Factors influencing terrestriality in primates of the Americas and Madagascar.

Among mammals, the order Primates is exceptional in having a high taxonomic richness in which the taxa are arboreal, semiterrestrial, or terrestrial. Although habitual terrestriality is pervasive among the apes and African and Asian monkeys (catarrhines), it is largely absent among monkeys of the Americas (platyrrhines), as well as galagos, lemurs, and lorises (strepsirrhines), which are mostly arboreal. Numerous ecological drivers and species-specific factors are suggested to set the conditions for an evolutionary shift from arboreality to terrestriality, and current environmental conditions may provide analogous scenarios to those transitional periods.

Neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 by anatomical embalming solutions.

Teaching and learning anatomy by using human cadaveric specimens has been a foundation of medical and biomedical teaching for hundreds of years. Therefore, the majority of institutions that teach topographical anatomy rely on body donation programmes to provide specimens for both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of gross anatomy. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to anatomy teaching because of the suspension of donor acceptance at most institutions.

Microbial Diversity and Metabolite Profile of Fermenting Millet in the Production of , a Ghanaian Fermented Cereal Porridge.

is an indigenous porridge processed from millet in Ghana. The process involves fermentation stages, giving the characteristic organoleptic properties of the product that is produced largely at a small-scale household level and sold as a street food. Like many other indigenous foods, quality control is problematic and depends on the skills of the processor.

Viva la VOSCE?

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown precluded face-to-face final Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in the UK.

Results: In response, we rapidly developed and then successfully implemented a novel Virtual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (VOSCE).

Conclusions: In this article we both describe and reflect on our experience as well as discuss the implications for future undergraduate assessment as the situation evolves.

UCC2003 Exopolysaccharide Modulates the Early Life Microbiota by Acting as a Potential Dietary Substrate.

Background: represents an important early life microbiota member. Specific bifidobacterial components, exopolysaccharides (EPS), positively modulate host responses, with purified EPS also suggested to impact microbe-microbe interactions by acting as a nutrient substrate. Thus, we determined the longitudinal effects of bifidobacterial EPS on microbial communities and metabolite profiles using an infant model colon system.

Realized distribution patterns of crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus) within a human-dominated forest fragment in northern Madagascar.

Due to the impact of anthropogenic activities on forest extent and integrity across Madagascar, it is increasingly necessary to assess how endangered lemur populations inhabiting human-dominated forest fragments can effectively sustain themselves ecologically. Our research addresses this concern by exploring how the distribution patterns of a small population of crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus), occupying a degraded forest fragment at Oronjia Forest New Protected Area in northern Madagascar, are impacted by the availability of key ecological and anthropogenic factors. We hypothesize that the distribution of E.

Production of multiple bacteriocins, including the novel bacteriocin gassericin M, by Lactobacillus gasseri LM19, a strain isolated from human milk.

Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria, and their production is regarded as a desirable probiotic trait. We found that Lactobacillus gasseri LM19, a strain isolated from human milk, produces several bacteriocins, including a novel bacteriocin, gassericin M. These bacteriocins were purified from culture and synthesised to investigate their activity and potential synergy.

Identification of Genes Required for Glucan Exopolysaccharide Production in Lactobacillus johnsonii Suggests a Novel Biosynthesis Mechanism.

FI9785 makes two capsular exopolysaccharides-a heteropolysaccharide (EPS2) encoded by the operon and a branched glucan homopolysaccharide (EPS1). The homopolysaccharide is synthesized in the absence of sucrose, and there are no typical glucansucrase genes in the genome. Quantitative proteomics was used to compare the wild type to a mutant where EPS production was reduced to attempt to identify proteins associated with EPS1 biosynthesis.

Preparation of gentiobiose-derived oligosaccharides by glucansucrase E81 and determination of prebiotic and immune-modulatory functions.

Gentiobiose-derived oligosaccharides were synthesized by the acceptor reaction of glucansucrase E81 obtained from Lactobacillus reuteri E81 with sucrose and gentiobiose as donor-acceptor sugars, respectively. The reaction products were monitored by TLC analysis and gentiobiose-derived oligosaccharides up to DP 8 were formed during the acceptor reaction as determined by ESI-MS/MS analysis. The glycosylation of the gentiobiose with α-(1 → 6) linkages and α-(1 → 3) linkages was shown by H and C NMR analysis confirming the structure of these gentiobiose-derived oligosaccharides.

Serine-rich repeat protein adhesins from Lactobacillus reuteri display strain specific glycosylation profiles.

Lactobacillus reuteri is a gut symbiont inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract of numerous vertebrates. The surface-exposed serine-rich repeat protein (SRRP) is a major adhesin in Gram-positive bacteria. Using lectin and sugar nucleotide profiling of wild-type or L.

Optimising conditions for bioethanol production from rice husk and rice straw: effects of pre-treatment on liquor composition and fermentation inhibitors.

Background: Rice straw and husk are globally significant sources of cellulose-rich biomass and there is great interest in converting them to bioethanol. However, rice husk is reportedly much more recalcitrant than rice straw and produces larger quantities of fermentation inhibitors. The aim of this study was to explore the underlying differences between rice straw and rice husk with reference to the composition of the pre-treatment liquors and their impacts on saccharification and fermentation.

16-O-methylcafestol is present in ground roast Arabica coffees: Implications for authenticity testing.

High-field and low-field proton NMR spectroscopy were used to analyse lipophilic extracts from ground roast coffees. Using a sample preparation method that produced concentrated extracts, a small marker peak at 3.16 ppm was observed in 30 Arabica coffees of assured origin.

Yeast diversity in relation to the production of fuels and chemicals.

In addition to ethanol, yeasts have the potential to produce many other industrially-relevant chemicals from numerous different carbon sources. However there remains a paucity of information about overall capability across the yeast family tree. Here, 11 diverse species of yeasts with genetic backgrounds representative of different branches of the family tree were investigated.

Structural analysis of the α-d-glucan produced by the sourdough isolate Lactobacillus brevis E25.

Cereal-associated Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are well known for homopolymeric exopolysaccharide (EPS) production. Herein, the structure of an EPS isolated from sourdough isolate Lactobacillus brevis E25 was determined. A modified BHI medium was used for production of EPS-E25 in order to eliminate potential contaminants.

Membrane-enclosed multienzyme (MEME) synthesis of 2,7-anhydro-sialic acid derivatives.

Naturally occurring 2,7-anhydro-alpha-N-acetylneuraminic acid (2,7-anhydro-Neu5Ac) is a transglycosylation product of bacterial intramolecular trans-sialidases (IT-sialidases). A facile one-pot two-enzyme approach has been established for the synthesis of 2,7-anhydro-sialic acid derivatives including those containing different sialic acid forms such as Neu5Ac and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). The approach is based on the use of Ruminoccocus gnavus IT-sialidase for the release of 2,7-anhydro-sialic acid from glycoproteins, and the conversion of free sialic acid by a sialic acid aldolase.

Acute Consumption of Flavan-3-ol-Enriched Dark Chocolate Affects Human Endogenous Metabolism.

Flavan-3-ols and methylxanthines have potential beneficial effects on human health including reducing cardiovascular risk. We performed a randomized controlled crossover intervention trial to assess the acute effects of consumption of flavan-3-ol-enriched dark chocolate, compared with standard dark chocolate and white chocolate, on the human metabolome. We assessed the metabolome in urine and blood plasma samples collected before and at 2 and 6 h after consumption of chocolates in 42 healthy volunteers using a nontargeted metabolomics approach.

Low-field (1)H NMR spectroscopy for distinguishing between arabica and robusta ground roast coffees.

This work reports a new screening protocol for addressing issues of coffee authenticity using low-field (60MHz) bench-top (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Using a simple chloroform-based extraction, useful spectra were obtained from the lipophilic fraction of ground roast coffees. It was found that 16-O-methylcafestol (16-OMC, a recognized marker compound for robusta beans) gives rise to an isolated peak in the 60MHz spectrum, which can be used as an indicator of the presence of robusta beans in the sample.

Modified sugar beet pectin induces apoptosis of colon cancer cells via an interaction with the neutral sugar side-chains.

Pectins extracted from a variety of sources and modified with heat and/or pH have previously been shown to exhibit activity towards several cancer cell lines. However, the structural basis for the anti-cancer activity of modified pectin requires clarification. Sugar beet and citrus pectin extracts have been compared.

EpsA is an essential gene in exopolysaccharide production in Lactobacillus johnsonii FI9785.

Lactobacillus johnsonii FI9785 has an eps gene cluster which is required for the biosynthesis of homopolymeric exopolysaccharides (EPS)-1 and heteropolymeric EPS-2 as a capsular layer. The first gene of the cluster, epsA, is the putative transcriptional regulator. In this study we showed the crucial role of epsA in EPS biosynthesis by demonstrating that deletion of epsA resulted in complete loss of both EPS-1 and EPS-2 on the cell surface.

Rhamnogalacturonan I containing homogalacturonan inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation by decreasing ICAM1 expression.

Pectin modified with pH, heat or enzymes, has previously been shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity. However, the structural requirements for modified pectin bioactivity have rarely been addressed. In this study several pectin extracts representing different structural components of pectin were assessed for effects against colon cancer cells.

Authentication of beef versus horse meat using 60 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy.

This work reports a candidate screening protocol to distinguish beef from horse meat based upon comparison of triglyceride signatures obtained by 60 MHz (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Using a simple chloroform-based extraction, we obtained classic low-field triglyceride spectra from typically a 10 min acquisition time. Peak integration was sufficient to differentiate samples of fresh beef (76 extractions) and horse (62 extractions) using Naïve Bayes classification.

Management of a rare gastrobronchial fistula following recurrent pancreatitis.

A 41-year-old male smoker presented with choking and coughing up food associated with repeated vomiting. Four years previously, following recurrent episodes of pancreatitis, he required percutaneous necrosectomy. He subsequently had a cholecystectomy and mesh repair of the abdominal wall, and later developed multiple problems including a gastrobronchial fistula.