Analysis of VOCs in Urine Samples Directed towards of Bladder Cancer Detection.

Bladder cancer is one of most common types of cancer diagnosed in the genitourinary tract. Typical tests are costly and characterized by low sensitivity, which contributes to a growing interest in volatile biomarkers. Head space solid phase microextraction (SPME) was applied for the extraction of volatile organic compounds from urine samples, and gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC TOF MS) was used for the separation and detection of urinary volatiles. A cohort of 40 adult patients with bladder cancer and 57 healthy persons was recruited. Different VOC profiles were obtained for urine samples taken from each group. Twelvecompounds were found only in the samples from theBC group.The proposed candidate biomarkers are butyrolactone; 2-methoxyphenol; 3-methoxy-5-methylphenol; 1-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dien-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one; nootkatone and 1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexenyl)-2-buten-1-one.Since most of the studies published in the field are proving the potential of VOCs detected in urine samples for the screening and discrimination of patients with bladder cancer from healthy, but rarely presenting the identity of proposed biomarkers, our study represents a novel approach.

Intra- and interspecies competition of blackgrass and wheat in the context of herbicidal resistance and environmental conditions in Poland.

Blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.), one of the most aggressive grass weeds in Europe, is also a strong competitor of crops. This study aimed to assess the impact of environmental conditions on the competition between (1) ACC-ase and ALS herbicide-resistant (BR) and herbicide-susceptible (BS) blackgrass biotypes, (2) BR and winter wheat cv. Arkadia (W), and (3) BS and W. In the replacement series model, the experiment was conducted at seven sites across Poland during two seasons (2018/19 and 2019/20). In the BR-BS experiment, the BS biotype was in majority more competitive toward the BR biotype. However, in the regime of optimal hydrothermal conditions and at a higher sand content in the soil we observed a higher competitiveness of BR towards BS. The combined interactions between W and BR or BS were also affected by environmental conditions, i.e., soil texture and hydrothermal coefficient, as explained by PCA and k-means cluster analysis. At most sites, W was more competitive toward both BS and BR, which could result from earlier emergence of W in relation to B in majority of sites. Except for two cases, located on heavy, clay soils, during humid seasons, where B was more competitive toward W. We summarize that blackgrass competitiveness towards other biotypes and wheat depends to some extent on environmental conditions; however, the phenomenon should be explored in more detail.

Searching for Potential Markers of Glomerulopathy in Urine by HS-SPME-GC×GC TOFMS.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exiting in urine are potential biomarkers of chronic kidney diseases. Headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was applied for extraction VOCs over the urine samples. Volatile metabolites were separated and identified by means of two-dimensional gas chromatography and time of flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC TOF MS). Patients with glomerular diseases (n = 27) and healthy controls (n = 20) were recruited in the study. Different VOCs profiles were obtained from patients and control. Developed methodology offers the opportunity to examine the metabolic profile associated with glomerulopathy. Four compounds found in elevated amounts in the patients group, i.e., methyl hexadecanoate; 9-hexadecen-1-ol; 6,10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-one and 2-pentanone were proposed as markers of glomerular diseases.

Identification of volatile lung cancer markers by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: comparison with discrimination by canines.

In this work, a chromatographic method for identification of volatile organic compounds was compared with canine recognition. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-TOF MS) were used for determination of concentrations of trace gases present in human breath. The technique enables rapid determination of compounds in human breath, at the parts per billion level. Linear correlations were from 0.83-234.05 ppb, the limit of detection was the range 0.31-0.75 ppb, and precision, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was less than 10.00 %. Moreover, trained dogs are able to discriminate breath samples of patients with diagnosed cancer. We found a positive correlation between dog indications and the ethyl acetate and 2-pentanone content of breath (r = 0.85 and r = 0.97, respectively). The methods presented for detection of lung cancer markers in exhaled air could be used as a potential non-invasive tool for screening. In addition, the canine method is relatively simple and inexpensive in comparison with chromatography.

Gastrophysa polygoni herbivory on Rumex confertus: single leaf VOC induction and dose dependent herbivore attraction/repellence to individual compounds.

We report large induction (>65(fold) increases) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from a single leaf of the invasive weed mossy sorrel, Rumex confertus Willd. (Polygonaceae), by herbivory of the dock leaf beetle, Gastrophysa polygoni L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The R. confertus VOC blend induced by G. polygoni herbivory included two green leaf volatiles ((Z)-3-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexen-1-yl acetate) and three terpenes (linalool, ß-caryophyllene, (E)-ß-farnesene). Uninjured leaves produced small constitutive amounts of the GLVs and barely detectable amounts of the terpenes. A Y-tube olfactometer bioassay revealed that both sexes of adult G. polygoni were attracted to (Z)-3-hexenal and (Z)-3-hexen-1-yl acetate at a concentration of 300 ng h(-1). No significant G. polygoni attraction or repellence was detected for any VOC at other concentrations (60 and 1500 ng h(-1)). Yet, G. polygoni males and females were significantly repelled by (or avoided) at the highest test concentration (7500 ng h(-1)) of both GLVs and (E)-ß-farnesene. Mated male and female G. polygoni might be attracted to injured R. confertus leaves, but might avoid R. confertus when VOC concentrations (especially the terpene (E)-ß-farnesene) suggest high overall plant injury from conspecifics, G. viridula, or high infestations of other herbivores that release (E)-ß-farnesene (e.g., aphids). Tests in the future will need to examine G. polygoni responses to VOCs emitted directly from uninjured (constitutive) and injured (induced) R. confertus, and examine whether R. confertus VOC induction concentrations increase with greater tissue removal on a single leaf and/or the number of leaves with feeding injury.

Mycoses of wheat stem sawfly (Hymenoptera: Cephidae) larvae by Fusarium spp. isolates.

A complex of Fusarium spp., including F. pseudograminearum, F. culmorum, F. avenaceum, F. equiseti, and F. acuminatum, was isolated from field-collected larval cadavers of wheat stem sawfly at two locations for 2 yr. The Fusarium spp. isolates caused mortality in both diapausing larvae in a topical bioassay and in developing larvae feeding in infected stems in a greenhouse experiment. Larval mortality was >90% in both experiments at the highest dose. The pattern of correlation between integument discoloration, hyphal growth, and larval mortality showed that the Fusarium spp. isolates actively infect larvae and kill them, rather than colonizing larval tissue as secondary postmortem invaders. The versatility of Fusarium spp. as plant and insect pathogens enables colonization that results in disease in wheat plants and subsequent mortality of the wheat stem sawfly larvae developing within the same tissue.