Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of colon cancer. We wanted to elucidate at which stage of the disease this phenomenon occurs. In the examined groups of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC, n = 89), benign adenoma (AD, n = 77) and healthy volunteers (controls, n = 99), we measured: vitamins A, C and E in blood plasma, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoGua) in leukocytes and urine, leukocyte 8-oxoGua excision activity, mRNA levels of APE1, OGG1, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (MTH1) and OGG1 polymorphism. The vitamin levels decreased gradually in AD and CRC patients. 8-OxodG increased in leukocytes and urine of CRC and AD patients. 8-OxoGua was higher only in the urine of CRC patients. 8-OxoGua excision was higher in CRC patients than in controls, in spite of higher frequency of the OGG1 Cys326Cys genotype, encoding a glycosylase with decreased activity. mRNA levels of OGG1 and APE1 increased in CRC and AD patients, which could explain increased 8-oxoGua excision rate in CRC patients. MTH1 mRNA was also higher in CRC patients. The results suggest that oxidative stress occurs in CRC and AD individuals. This is accompanied by increased transcription of DNA repair genes, and increased 8-oxoGua excision rate in CRC patients, which is, however, insufficient to counteract the increased DNA damage.

Abstract:The chemically modified piezoelectrodes were utilized to develop relatively cheap and easy to use biosensor for determination of genetically modified Roundup Ready soybean (RR soybean). The biosensor relies on the immobilization onto gold piezoelectrodes of the 21-mer single stranded oligonucleotide (probes) related to 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene, which is an active component of an insert integrated into RR soybean genome. The hybridization reaction between the probe and the target complementary sequence in solution was monitored. The system was optimized using synthetic oligonucleotides, which were applied for EPSPS gene detection in DNA samples extracted from animal feed containing 30% RR soybean amplified by the PCR and nonamplified by PCR. The detection limit for genomic DNA was in the range of 4.7·10 5 numbers of genom copies contained EPSPS gene in the QCM cell. The properties such as sensitivity and selectivity of piezoelectric senor presented here indicated that it Sensors 2007, 7 1463 could be applied for the direct determination of genetically modified RR soybean in the samples non-amplified by PCR.

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The aim of the study was to assess the influence of Trichoderma spp. and different fertilization levels on the flowering and nutritional status of Begonia × tuberhybrida Voss. ‘Picotee Sunburst’ plants. Before planting, the tubers were soaked in water or a mixture of spore of Trichoderma spp. (T. viride Schumach–Tv14, T. harzianum Rifai–Thr2, T. hamatum/Bonord/Bainier–Th15) in the form of a suspension for 24 h. The plants were fertilized every 7 days with the multi-component Peters Professional Allrounder fertilizer (20:20:20 + microelements) at a concentration of 0.0%, 0.2%, and 0.3%. Trichoderma spp. accelerated the flowering of the ‘Picotee Sunburst’ cultivar by 2.7–8.7 days, stimulated the development of buds and flowers in the plants and affected their size. The plants bloomed most intensively and had the biggest flowers after the treatment with the 0.3% fertilizer. Trichoderma spp. and the fertilization had no effect on the height of the plants and the number of shoots regardless of the fertilizer concentration, but they stimulated the development of leaves. Trichoderma spp. stimulated the production of chlorophyll. They did not affect the uptake of macroelements, but they stimulated the uptake of microelements (Zn, Fe, and B). The higher the fertilizer concentration was, the higher was the content of microelements in the plants.

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