The Preservative Sorbic Acid Targets Respiration, Explaining the Resistance of Fermentative Spoilage Yeast Species.

A small number (10 to 20) of yeast species cause major spoilage in foods. Spoilage yeasts of soft drinks are resistant to preservatives like sorbic acid, and they are highly fermentative, generating large amounts of carbon dioxide gas. Conversely, many yeast species derive energy from respiration only, and most of these are sorbic acid sensitive and so prevented from causing spoilage.

Weak Acid Resistance A (WarA), a Novel Transcription Factor Required for Regulation of Weak-Acid Resistance and Spore-Spore Heterogeneity in Aspergillus niger.

Propionic, sorbic, and benzoic acids are organic weak acids that are widely used as food preservatives, where they play a critical role in preventing microbial growth. In this study, we uncovered new mechanisms of weak-acid resistance in molds. By screening a library of 401 transcription factor deletion strains in for sorbic acid hypersensitivity, a previously uncharacterized transcription factor was identified and named weak acid resistance A (WarA).

Results of a phase II clinical trial of 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and methotrexate in patients with BRCA-defective tumours.

Background: Tumour cells with BRCA1/2 gene mutations demonstrate increased sensitivity to platinum and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) was found to selectively kill BRCA-defective cells in a xenograft model as effectively as the PARP inhibitor AG014699, even after these cells acquired resistance to a PARP inhibitor or cisplatin.

Methods: This phase II single-arm trial investigated the activity of 6MP 55-75 mg/m per day, and methotrexate 15-20 mg/m per week in advanced breast or platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients with a BRCA1/2 germline mutation, who had progressed after ≥1 previous line of chemotherapy.

Extreme Osmotolerance and Halotolerance in Food-Relevant Yeasts and the Role of Glycerol-Dependent Cell Individuality.

Osmotolerance or halotolerance are used to describe resistance to sugars and salt, or only salt, respectively. Here, a comprehensive screen of more than 600 different yeast isolates revealed that osmosensitive species were equally affected by NaCl and glucose. However, the relative toxicity of salt became increasingly prominent in more osmoresistant species.

Focused Ultrasound Hyperthermia for Targeted Drug Release from Thermosensitive Liposomes: Results from a Phase I Trial.

Purpose To demonstrate the feasibility and safety of using focused ultrasound planning models to determine the treatment parameters needed to deliver volumetric mild hyperthermia for targeted drug delivery without real-time thermometry. Materials and Methods This study was part of the Targeted Doxorubicin, or TARDOX, phase I prospective trial of focused ultrasound-mediated, hyperthermia-triggered drug delivery to solid liver tumors ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02181075).