Differential occurrence of oxidative burst and antioxidative mechanism in compatible and incompatible interactions of Solanum lycopersicum and Ralstonia solanacearum.

Striking increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) has been demonstrated to occur in plants in response to pathogen attack. The aim of this study was to investigate the biochemical aspects of ROS generation, antioxidative mechanism and cell wall reinforcement as responses of tomato cultivars Arka Meghali (AM; susceptible) and BT-10 (BT; resistant) against Ralstonia solanacearum (Ralsol). While the oxidative burst was characterized by a single phase ROS increase in AM, there was a clear bi-phasic ROS generation in BT. The first significant increase of H(2)O(2) production was noticed at 12 h post-inoculation (hpi) followed by a sharp increase in H(2)O(2) generation after 36 hpi. Lipid peroxidation was more in roots of AM than that of BT after pathogen inoculation. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were continuously at very high level in Ralsol-inoculated BT plants, whereas activities of the enzymes were observed to decrease at later stage in Ralsol-inoculated AM plants. Guaiacol peroxidase activity was high in Ralsol-inoculated roots of both cultivars, but BT recorded much higher activity than AM. Higher activity of ascorbate peroxidase in inoculated BT might be an indication of better scavenging activity of the enzyme. Total phenolic content and lignin deposition were significantly higher in Ralsol-inoculated BT compared to inoculated AM. Our results indicate that increased level of ROS production coupled with more efficient antioxidative system, lower rate of lipid peroxidation and high lignin deposition in cell wall may contribute to the resistance of tomato plants to Ralsol.

Integrated thin-film polymer/fullerene photodetectors for on-chip microfluidic chemiluminescence detection.

We report the use of solution-processed thin-film organic photodiodes for microscale chemiluminescence. The active layer of the photodiodes comprised a 1 : 1 blend by weight of the conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) [P3HT] and [6,6]-phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid-methylester [PCBM]--a soluble derivative of C(60). The devices had an active area of 1 mm x 1 mm, and a broad-band response from 350 to 700 nm, with an external quantum efficiency of more than 50% between 450 and 550 nm. The photodiodes have a simple layered structure that permits facile integration with planar chip-based systems. To evaluate the suitability of the organic devices as integrated detectors for microscale chemiluminescence, a peroxyoxalate based chemiluminescence reaction (PO-CL) was monitored within a poly(dimethyl-siloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic device. Quantitation of hydrogen peroxide indicated excellent linearity and yielded a detection limit of 10 microM, comparable with previously reported results using micromachined silicon microfluidic chips with integrated silicon photodiodes. The combination of organic photodiodes with PDMS microfluidic chips offers a means of creating compact, sensitive and potentially low-cost microscale CL devices with wide-ranging applications in chemical and biological analysis and clinical diagnostics.

Cerebellar haemangioblastoma mimicking renal cell carcinoma--a case report.

Haemangioblastoma is a rare benign vascular tumor commonly seen in the cerebellum. There is a striking histologic similarity between cellular variant of haemangioblastoma and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We present a case of haemangioblastoma in a 32-year-old male. Histology revealed a highly vascular tumor composed of clear cells in a lobular arrangement.