From local bacterial communities to energy: application of microbial fuel cells in laboratory experimentation.

It is well known that bacterial communities are an essential component to maintain the balance of terrestrial ecosystems due to the functions and services performed by microorganisms in the environment. The research seeking on alternative energy sources has shown that bacterial communities can bioconvert the chemical energy of an organic substrate into electrical energy, within devices known as microbial fuel cells. For this reason, this class project allows students of Biotechnology, Environmental Science, and Microbiology to apply the appropriate methodology to develop a class project throughout an environmental bacterial community capable of generating electrical energy.

Multiquery Similarity Searching Models: An Alternative Approach for Predicting Hemolytic Activity from Peptide Sequence.

The desirable pharmacological properties and a broad number of therapeutic activities have made peptides promising drugs over small organic molecules and antibody drugs. Nevertheless, toxic effects, such as hemolysis, have hampered the development of such promising drugs. Hence, a reliable computational tool to predict peptide hemolytic toxicity is enormously useful before synthesis and experimental evaluation.

Peripherally inserted central venous catheter placed and maintained by a dedicated nursing team for the administration of antimicrobial therapy vs. another type of catheter: a retrospective case-control study.

Introduction: Data concerning the use of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) for the administration of intravenous (IV) antimicrobials in the acute care setting is scarce.

Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective case-control study (1:1). Case subjects were defined as patients who received IV antimicrobial treatment through a PICC line placed and maintained by specifically trained nurses (PICC group).

Immobilized Seed-Mediated Growth of Two-Dimensional Array of Metallic Nanocrystals with Asymmetric Shapes.

Bottom-up fabrication of such arrays with specific orientation of nanoparticles remains a challenge. In this paper, we report an immobilized seed-mediated growth strategy for the fabrication of two-dimensional (2D) arrays of mono- and bimetallic polyhedral nanocrystals with well-defined shapes and orientations on a substrate. This method relies on the controlled solution-phase deposition of metals (i.

Subcutaneous versus intravenous administration of trastuzumab: preference of HER2+ breast cancer patients and financial impact of its use.

Purpose: To investigate the preference of HER2+ breast cancer patients and nursing professionals for subcutaneous (SC) versus intravenous (IV) trastuzumab and to evaluate the financial impact derived from the use of the SC formulation.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out to investigate preferences of all patients who started treatment with SC trastuzumab while they had received the IV formulation before. The preference of nursing staff in charge of preparation and administration was also analysed.