Fourteen cultivars of cherry tomatoes and four cultivars of high-pigment tomato hybrids were cultivated in southern Italy, and the red-ripe fruits were analyzed for their content in different classes of antioxidants and for their antioxidant activity. Among the different cultivars, significant differences were found between lycopene, beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, vitamin C (ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid), and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. LS203 and Corbus appear to be the cultivars with the highest content of lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants among cherry tomatoes, respectively. All cultivars of high-pigment tomato hybrids showed an expected exceptionally high lycopene content. Among them, the highest content of lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants was found in cv. HLY 13. Hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities were both significantly influenced by genotype. Such results highlight an existing unexploited variability in tomato germplasm and stress the need to evaluate the biodiversity and to support conventional breeding programs to improve tomato nutritional value.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and about 85% of the cases are non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Importantly, recent advance in cancer research suggests that altering cancer cell bioenergetics can provide an effective way to target such advanced cancer cells that have acquired mutations in multiple cellular regulators. This study aims to identify bioenergetic alterations in lung cancer cells by directly measuring and comparing key metabolic activities in a pair of cell lines representing normal and NSCLC cells developed from the same patient. We found that the rates of oxygen consumption and heme biosynthesis were intensified in NSCLC cells. Additionally, the NSCLC cells exhibited substantially increased levels in an array of proteins promoting heme synthesis, uptake and function. These proteins include the rate-limiting heme biosynthetic enzyme ALAS, transporter proteins HRG1 and HCP1 that are involved in heme uptake, and various types of oxygen-utilizing hemoproteins such as cytoglobin and cytochromes. Several types of human tumor xenografts also displayed increased levels of such proteins. Furthermore, we found that lowering heme biosynthesis and uptake, like lowering mitochondrial respiration, effectively reduced oxygen consumption, cancer cell proliferation, migration and colony formation. In contrast, lowering heme degradation does not have an effect on lung cancer cells. These results show that increased heme flux and function are a key feature of NSCLC cells. Further, increased generation and supply of heme and oxygen-utilizing hemoproteins in cancer cells will lead to intensified oxygen consumption and cellular energy production by mitochondrial respiration, which would fuel cancer cell proliferation and progression. The results show that inhibiting heme and respiratory function can effectively arrest the progression of lung cancer cells. Hence, understanding heme function can positively impact on research in lung cancer biology and therapeutics.

Negative and cognitive deficit symptoms in schizophrenia remain an unmet clinical need. Improved understanding of the neuro- and psychopathology of cognitive dysfunction in the illness is urgently required to enhance the development of new improved therapeutic strategies. Careful validation of animal models that mimic the behaviour and pathology of complex psychiatric disorders is an essential step towards this goal. Non-competitive NMDAR (N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptor) antagonists e.g. phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine and dizocilpine (MK-801) can effectively replicate certain aspects of negative and cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia in animals. In 2010 we reviewed the effects of NMDAR antagonism in tests for domains of cognition affected in schizophrenia, social behaviour and neuropathology, and in 2014, in tests for negative symptoms. In this update, we evaluate the most recent pharmacological strategies for restoring cognition in schizophrenia using NMDAR antagonist models, published since our original review in 2010 (cited over 225 times, excluding self-citations). Tests reviewed are, novel object recognition for visual recognition memory, attentional set shifting for executive function, and operant tests incorporating recent touchscreen technology for a range of domains including working memory, problem solving and attention, all impaired in schizophrenia. Moreover, we include an update on parvalbumin (PV)-expressing GABAergic interneurons and review, for the first time, the effects of NMDAR antagonists on gamma oscillations, circuitry integral for effective cognition. Data summarized in this review strongly confirm the reliability and usefulness of NMDAR antagonist animal models for evaluating novel therapeutic candidates, and for improving our understanding of the pathophysiology of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Psychedelics: New Doors, Altered Perceptions'.

Introduction: Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) composed of Tau are hallmarks of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer disease. Transgenic mice expressing full-length pro-aggregant human Tau (2N4R Tau-ΔK280, termed Tau ΔK ) or its repeat domain (TauRD-ΔK280, TauRD