A Single-Laboratory Validation of a UPLC Method for Determination of Folic Acid in Various Dietary Supplement Dosage Forms.

Background: Folic acid is an essential nutrient necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and certain amino acids. There are no scientifically validated analytical methods for folic acid applicable to all dosage forms.

Objective: A single-laboratory method was validated for the determination of folic acid content in various dietary supplement dosage forms.

Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum in rats and sand flies in the urban sewers of Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Classically, dogs have been considered to be the only reservoir of leishmaniasis in urban areas. However, in a previous study, we found a 33.3% prevalence of Leishmania infantum in the spleens of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) sampled in the underground sewer system of the city of Barcelona (Spain).

Ruminal metagenomic libraries as a source of relevant hemicellulolytic enzymes for biofuel production.

The success of second-generation (2G) ethanol technology relies on the efficient transformation of hemicellulose into monosaccharides and, particularly, on the full conversion of xylans into xylose for over 18% of fermentable sugars. We sought new hemicellulases using ruminal liquid, after enrichment of microbes with industrial lignocellulosic substrates and preparation of metagenomic libraries. Among 150 000 fosmid clones tested, we identified 22 clones with endoxylanase activity and 125 with β-xylosidase activity.

Field trial on removal of petroleum-hydrocarbon pollutants using a microbial consortium for bioremediation and rhizoremediation.

Petroleum waste sludges are toxic and dangerous that is why environmental protection agencies have declared their treatment top priority. Physicochemical treatments are expensive and environmentally unfriendly, while alternative biological treatments are less costly but, in general, work at a slower pace. An in situ bioremediation and rhizoremediation field scale trial was performed in an area contaminated with oil refinery sludge under semiarid climate.

Synthesis and DNA binding profile of N-mono- and N,N'-disubstituted indolo[3,2-b]carbazoles.

A series of N-monosubstituted and N,N'-disubstituted derivatives of the indolo[3,2-b]carbazole chromophore have been prepared, and their binding affinity for duplex DNA has been evaluated by ultraviolet and fluorescence spectroscopies. It has been found that indolo[3,2-b]carbazoles bearing basic N-alkyl substituents are intercalators that bind DNA with affinities in the micromolar and submicromolar range and a preference for associating with sequences of mixed composition and purine-pyrimidine steps.

Restoration of a Mediterranean forest after a fire: bioremediation and rhizoremediation field-scale trial.

Forest fires pose a serious threat to countries in the Mediterranean basin, often razing large areas of land each year. After fires, soils are more likely to erode and resilience is inhibited in part by the toxic aromatic hydrocarbons produced during the combustion of cellulose and lignins. In this study, we explored the use of bioremediation and rhizoremediation techniques for soil restoration in a field-scale trial in a protected Mediterranean ecosystem after a controlled fire.

Microbial stratification in low pH oxic and suboxic macroscopic growths along an acid mine drainage.

Macroscopic growths at geographically separated acid mine drainages (AMDs) exhibit distinct populations. Yet, local heterogeneities are poorly understood. To gain novel mechanistic insights into this, we used OMICs tools to profile microbial populations coexisting in a single pyrite gallery AMD (pH ∼2) in three distinct compartments: two from a stratified streamer (uppermost oxic and lowermost anoxic sediment-attached strata) and one from a submerged anoxic non-stratified mat biofilm.

Chemical and microbiological characterization of atmospheric particulate matter during an intense African dust event in Southern Spain.

This study presents the results of the physicochemical characterization of particulate matter associated with an important dust event from the Sahara area that occurred in the South of Spain in 2010. The chemical composition of the samples reflected the dominance of the crustal component of sand from the Sahara desert, although the presence of Mo, Ti, and V trace elements indicated that the dust contained industrial material; probably collected in its transport from Africa. Microbial biodiversity associated with the dust was low, but dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria.

Bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of maize and the surrounding carbonate-rich bulk soil.

Maize represents one of the main cultivar for food and energy and crop yields are influenced by soil physicochemical and climatic conditions. To study how maize plants influence soil microbes we have examined microbial communities that colonize maize plants grown in carbonate-rich soil (pH 8.5) using culture-independent, PCR-based methods.

Laboratory research aimed at closing the gaps in microbial bioremediation.

The industrial revolution, the first agricultural 'green revolution', and the development of antibiotics and therapeutic chemicals have brought significant and undeniable benefits to the human race. However, these advances demand high levels of energy, exploit natural resources and create large amounts of waste that creates an environmental burden for our planet. The pollution rate and character of many of the pollutants results in a rapid deterioration of the environment.

Taxonomic and functional metagenomic profiling of the microbial community in the anoxic sediment of a sub-saline shallow lake (Laguna de Carrizo, Central Spain).

The phylogenetic and functional structure of the microbial community residing in a Ca(2+)-rich anoxic sediment of a sub-saline shallow lake (Laguna de Carrizo, initially operated as a gypsum (CaSO(4) × 2 H(2)O) mine) was estimated by analyzing the diversity of 16S rRNA amplicons and a 3.1 Mb of consensus metagenome sequence. The lake has about half the salinity of seawater and possesses an unusual relative concentration of ions, with Ca(2+) and SO (4) (2-) being dominant.

Development of a monoclonal antibody capable of detecting prolamine in wheat and oats.

A monoclonal antibody (MAb) capable of detecting the gliadin in wheat flour has been developed. By immunoblot, the monoclonal antibody recognized three bands in the membranes after electrophoresis in an SDS PAGE of the alcohol-soluble proteins of wheat, and only one band in the alcohol extract of the oat flour. ELISA technique can be applied using this monoclonal antibody in the detection of gliadin and avenin in samples from wheat or triticale.