Plant-growth promotion by halotolerant black yeast Hortaea sp. strain PMGTC8 associated with salt crystals from solar saltern of Goa, India.

Plant-growth-promoting microbes are sustainable alternative to improve the soil fertility and plant-growth facilitating the nutrients uptake in normal and stressed environmental conditions. Among these, halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms with plant- growth-promoting ability are better candidates that could be exploited as bioinoculants in salinity affected agriculture soils. Considering this, the current study aimed to isolate, characterize and determine the plant-growth-promoting potential of the culturable halotolerant black yeast associated with salt crystals from the solar saltern of Goa, India. The results revealed 1.3 × 104 CFU/g of viable number of colonies on 25% NaCl Tryptone Yeast Extract (NTYE) agar after 30-45 days incubation. Among ten morphologically distinct isolates, a black pigmented strain PMGTC8 was characterized as yeast-like and appeared two celled with average size of 4.30 ± 0.14 µm under scanning electron micrograph. Based on phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) marker, the isolate showed maximum similarity to genus Hortaea. Interestingly, Hortaea sp. strain PMGTC8 (OR527117) exhibited plant-growth-promoting characteristics and caused significantly (p < 0.01) higher germination rate (93.33%), vigor index (964.22), shoot (3.95 cm) and root length (6.38 cm), and fresh weight (0.039 g) of Oryza sativa var. Korgut. This halotolerant black yeast may play a role in nutrition of the plants growing in saline soils. Conclusively, the current findings report for the first time the plant-growth-promoting potential of Hortaea sp. strain PMGTC8 associated with salt crystals of solar saltern, Goa, India for its possible use as bio-fertilizers in saline agriculture soils.

Partial characterization of viscous exopolymer produced by Alkalihalobacillus sp. strain SB-D (KJ372395) with emulsification and adhesive properties.

Twenty-two alkaliphilic bacteria were isolated from spent waters of an agrochemical factory, Goa, India, and screened for exopolymer (EP) production on Horikoshi I/II media. Strain SB-D produced highly viscous cell-bound and extracellular EP quantified by alcian blue adsorption assay. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain SB-D showed 97.34% similarity to Alkalihalobacillus lehensis strain MLBT. The strain maximally produced EP (10.3 g/L) at pH 10.3, 25 °C after 16 h growth on shaker, followed by 4 h at static condition with 4% inoculum in the presence of 3% glucose and 0.1% yeast extract. The EP precipitated using isopropanol contained carbohydrates (212 µg/mg), lipids (130 µg/mg), and proteins (86.16 µg/mg) as major components. Further, gas chromatography detected the presence of D-glucose, D-arabinose, D-mannose, D-galactose, D-xylose and D-ribose. Preliminary studies on EP characterization revealed emulsification and adhesive properties of the exopolymer.

Surgical excision of benign papillomas diagnosed with core biopsy: a community hospital approach.

Our goal was to assess the value of surgical excision of benign papillomas of the breast diagnosed on percutaneous core biopsy by determining the frequency of upgrade to malignancies and high risk lesions on a final surgical pathology. We reviewed 67 patients who had biopsies yielding benign papilloma and underwent subsequent surgical excision. Surgical pathology of the excised lesions was compared with initial core biopsy pathology results. 54 patients had concordant benign core and excisional pathology. Cancer (ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive ductal carcinoma) was diagnosed in five (7%) patients. Surgery revealed high-risk lesions in 8 (12%) patients, including atypical ductal hyperplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia, and lobular carcinoma in situ. Cancer and high risk lesions accounted for 13 (19%) upstaging events from benign papilloma diagnosis. Our data suggests that surgical excision is warranted with core pathology of benign papilloma.

The effect of posttherapy 131I SPECT/CT on risk classification and management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

UNLABELLED: The objective of this study was to determine whether posttherapy (131)I SPECT/CT changed the need for additional cross-sectional imaging or modified the American Thyroid Association risk of recurrence classification. We performed planar imaging and SPECT/CT in a consecutive series of patients after (131)I therapy. METHODS: Planar imaging and SPECT/CT were performed on 148 consecutive patients with thyroid carcinoma (125 papillary, 2 follicular, 8 Hürthle cell, and 13 poorly differentiated) approximately 5 d after the therapeutic administration of 1,739-8,066 MBq (47-218 mCi) of (131)I. The indication for treatment was postsurgical ablation (n = 109) or recurrent or metastatic disease with rising thyroglobulin levels (n = 39). SPECT/CT scans were obtained for all subjects for 1 bed position (38 cm), which included the neck and upper chest. Additional SPECT/CT scans of the abdomen or pelvis were acquired if suggestive findings were noted on planar images. All patients were treated in real time, according to the standard of care in our practice. At that time, clinical decisions regarding thyroid tumor classification were made by our multidisciplinary group based on all data, including operative findings, pathology, imaging, and thyroglobulin levels. In a retrospective analysis, planar and SPECT/CT images were interpreted independently, and sites of uptake were categorized as likely benign, malignant, or equivocal. An experienced thyroid endocrinologist used a combination of surgical histopathology and scan findings to determine whether additional cross-sectional imaging was required and determined if the imaging findings changed the patient's risk category. RESULTS: In 29 patients, 61 additional cross-sectional imaging studies were avoided using SPECT/CT, compared with medical decision making based on the planar images alone. In 7 of 109 postsurgical patients, SPECT/CT findings changed the initial American Thyroid Association risk of recurrence classification. The sensitivity of planar imaging and SPECT/CT for identification of focal (131)I uptake in the thyroid bed was similar in the postsurgical and recurrence cohorts. For metastatic disease in the neck, characterization of (131)I uptake by SPECT/CT in the postsurgical group was significantly better than that by planar scanning (P < 0.01). Among the 109 postsurgical patients, the characterization of iodine uptake in the lung, liver, and bone was also more accurate using SPECT/CT than planar scanning (P < 0.01). The CT portion of SPECT/CT demonstrated non-iodine-avid lesions in 32 of 148 patients. CONCLUSION: SPECT/CT data provided information that reduced the need for additional cross-sectional imaging in 29 patients (20%) and significantly altered the initial risk of recurrence estimates in 7 of 109 patients (6.4%), thereby altering patient management recommendations with regard to frequency and intensity of follow-up studies.

F-18 FDG uptake in cutaneous metastases from breast cancer.

Cutaneous metastases from internal malignancies are rare with a reported incidence between 0.7% and 10%. Among all malignancies the highest incidence of cutaneous metastasis is seen in breast cancer. We report the detection of distant dermal metastases from breast cancer on F-18 FDG PET imaging. A 73-year-old woman with metastatic left breast cancer was referred for F-18 FDG PET/CT scan, which showed multiple FDG avid lesions along cutaneous and subcutaneous nodules in the posterior neck, bilateral proximal arms, anterior chest wall, and trunk. A punch biopsy of a right lower chest wall lesion revealed invasive ductal carcinoma involving the deep dermis.