Linear dichroism of visible-region chromophores using M13 bacteriophage as an alignment scaffold.

It is a challenge within the field of biomimetics to recreate the properties of light-harvesting antennae found in plants and photosynthetic bacteria. Attempts to recreate these biological structures typically rely on the alignment of fluorescent moieties attachment to an inert linear scaffold, DNA, RNA or amyloid fibrils, to enable Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between attached chromophores. While there has been some success in this approach, refinement of the alignment of the chromophores is often limited, which may limit the efficiency of energy transfer achieved.

An immunomagnetic separation/loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for rapid direct detection of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. during poultry production.

Aims: To develop a rapid test for thermotolerant Campylobacter in poultry faeces.

Methods And Results: The reported method is based on immunomagnetic separation and loop-mediated isothermal DNA amplification (IMS/LAMP). This LAMP assay is specific (demonstrated using 10 Campylobacter strains and 13 non-Campylobacter bacterial species) and sensitive (95% probability of detecting 22 genome copies).

Water soluble folate-chitosan nanogels crosslinked by genipin.

Folate-chitosan conjugates were prepared by a concurrent functionalization and crosslinking reaction with the natural crosslinker genipin. Genipin molecule was employed simultaneously as crosslinker agent and spacer molecule in order to allow the functionalization with folic acid for active tumor targeting. The reaction was carried out in reverse microemulsion which provided colloidal size and monodisperse particle size distribution.

Pro-calcitonin and inflammation in chronic hemodialysis.

Unlabelled: Procalcitonin (PCT) has emerged as a marker of infection, a frequent complication in hemodialysis (HD). We analyzed PCT levels in chronic non-acutely infected HD subjects, assessed its correlation with inflammatory and nutritional markers and propose a PCT reference value for non-infected HD patients. In an observational cross-sectional study, 48 chronic HD patients and 36 controls were analyzed.

Early changes in the synapses of the neostriatum induced by perinatal asphyxia.

Perinatal asphyxia (PA) is a medical condition associated with a high short-term morbimortality and different long-term neurological diseases. In previous work we have observed at 6 months post-synaptic densities (PSDs) alterations compatible with neurodegeneration highly correlated with the increment in the ubiquitination. Although alterations in the synaptic organization and function have been related with neuronal death after hypoxia, little is known about the synaptic changes in young animals exposed to PA.