Overview on non-melanoma skin cancers in solid organ transplant recipients.

The risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is significantly increased in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) due to the long-term immunosuppressive treatment. NMSCs can be more aggressive in SOTRs than in the general population, resulting in significantly higher morbidity and mortality. In contrast to the immunocompetent population, skin cancers in SOTRs are dominated by squamous cell carcinoma, followed by basal cell carcinoma. Life-long radiation exposure, male sex, fair skin, history of prior NMSC, genetic factors, age at transplant along with duration and extent of the immunosuppression therapy have been identified as risk factors for NMSC in SOTRs. Photo-protection, skin self-examination, early diagnosis and treatment of skin lesions, reduction of immunotherapy, switch to mammalian target-of-rapamycin inhibitors and chemoprevention with oral retinoids are effective measures for the reduction of the incidence of NMSC in such patients.

Endophytic bacteria in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.): isolation, characterization, and production of jasmonates and abscisic acid in culture medium.

This study was designed to isolate and characterize endophytic bacteria from sunflower (Helianthus annuus) grown under irrigation and water stress (drought) conditions, to analyze growth of isolated bacteria under drought condition, and to evaluate the ability of bacteria isolated from plants cultivated under drought to produce jasmonates (JAs) and abscisic acid (ABA). Bacteria were isolated from soil samples collected when sunflower plants were at the end of the vegetative stage. A total of 29 endophytic strains were isolated from plants grown under irrigation or drought condition. Eight strains (termed SF1 through SF8) were selected based on nitrogen-fixing ability. All eight strains showed positive catalase and oxidase activities; five strains (SF2, SF3, SF4, SF5, SF7) solubilized phosphates; none of the strains produced siderophores. Strains SF2, SF3, SF4, and SF5, the ones with the highest phosphate solubilization ability, strongly inhibited growth of the pathogenic fungi Verticillum orense and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum but had less inhibitory effect on Alternaria sp. Among the eight strains, SF2 showed 99.9% sequence homology with Achromobacter xiloxidans or Alcaligenes sp., while the other seven showed 99.9% homology with Bacillus pumilus. Strains SF2, SF3, and SF4 grown in control medium produced jasmonic acid (JA), 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA), and ABA. These three strains did not differ in amount of JA or OPDA produced. ABA content was higher than that of JA, and production of both ABA and JA increased under drought condition. The characteristics of these isolated bacterial strains have technological implications for inoculant formulation and improved growth of sunflower crops.