Impact of simulated climate change conditions on Aspergillus flavus biocontrol effectiveness in peanut-based medium and peanut seeds.

Peanut is a legume widespread in the world, but its high susceptibility to Aspergillus flavus infection poses a significant challenge due to the risk of aflatoxin contamination. It is predicted that changing climatic conditions will result in warmer, drier periods with elevated CO₂ levels, which promote the growth of A. flavus.

Starch and Protein Characteristics of Chestnut Flours and Their Applications in Gluten-Free Products.

In the context of valorizing underutilized crops, this study investigated the starch and protein characteristics of chestnut varieties (Balestrera and Rossera) and their potential for use at 15% and 25% in reformulating gluten-free baked snacks and fresh pasta. Chestnut varieties differ in protein and starch content (Balestrera > Rossera), as well as in amylose, dietary fiber, and lipids (Balestrera < Rossera). Differences in starch and amylose content affected starch gelatinization (Balestrera < Rossera), pasting and retrogradation properties, and water absorption capacity at 90 °C (Balestrera > Rossera).

Impact of predicted climate change environmental conditions on the growth of Fusarium asiaticum strains and mycotoxins production on a wheat-based matrix.

Fusarium asiaticum is a predominant fungal pathogen causing Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in wheat and barley in China and is associated with approximately £201 million in annual losses due to grains contaminated with mycotoxins. F. asiaticum produces deoxynivalenol and zearalenone whose maximum limits in cereals and cereals-derived products have been established in different countries including the EU.

Postinfectious purpura fulminans: A case report.

Acquired postinfectious purpura fulminans is a rare, acute, and severe disease characterized by skin necrosis associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in the absence of active infection or previous coagulation disorders. It mainly affects the pediatric population and, in 90% of cases, it is preceded by an infectious process. The pathophysiological mechanism is a transient autoantibody-mediated protein S deficiency that favors a hypercoagulable state.

Clinical presentation of non-malignant diseases mimicking leukemia cutis: A report of two cases.

The infiltration of leukemia cells into the skin, known as leukemia cutis, is a rare presentation of this disease and accounts for a diagnostic challenge. The main differential diagnoses include infections, other neoplastic diseases with skin involvement and histiocytic disorders, among others, as they entail different prognostic and therapeutic approaches. Here we describe two patients who were initially diagnosed with leukemia cutis, whose final diagnosis was of non-malignant diseases.

[Microsporum gypseum dermatophytosis in a child with primary immunodeficiency].

Microsporum gypseum is a geophilic fungus that can cause inflammatory skin lesions in heathy people. More extensive lesions have been described in immunocompromised patients. We present a patient with extensive dermatophytosis, which mycological examination led the identification of Candida sp, Epidermophyton Floccosum and Trichophyton tonsurans and showed poor response to treatment with griseofulvina and itraconazol at usual doses.

Evaluation of Revogene® Carba C assay for the rapid detection of carbapenemase genes in gram-negative pathogens.

The rapid detection of carbapenemase-producing microorganisms is crucial for clinical and infection control purposes. Here we evaluated Revogene®Carba C assay on 154 carbapenemase-producing and -nonproducing Gram-negatives. Up to 8 samples per 70 minutes were processed by Revogene®Carba C assay which showed excellent performances with 100% sensitivity, 99.

Interacting climate change factors (CO and temperature cycles) effects on growth, secondary metabolite gene expression and phenotypic ochratoxin A production by Aspergillus carbonarius strains on a grape-based matrix.

Little is known on the impact that climate change (CC) may have on Aspergillus carbonarius and Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination of grapes, especially in the Mediterranean region where in CC scenarios temperature are expected to increase by +2-5 °C and CO from 400 to 800/1200 ppm. This study examined the effect of (i) current and increased temperature in the alternating 11.5 h dark/12.

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics.

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae.

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics.

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown.

Effects of temperature and water activity change on ecophysiology of ochratoxigenic Aspergillus carbonarius in field-simulating conditions.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is the primary mycotoxin threat in wine and dried vine fruits. Its presence in grape and wine is strongly related to climatic conditions and the expected climate change could represent a risk of increasing fungal colonization and OTA contamination in grapes. In this regard, the interacting effect of i) different conditions of water availability (0.

Primary cutaneous lymphoma in Argentina: a report of a nationwide study of 416 patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the relative frequency of primary cutaneous lymphoma (PCL) in Argentina according to the new World Health Organization (WHO)-European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) classification system.

Methods: A total of 416 patients from 21 dermatology services were included during a 5-year period (2010-2015); these patients were classified using WHO-EORTC criteria.

Results: There were 231 (55.

Telaprevir-based treatment effects on hepatitis C virus in liver and blood.

Unlabelled: Understanding hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication has been limited by access to serial samples of liver, the primary site of viral replication. Our understanding of how HCV replicates and develops drug-resistant variants in the liver is limited. We studied 15 patients chronically infected with genotype 1 HCV treated with telaprevir (TVR)/pegylated-interferon alpha/ribavirin.

Anandamide regulates lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide synthesis and tissue damage in the murine uterus.

In women, the association between chronic marijuana smoking and early miscarriage has long been known. Anandamide, a major endocannabinoid, mimics some of the psychotropic, hypnotic and analgesic effects of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of marijuana. The uterus contains the highest concentrations of anandamide yet discovered in mammalian tissues and this suggests that it might play a role in reproduction.

[Prehospital thrombolysis for the treatment of ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction. Three-year results in the province of Foggia].

Background: Treatment for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is based on early reperfusion therapy (coronary angioplasty or fibrinolysis). Such treatment requires the adoption of healthcare models that allow to perform angioplasty within 90 min of first medical contact, or when this is not the case and in absence of any contraindications, prehospital thrombolysis.

Methods: This retrospective observational study was carried out in 119 STEMI patients undergoing prehospital thrombolysis from June 2003 to December 2006.

Astressin-amide and astressin-acid are structurally different in dimethylsulfoxide.

The C-terminally amidated CRF antagonist astressin binds to CRF-R1 or CRF-R2 receptors with low nanomolar affinity while the corresponding astressin-acid has >100 times less affinity. To understand the role of the amide group in binding, the conformations of astressin-amide and astressin-acid were studied in DMSO using NMR techniques. The 3D NMR structures show that the backbones of both analogs prefer an alpha-helical conformation, with a small kink around Gln(26).

Identification of new gonadotrophin-releasing hormone partial agonists.

GnRH agonists or antagonists are currently utilized as therapeutic agents in a number of diseases. A side-effect of prolonged treatment with GnRH analogues is hypoestrogenism. In this study, we tested the in vitro potency of different GnRH analogues originally found to be partial agonists (i.

[Psoriatic arthritis: epidemiological and clinical aspects in a cohort of 1.306 Italian patients].

Because there is the impression that psoriatic arthritis is a composite disorder with mild forms close to more severe and aggressive ones, we conducted a multicenter study with the aim of characterizing disease expression in a large cohort of Italian patients. One-thousand-three-hundred-six patients fulfilled inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this study. Psoriasis antedated the onset of arthritis in the majority of the cases (67.

AlphaA-Conotoxin OIVA defines a new alphaA-conotoxin subfamily of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors.

The venoms of cone snails are rich in multiply disulfide-crosslinked peptides, the conotoxins. Conotoxins are grouped into families on the basis of shared cysteine patterns and homologous molecular targets. For example, both the kappaA- and alphaA-conotoxin families share the same Class IV Cys pattern (-CC-C-C-C-C-), but differ in their molecular targets.

Goldfish ghrelin: molecular characterization of the complementary deoxyribonucleic acid, partial gene structure and evidence for its stimulatory role in food intake.

Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) encoding goldfish preproghrelin was identified using rapid amplification of the cDNA ends (RACE) and reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The 490 bp cDNA encodes a 103 amino acid preproghrelin which has a 26 amino acid signal region, 19 amino acid mature peptide and a 55 amino acid C-terminal peptide region. The mature peptide region of goldfish ghrelin has two putative cleavage sites and amidation signals (GRR); one after 12 amino acids and the other after 19 amino acids.

Design of potent dicyclic (1-5/4-10) gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists.

In three earlier papers, the structures and biological potencies of numerous mono- and dicyclic antagonists of GnRH were reported. Among these, two families, each containing two to four members were identified that had very high antagonist potencies in an antiovulatory assay (within a factor of 2 of those of the most potent linear analogues) and high affinities (K(i) < 0.5 nM) for the rat GnRH receptor (rGnRHR).

The clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by progressive damage of synovial-lined joints and variable extra-articular manifestations. Tendon and bursal involvement are frequent and often clinically dominant in early disease. RA can affect any joint, but it is usually found in metacarpophalangeal, proximal interphalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints, as well as in the wrists and knee.

Human growth hormone-releasing hormone hGHRH(1-29)-NH2: systematic structure-activity relationship studies.

Two complete and two partial structure-activity relationship scans of the active fragment of human growth hormone-releasing hormone, [Nle27]-hGHRH(1-29)-NH2, have identified potent agonists in vitro. Single-point replacement of each amino acid by alanine led to the identification of [Ala8]-, [Ala9]-, [Ala15]- (Felix et al. Peptides 1986 1986, 481), [Ala22]-, and [Ala28, Nle27]-hGHRH(1-29)-NH2 as being 2-6 times more potent than hGHRH(1-40)-OH (standard) in vitro.