Biogeographical distribution analysis of hydrocarbon degrading and biosurfactant producing genes suggests that near-equatorial biomes have higher abundance of genes with potential for bioremediation.

Background: Bacterial and Archaeal communities have a complex, symbiotic role in crude oil bioremediation. Their biosurfactants and degradation enzymes have been in the spotlight, mainly due to the awareness of ecosystem pollution caused by crude oil accidents and their use. Initially, the scientific community studied the role of individual microbial species by characterizing and optimizing their biosurfactant and oil degradation genes, studying their individual distribution.

Repetitive eating questionnaire [Rep(eat)-Q]: Enlightening the concept of grazing and psychometric properties in a Portuguese sample.

Background/objective: Grazing has been associated with poor weight loss or weight regain in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery, but research remains scarce and complicated by the use of different non-validated measures. The aim of this paper is to describe the validation of the Rep(eat)-Q, a self-report measure developed to assess grazing, and investigates its relationship with BMI and psychopathology.

Subjects/methods: 1223 university students and community participants (non-clinical; Study A) and 154 pre-bariatric and 84 post-bariatric patients (Study B) completed a set of self-report measures, including the Rep(eat)-Q (worded in Portuguese), to assess disordered eating, depression, anxiety, stress and impulsivity.

Incidence of phlebitis and post-infusion phlebitis in hospitalised adults.

Objective: to determine the incidence of phlebitis during and after the use of peripheral intravenous catheter (PIC), and analyse the association of this complication with risk factors.

Methods: cohort study with 165 adult patients admitted to a university hospital in Porto Alegre, totalling 447 accesses, from December 2014 to February 2015. Data were collected on a daily basis and analysed by means of descriptive and analytical statistics.

Review of the ecotoxicological effects of emerging contaminants to soil biota.

In recent years, emerging contaminants (e.g. pesticides and their metabolites, pharmaceuticals, personal and house care products, life-style compounds, food additives, industrial products and wastes, as well as nanomaterials) have become a problem to the environment.

Genetic risk score and cardiovascular mortality in a southern european population with coronary artery disease.

Unlabelled: Several genetic risk scores (GRS) have been associated with cardiovascular disease; their role, however, in survival from proven coronary artery disease (CAD) have yielded conflicting results.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate long-term cardiovascular mortality according to the genetic risk score in a Southern European population with CAD.

Methods: A cohort of 1464 CAD patients with angiographic proven CAD were followed up prospectively for up to 58.

Immunoexpression of GADD45β in the myocardium of newborns experiencing perinatal hypoxia.

Aim: Among the several organs affected by perinatal hypoxia, the heart plays a central role, with cell death caused mainly by apoptosis. One of the biomarkers most often linked to hypoxia-derived apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in animals is Gadd45β. From the published literature, Gadd45β is proposed as a biomarker of hypoxia-induced lesion in cardiomyocytes, both in vitro, as well as in animal models.

Biodegradation of polyethylene microplastics by the marine fungus Zalerion maritimum.

Plastic yearly production has surpassed the 300milliontons mark and recycling has all but failed in constituting a viable solution for the disposal of plastic waste. As these materials continue to accumulate in the environment, namely, in rivers and oceans, in the form of macro-, meso-, micro- and nanoplastics, it becomes of the utmost urgency to find new ways to curtail this environmental threat. Multiple efforts have been made to identify and isolate microorganisms capable of utilizing synthetic polymers and recent results point towards the viability of a solution for this problem based on the biodegradation of plastics resorting to selected microbial strains.

Rapid detection of high-risk Enterococcus faecium clones by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

We aimed to explore the potential of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for early identification of dominant Enterococcus faecium (Efm) clones involved in human infections. Well-characterized Efm isolates (n=77), analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing(eBURST and BAPS [Bayesian analysis of population structure] algorithms), and belonging to different hospital (n=53) and community (n=24) phylogenomic groups, were tested. Mass spectra (Bruker) were analyzed by visual inspection and different chemometric tools.

Pedobacter lusitanus sp. nov., isolated from sludge of a deactivated uranium mine.

Strain NL19T is a Gram-stain-negative, aerobic bacterium that was isolated from sludge of a deactivated uranium mine in Portugal. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain NL19T is a member of the genus Pedobacter and closely related to the strains Pedobacter himalayensis MTCC 6384T, Pedobacter cryoconitis DSM 14825T, Pedobacter westerhofensis DSM 19036T and Pedobacterhartonius DSM 19033T. It had a DNA G+C content of 40.

Selective laser trabeculoplasty as an initial treatment option for open-angle glaucoma.

Although eye drops are frequently used as an initial treatment option for open angle glaucoma (OAG), side effects, and poor adherence, among others, may compromise treatment efficacy. In this scenario, laser trabeculoplasty is an interesting therapeutic option for open angle glaucoma cases. Commonly used for many years as a last alternative prior to glaucoma incisional surgery, laser trabeculoplasty has been changing its indication after the advent of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT).

Anti-diarrhoeal therapeutic potential and safety assessment of sulphated polysaccharide fraction from Gracilaria intermedia seaweed in mice.

Sulphated polysaccharides extracted from algae have been extensively studied for their diverse biological activities. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition, the anti-diarrhoeal effect and acute toxicity of a sulphated polysaccharide fraction obtained from Gracilaria intermedia (SP-Gi). Initially, the FT-IR of SP-Gi revealed to be an agaran with sulphation at C-6 of the l-galactosyl residues.

A spider derived peptide, PnPP-19, induces central antinociception mediated by opioid and cannabinoid systems.

Background: Some peptides purified from the venom of the spider have been identified as potential sources of drugs for pain treatment. In this study, we characterized the antinociceptive effect of the peptide PnPP-19 on the central nervous system and investigated the possible involvement of opioid and cannabinoid systems in its action mechanism.

Methods: Nociceptive threshold to thermal stimulation was measured according to the tail-flick test in Swiss mice.

Aire Downregulation Is Associated with Changes in the Posttranscriptional Control of Peripheral Tissue Antigens in Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells.

Autoimmune regulator (Aire) is a transcriptional regulator of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that Aire also played a role as an upstream posttranscriptional controller in these cells and that variation in its expression might be associated with changes in the interactions between miRNAs and the mRNAs encoding PTAs. We demonstrated that downregulation of Aire in the thymuses of BALB/c mice imbalanced the large-scale expression of these two RNA species and consequently their interactions.

Side-Effects of Irinotecan (CPT-11), the Clinically Used Drug for Colon Cancer Therapy, Are Eliminated in Experimental Animals Treated with Latex Proteins from Calotropis procera (Apocynaceae).

Intestinal mucositis (IM) is the critical side effect of irinotecan (CPT-11), which is the front-line drug used for the treatment of colorectal cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of latex proteins (LP) from Calotropis procera to prevent IM and diarrhea in animals. Swiss mice were treated daily with saline or LP (1, 5, or 50 mg/kg, i.

Activation of Both the Calpain and Ubiquitin-Proteasome Systems Contributes to Septic Cardiomyopathy through Dystrophin Loss/Disruption and mTOR Inhibition.

Cardiac dysfunction caused by the impairment of myocardial contractility has been recognized as an important factor contributing to the high mortality in sepsis. Calpain activation in the heart takes place in response to increased intracellular calcium influx resulting in proteolysis of structural and contractile proteins with subsequent myocardial dysfunction. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that increased levels of calpain in the septic heart leads to disruption of structural and contractile proteins and that administration of calpain inhibitor-1 (N-acetyl-leucinyl-leucinyl-norleucinal (ALLN)) after sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture prevents cardiac protein degradation.

Co-diversification of Core Genomes and PBP5: Evidences of Horizontal Transfer.

Ampicillin resistance has greatly contributed to the recent dramatic increase of a cluster of human adapted lineages (ST17, ST18, and ST78) in hospital-based infections. Changes in the chromosomal gene have been associated with different levels of ampicillin susceptibility, leading to protein variants (designated as PBP5 C-types to keep the nomenclature used in previous works) with diverse degrees of reduction in penicillin affinity. Our goal was to use a comparative genomics approach to evaluate the relationship between the diversity of PBP5 among isolates of different phylogenomic groups as well as to assess the transferability among isolates of disparate clonal lineages.

Chemical and structural characterization of Pholiota nameko extracts with biological properties.

Edible mushrooms including Pholiota nameko are excellent sources of extractable bioactive compounds with much to explore. Enzymatic extractions with Cellulase and Viscozyme were responsible for highest extraction yields (67-77%). No strong antioxidant activity was observed although extracts were able to scavenge ABTS(+) and OH(+).

Multilevel population genetic analysis of vanA and vanB Enterococcus faecium causing nosocomial outbreaks in 27 countries (1986-2012).

Objectives: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) have been increasingly reported since the 1980s. Despite the high number of published studies about VRE epidemiology, the dynamics and evolvability of these microorganisms are still not fully understood. A multilevel population genetic analysis of VREfm outbreak strains since 1986, representing the first comprehensive characterization of plasmid content in E.

Sulfated polysaccharide from the marine algae Hypnea musciformis inhibits TNBS-induced intestinal damage in rats.

Sulfated polysaccharides extracted from seaweed have important pharmacological properties. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the sulfated polysaccharide (PLS) from the algae Hypnea musciformis and evaluate its protective effect in colitis induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid in rats. The sulfated polysaccharide possess a high molecular mass (1.

Genetic association between SNPs in the DGAT1 gene and milk production traits in Murrah buffaloes.

This study identified polymorphisms in the DGAT1 gene in Murrah buffaloes and investigated the associations to milk production and quality traits (milk, fat and protein yields and percentages, somatic cell count). Genomic DNA was extracted from hair follicles collected from the tail of 196 females. Three SNPs were identified in DGAT1 gene by sequencing.

Dual-layer solid-phase extraction based on molecular imprinting technology: Seeking a route to enhance selectivity for trace analysis of pesticide residues in olive oil.

Aiming to introduce a multiresidue analysis for the trace detection of pesticide residues belonging to organophosphorus and triazine classes from olive oil samples, a new sample preparation methodology comprising the use of a dual layer of "tailor-made" molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) SPE for the simultaneous extraction of both pesticides in a single procedure has been attempted. This work has focused on the implementation of a dual MIP-layer SPE procedure (DL-MISPE) encompassing the use of two MIP layers as specific sorbents. In order to achieve higher recovery rates, the amount of MIP layers has been optimized as well as the influence of MIP packaging order.

Clustering of risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in low-income, female adolescents.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and clustering patterns of cardiometabolic risk factors among low-income, female adolescents.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 196 students of public schools (11-19 years old). The following risk factors were considered in the analysis: excess weight, central obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and high fasting glucose.