Organic farming practices change the soil bacteria community, improving soil quality and maize crop yields.

Background: The importance of organic farming has increased through the years to promote food security allied with minimal harm to the ecosystem. Besides the environmental benefits, a recurring problem associated with organic management is the unsatisfactory yield. A possible solution may rely on the soil microbiome, which presents a crucial role in the soil system.

Performance and intestinal microbiota of chickens receiving probiotic in the feed and submitted to antibiotic therapy.

The purpose of this study was to verify the ability of a probiotic in the feed to maintain the stability of the gut microbiota in chickens after antibiotic therapy and its association with growth performance. One thousand six hundred twenty 1-day-old Cobb male were housed in floor pens (36 pens, 45 birds/pen) and were fed corn-/soya bean meal-based diets supplemented with or without probiotic (Bacillus subtilis) during the entire rearing phase. From 21 to 24 days of age (three consecutive days), the chickens were submitted to antibiotic therapy via drinking water (bacitracin and neomycin) in order to mimic a field treatment and induce dysbiosis.

Effect of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria on phosphorus dynamics and the bacterial community during composting of sugarcane industry waste.

Sugarcane processing generates a large quantity of residues, such as filter cake and ashes, which are sometimes composted prior to their amendment in soil. However, important issues still have to be addressed on this subject, such as the description of bacterial succession that occurs throughout the composting process and the possibilities of using phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) during the process to improve phosphorus (P) availability in the compost end product. Consequently, this study evaluated the bacterial diversity and P dynamics during the composting process when inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSBR12 and Bacillus sp.

Bacterial communities involved in sulfur transformations in wastewater treatment plants.

The main sulfate-reducing (SRB) and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) in six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located at southern Brazil were described based on high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rDNA. Specific taxa of SRB and SOB were correlated with some abiotic factors, such as the source of the wastewater, oxygen content, sample type, and physical chemical attributes of these WWTPs. When the 22 families of SRB and SOB were clustered together, the samples presented a striking distribution, demonstrating grouping patterns according to the sample type.

Dry Season Constrains Bacterial Phylogenetic Diversity in a Semi-Arid Rhizosphere System.

The rhizosphere is viewed as a deterministic environment led by the interaction between plants and microorganisms. In the case of semi-arid plants, this interaction is strengthened by the harshness of the environment. We tested the hypothesis that dry season represents a constraint on the bacterial diversity of the rhizosphere from semi-arid plants.

Linking the Composition of Bacterial and Archaeal Communities to Characteristics of Soil and Flora Composition in the Atlantic Rainforest.

The description of microbiomes as intrinsic fractions of any given ecosystem is an important issue, for instance, by linking their compositions and functions with other biotic and abiotic components of natural systems and hosts. Here we describe the archaeal and bacterial communities from soils of the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil. Based on the comparison of three areas located along an altitudinal gradient-namely, Santa Virginia, Picinguaba and Restinga-we detected the most abundant groups of Bacteria (Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria) and Archaea (Thaumarchaeota, Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota).

Bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of Vitis vinifera L. cultivated under distinct agricultural practices in Argentina.

Plants interact with a myriad of microbial cells in the rhizosphere, an environment that is considered to be important for plant development. However, the differential structuring of rhizosphere microbial communities due to plant cultivation under differential agricultural practices remains to be described for most plant species. Here we describe the rhizosphere microbiome of grapevine cultivated under conventional and organic practices, using a combination of cultivation-independent approaches.

Concentration, characterization and application of lipases from Sporidiobolus pararoseus strain.

Lipases produced by a newly isolated Sporidiobolus pararoseus strain have potential catalytic ability for esterification reactions. After production, the enzymatic extracts (conventional crude and precipitated, 'CC' and 'CP', and industrial crude and precipitated, 'IC' e 'IP') were partially characterized. The enzymes presented, in general, higher specificity for short chain alcohols and fatty acids.

Sulphur-oxidizing and sulphate-reducing communities in Brazilian mangrove sediments.

Mangrove soils are anaerobic environments rich in sulphate and organic matter. Although the sulphur cycle is one of the major actors in this ecosystem, little is known regarding the sulphur bacteria communities in mangrove soils. We investigated the abundance, composition and diversity of sulphur-oxidizing (SOB) and sulphate-reducing (SRB) bacteria in sediments from three Brazilian mangrove communities: two contaminated, one with oil (OilMgv) and one with urban waste and sludge (AntMgv), and one pristine (PrsMgv).

'Synthetic lipase' production from a newly isolated Sporidiobolus pararoseus strain by submerged fermentation.

The lipase produced by a newly isolate Sporidiobolus pararoseus strain has potential catalysis ability for esterification reactions. In order to improve its synthetic activity, this work aimed at optimizing 'synthetic lipase' production by submerged fermentation of a conventional media based on peptone, yeast extract, NaCl and olive oil using experimental design technique. According to the results obtained in the first experimental design (2(4-1)), yeast extract and NaCl concentrations were tested to further optimization by response surface methodology.

Analgesic efficacy of high-frequency spinal cord stimulation: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Introduction: Spinal cord stimulation is a recognized treatment of chronic neuropathic and vascular pain. Recent data suggest that the use of very high-frequency (HF) stimulation modes does produce analgesia without paresthesia.

Aim Of The Study: To compare the efficacy of HF stimulation (HF spinal cord stimulation [HFSCS]) and sham stimulation on the patient's global impression of change (PGIC), pain intensity, and quality of life.

Silicone septum leakage at the origin of a drug overdose in a patient implanted with an intrathecal pump.

Introduction: Intrathecal (IT) pump failures usually result in decreased drug administration and symptom reoccurrence with or without withdrawal syndrome. We report a case of a leaking silicone septum associated to a systemic drug overdose.

Case Report: An 84-year-old patient treated with IT clonidine for chronic back pain presented with a state of confusion, visual hallucinations, and hypertension two hours after an unremarkable pump (SynchroMed EL, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) refill.

Severe hypertension following accidental clonidine overdose during the refilling of an implanted intrathecal drug delivery system.

Background:   Complications associated with intrathecal pumps may be linked to the surgical procedure, the implanted device, or the medication itself.

Case Reports:   Three patients treated chronically with intrathecal clonidine presented with clonidine overdose due to inadvertent extravasation during the refilling procedure. All patients experienced loss of consciousness and severe systemic hypertension that required aggressive parenteral treatment.

Effects of flow rate modifications on reported analgesia and quality of life in chronic pain patients treated with continuous intrathecal drug therapy.

Objective: We compared the analgesia and the quality of life of a constant daily dose of intrathecal drug administered at different flow rates in patients treated for chronic pain. We postulate that the quality of the analgesia, at the same daily dose, will show an infusion rate dependent pattern with decreased pain at higher flow rates.

Patients: Twenty consecutive patients on stable intrathecal treatment were included in a double-blind three-period crossover study where the same daily dose was administered at single, double, and quadruple flow rates in a randomized sequence.

Neurostimulation technology for the treatment of chronic pain: a focus on spinal cord stimulation.

Over the past 40 years we have seen how electrical stimulation for the relief of pain has progressed from an experimental treatment based upon a clinical theory to being on the threshold of becoming a standard of medical practice. While tens of thousands of devices are implanted every year, the mechanism of action still evades complete understanding. Nevertheless, technological improvements have been considerable and the current neuromodulation devices are both extremely sophisticated and reliable.

[Spinal opioids: mechanisms of action and chronic pain management].

The efficacy of spinal opioids is well known, the analgesia is potent and long lasting, due to the central localization of the opioid receptors. The analgesia is intimately related to the inhibition of the nociceptive signal in the spinal cord but side effects are mainly mediated by the activation of the mu opioid receptor in the brain and the brain stem. Only a limited number of controlled clinical studies compared systemic versus spinal administration of morphine in chronic pain patients, and the real benefit for the intrathecal route remains controversial.

Spinal cord stimulation for the management of refractory angina pectoris.

Despite sophisticated medical and surgical procedures, including percutaneous endovascular methods, a large number of patients suffer from chronic refractory angina pectoris. Improvement of pain relief in this category of patients requires the use of adjuvant therapies, of which spinal cord stimulation (SCS) seems to be the most promising. Controlled studies suggest that in patients with chronic refractory angina, SCS provides symptomatic relief that is equivalent to that provided by surgical or endovascular reperfusion procedures, but with a lower rate of complications and rehospitalization.

Intraparenchymal migration of an intrathecal catheter three years after implantation.

Intrathecal drug administration using implanted catheter and pump systems has been used in routine clinical practice for more than 20 years to treat chronic refractory pain or spasticity. Complications associated with the use of these systems include drug related adverse events as well as technical problems, most of which are related either to the catheter or the procedure. Although traumatic neural damage is exceedingly rare it is usually associated with significant neurological impairment.

Improved physical activity in patients treated for chronic pain by spinal cord stimulation.

The objective of this study was to objectively assess the physical activity of daily living in chronic pain patients treated with spinal cord stimulation (SCS). Changes in pain and spontaneous physical activity following SCS were evaluated under real life conditions. Five series of measurements were performed before the implant (baseline) and at one, three, six, and 12 months after the implantation of an SCS system.

Efficacy of intrathecal bupivacaine: how important is the flow rate?

We present two cases of cancer patients with intractable mechanical and visceral pain that was unrelieved with either comprehensive medical management or intrathecal morphine who received intrathecal bupivacaine. While the continuous administration of a seemingly significant daily dose neither relieved pain nor caused measurable clinical changes, the addition of small, presumably negligible bolus doses on top of the continuous infusion resulted in spectacular pain control, clear thermoanalgesic suspended block, and in one of the patients, significant hypotension. To the best of our knowledge, such an observation has neither been reported before nor can we provide a satisfactory explanation for it.

The acquisition, retention and reversal of spatial learning in the morris water maze task following withdrawal from an escalating dosage schedule of amphetamine in wistar rats.

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of amphetamine withdrawal in rats on spatial learning in the water maze. A schedule of repeated d-amphetamine administration lasting for 6 days, with three injections per day (1-5 mg/kg, i.p.

Notch1 and its ligands Delta-like and Jagged are expressed and active in distinct cell populations in the postnatal mouse brain.

Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in the regulation of vertebrate neurogenesis. However, in vitro experiments suggest that Notch1 may also be involved in the regulation of later stages of brain development. We have addressed putative roles in the central nervous system by examining the expression of Notch signaling cascade components in the postnatal mouse brain.

Enzymic hydrolysis of nicotinate esters: comparison between plasma and liver catalysis.

1. The enzymic hydrolysis of a wide series of nicotinic acid esters was investigated using human and rat plasma, and purified hog liver carboxylesterase, and compared with previously published data from rat liver microsomes. Esterase activities were always found to obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

Structure-metabolism relationships in the hydrolysis of nicotinate esters by rat liver and brain subcellular fractions.

Rat liver and brain subcellular esterase activities toward nicotinic acid esters were studied, under varying conditions, such as pH, organic solvents, protein concentration, duration of incubation, and substrate concentration. Esterases in each subcellular fraction displayed activities that obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics, although subcellular fractions are heterogeneous. The Km values were of the same magnitude, and the Vmax values were lower in microsomes than in cytosol of the liver.