematodes.

Severe GI Toxicities Remain a Significant Source of Clinical Meaningful Morbidity Especially in Older Patients Receiving Autologous Transplant for Lymphoma

Introduction: High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (HDT-AHCT) is considered a standard-of-care (SOC) consolidation therapy for patients with aggressive systemic non-Hodgkin (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphomas (HL). This therapy is associated with improved survival in relapsed/refractory NHL and HL as well as in first complete remission in mantle cell lymphoma. The most widely used HDT regimen consists of carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan (BEAM). Although potentially curative, significant morbidities occur with HDT, especially in older patients. Aside from the expected severe hematologic toxicities, the most common clinically meaningful morbidities include signs and symptoms related to severe alimentary tract mucositis such as CTCAE Grade ≥ 3 nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and oral mucositis and febrile neutropenia (FN). The majority of FN, other infectious complications and sepsis are thought to occur due to translocation of the normal gut flora into the peripheral circulation in the presence of oral/GI mucositis. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed patients undergoing HDT-AHCT for lymphoma in a contemporary cohort from 2 academic transplant centers, focusing on rates of oral/GI severe regimen related toxicity (SRRT) and febrile neutropenia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 143 consecutive adult patients from 2 transplant centers undergoing HDT-AHCT as SOC consolidation for a diagnosis of NHL or HL between 2018 and 2020. The protocol was approved by the IRB at both institutions. Standard prophylactic and supportive care were provided as per institutional guidelines for HDT-AHCT. Toxicities were graded by CTCAE v5 criteria. SRRT was defined as oral/GI grade 3 or higher (G≥3) including adverse events related to alimentary tract mucositis. Partial response (PR) and complete response (CR) were defined by Lugano criteria. Statistics presented are descriptive only with no multiplicity adjustments. Results: 143 patients were included in the analysis, 99% (n=141) of whom received BEAM for the HDT regimen, while 1% (n=2) received BeEAM (bendamustine in place of carmustine) (Table 1). 71% had NHL, while 29% had HL. Median prior lines of therapy were 2 (range, 1-4). Median CD34+ cell count was 4.3 x10 6 cells/kg (range, 1.9-19.6). Oral/GI SRRT occurred in 45% (n=65) of patients, with the most common G≥3 GI toxicities being diarrhea (26%), nausea / vomiting (20%), and oral mucositis (10%) (Table 2). Importantly, rates of SRRT were higher among patients ≥65 (63% vs 41%, p=0.031). The predominant differences were higher rates of G≥3 diarrhea (44% vs 21%, p=0.011), nausea (28% vs 18%, p=0.214) and oral mucositis (16% vs 8%, p=0.215). Considering only oral/GI SRRT of oral mucositis, nausea / vomiting, diarrhea (SSRT4), the overall rate of SRRT4 was 41%, with 56% and 37% occurring in patients ≥65 yo and <65 yo respectively. Rates of SRRT were similar regardless of gender, disease, number of prior lines of therapy or best response at the time of HDT-AHCT (Table 3). Interestingly, rates of FN were also numerically higher among older adults (75% vs 64%, p=0.247). Consistent with the notion that GI toxicity predisposes to bacterial translocation from the gut, patients with SRRT had numerically higher rates of FN compared to those without (74% vs 60%, p=0.088). Time to engraftment and length of hospital stay did not appear to vary by age group (Table 4). Conclusion: We identify severe GI toxicities including alimentary mucositis as a significant source of morbidity in patients receiving HDT-AHCT for lymphoma. Older age increases risk with 63% of the elderly experiencing ≥G3 GI toxicities and 72% experiencing FN. New therapies that have the potential to revive the alimentary tract repair mechanism will not only have impact on reducing severe oral/GI toxicities but will also enhance innate immunity by preventing translocation of bacteria into the bloodstream from the GI tract, as indicated by the association between SRRT and FN in our cohort of patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Shouse: Kite Pharma: Speakers Bureau; Beigene: Honoraria. Aggarwal: Kadmon: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months; Angiocrine Bioscience: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Kavalerchik: Angiocrine Bioscience: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Frazer: Angiocrine Bioscience: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Finnegan: Angiocrine Bioscience: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Fakhri: Loxo/Lilly: Research Funding.

Capacity of honeybees to remove heavy metals from nectar and excrete the contaminants from their bodies

We examined the residues of 13 elements in soil, plant parts, nectar, bee heads, thorax, and abdomens, feces from bee guts, and bee products sampled from two Polish cities (Lublin and Poznań). Our findings indicated that bees have an extraordinary ability to remove metals from nectar when converting nectar into honey. Compared to nectar, honey contained 40-fold lower Fe, 26-fold lower Zn, and eightfold lower Cu and Cd levels, indicating removal of these elements via nectar processing, during which water is evaporated and complex sugars are decomposed into simple ones. The amount of Pb remained unchanged; however, it can also be regarded as a fourfold decrease due to water evaporation from honey, compared to nectar. Some portion of the ingested Fe, Cu, and Zn was used by bees, and the excess amounts were excreted in feces. All analyzed elements were present as biocomplexes transported from the alimentary tract through the abdomen to the thorax and head. Elements transferred in the alimentary tract were partially immobilized/metabolized in the bee fat body, and their residues were excreted with feces from the gut. We postulate that honey is not a good indicator of environmental pollution, as a high amount of elements is removed by bees from their bodies.

Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Fine Needle Aspiration and Biopsy for Pancreatic Disease

The endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a device with an ultrasound probe on the tip of endoscope. We can observe the surrounding structures outside the alimentary tract by using EUS. It is also possible to get a tissue from the pancreatic lesion for histopathologic diagnosis by using EUS. The development of devices and techniques of EUS guided tissue acquisitions made it the choice of non-operative pathologic test for pancreatic diseases. This paper describes the clinical applications of this procedure in pancreatic lesions from the recent European and Korean guidelines, including how to choose the needle, role of rapid on site evaluation, usage of stylet, suction and fanning technique, how to process acquired specimen, procedure-related complications and educations of this method.