Ostreopsis cf. ovata in the Gulf of Gabès (south-eastern Mediterranean Sea): morphological, molecular and ecological characterization.

In the last few decades, the frequency of the toxic benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata proliferation has increased in the Mediterranean Sea. These blooms are associated with harmful effects on human health and the environment.

Integrated approach to the in vivo genotoxic effects of a titanium dioxide nanomaterial using LacZ plasmid-based transgenic mice.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) nanomaterials (NMs) are widely used in a diversity of products including cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food, and inks, despite uncertainties surrounding the potential health risks that they pose to humans and the environment. Previous studies on the genotoxicity of TiO2 have reported discrepant or inconclusive findings in both in vitro and in vivo systems. This study explores the in vivo genotoxic potential of a well-characterized uncoated TiO2 NM with an average diameter of 22 nm (NM-102, from JRC repository) using several genotoxicity endpoints in the LacZ plasmid-based transgenic mouse model.

Exploring the contribution of mycobacteria characteristics in their interaction with human macrophages.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health problem. The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isolates confounds treatment strategies. In Portugal, cases of MDR-TB are reported annually with an increased incidence noted in Lisbon.

Involvement of endoplasmic reticulum and autophagy in microcystin-LR toxicity in Vero-E6 and HepG2 cell lines.

This work investigates the involvement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and autophagy in microcystin-LR (MCLR) toxicity in Vero-E6 and HepG2 cell lines. Additionally, morphological alterations induced by MCLR in lysosomes and mitochondria were studied. Cytotoxicity evaluation showed that pure MCLR and MCLR from LMECYA110 extract induce concentration dependent viability decays after 24h exposure.

Comparative study of the cytotoxic effect of microcistin-LR and purified extracts from Microcystis aeruginosa on a kidney cell line.

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) is a potent hepatotoxin, but increasing evidences suggest that it might also induce kidney injury. The aim of this work was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of MCLR on a kidney cell line (Vero-E6). Cells were exposed for up to 72 h either to Microcystis aeruginosa extracts from both MCLR-producer and non-MCLR-producer isolates or to pure MCLR (1.